Private colleges in California · By CalChannel Editorial Team · Updated September 29, 2026
The Occidental College acceptance rate was 44.8% for Fall 2025: Oxy admitted 3,359 of 7,490 first-year applicants, according to its Common Data Set. “Oxy” is a private liberal arts college in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles with about 1,800 students. Its 2026-27 cost of attendance is $95,365 living on campus, including $70,492 in tuition.
Occidental College is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast and one of the few located inside the city of Los Angeles. It’s known for small classes, a strong focus on public service and global affairs, and a famous alumnus, former President Barack Obama, who studied at Oxy before transferring.
Here are the official numbers: who gets in, what it costs in 2026-27, how big it is and what to know before you apply.
| Fact | Occidental College |
|---|---|
| Type | Private liberal arts college |
| Location | Eagle Rock, Los Angeles |
| Founded | 1887 |
| Acceptance rate | 44.8% (Fall 2025: 3,359 admitted of 7,490 applicants) |
| Median high school GPA | 3.68 (Fall 2025 enrolled first-years) |
| SAT/ACT | Test-optional; middle 50% SAT 1400-1510, ACT 31-34 for those who submitted |
| Students | 1,822 undergraduates (Fall 2025) |
| Tuition (2026-27) | $70,492 |
| Cost of attendance (2026-27) | $95,365 on campus; $81,864 living with a parent |
| Retention / graduation rate | 91% / 81% in six years (2019 cohort) |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | About 8:1 |
| Athletics | Tigers, NCAA Division III, SCIAC |
Sources: Occidental College Common Data Set 2025-26; Occidental Financial Aid, Cost of Attendance 2026-27. Full list at the end of the article.
In This Article
What Is Occidental College?
Occidental College, known as Oxy, is a private liberal arts college founded in 1887 in Los Angeles. It enrolls about 1,800 undergraduates and offers only bachelor’s degrees, with a student-to-faculty ratio of about 8:1 and a semester calendar.
Oxy’s curriculum emphasizes writing, global perspectives and community engagement, and students can combine majors in the sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts. Its Kahane United Nations program and its location in Los Angeles give students access to internships in government, media, the arts and nonprofit work.
What Is the Occidental College Acceptance Rate?
Occidental admitted 44.8% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025: 7,490 students applied, 3,359 were admitted and 437 enrolled, according to its Common Data Set 2025-26.
| Occidental, Fall 2025 | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| California residents | 3,314 | 1,687 | 50.9% |
| Out-of-state | 2,634 | 1,423 | 54.0% |
| International | 1,542 | 249 | 16.1% |
| All first-year applicants | 7,490 | 3,359 | 44.8% |
| Transfer applicants | 369 | 131 | 35.5% |
Source: Occidental College Common Data Set 2025-26, items C1 and D2.
Admission is much more competitive for international applicants, who were admitted at 16% for Fall 2025. Domestic applicants, from California and out of state, were admitted at roughly 51% to 54%.
How to Get Into Occidental
Oxy reviews applications holistically, weighing course rigor, grades, essays and recommendations most heavily. Enrolled first-years for Fall 2025 had a median high school GPA of 3.68, with the middle half between 3.47 and 3.87. With a 44.8% Occidental College acceptance rate, a strong transcript and thoughtful essays make Oxy a realistic target.
- Application: the Common Application with Occidental’s supplemental questions
- Testing: test-optional; 25% of enrolled first-years submitted SAT scores and 8% submitted ACT scores
- Scores, if you send them: the middle 50% of Fall 2025 submitters scored 1400-1510 on the SAT and 31-34 on the ACT
- Early Decision: binding Early Decision I (November 1) and Early Decision II (January 10)
- Early Action: a nonbinding Early Action option with a November 1 deadline and decisions in mid-January
So what’s the practical takeaway? Oxy is selective but realistic for strong domestic students, and applying Early Decision can help if it’s your first choice and your family has confirmed the net price works.
How Much Does Occidental Cost?
Occidental’s 2026-27 cost of attendance is $95,365 for students living on campus, $91,350 off campus and $81,864 for students living with a parent. Tuition is $70,492. Cost, not the Occidental College acceptance rate, is the bigger hurdle for many families.
| Occidental cost of attendance, 2026-27 | On campus | Off campus | With parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $70,492 | $70,492 | $70,492 |
| Required fees | $611 | $611 | $611 |
| Housing and meal plan | $21,022 | $17,007 | $7,521 |
| Books and supplies | $1,290 | $1,290 | $1,290 |
| Personal expenses | $1,950 | $1,950 | $1,950 |
| Total (travel varies) | $95,365 | $91,350 | $81,864 |
Source: Occidental College Financial Aid, Cost of Attendance, 2026-27.
Oxy offers need-based aid and merit scholarships, and California residents can use a Cal Grant at Occidental. File the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, and use Oxy’s net price calculator to estimate your cost after aid.
“Oxy is one of the few residential liberal arts colleges where students can live at home in Los Angeles and commute. That option cuts the budget by more than $13,000 a year, although most students choose to live on campus for the full college experience.”
CalChannel Editorial Team
Where Is Occidental College Located?
Occidental is in Eagle Rock, a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles, about 8 miles from downtown and close to Pasadena and Glendale. The hillside campus is known for its Mediterranean-style buildings, and students can reach downtown Los Angeles, Hollywood and the rest of the city for internships and events.
Occidental’s 1,822 undergraduates make it much smaller than nearby universities such as UCLA or USC. About 91% of first-year students returned for their second year, and 81% of the 2019 entering class graduated within six years.
What Is Occidental Known For?
Occidental is known for diplomacy and world affairs, politics, economics, biology, the arts and its commitment to equity and public service. It’s also known as the college former President Barack Obama attended for two years before transferring to Columbia University.
The Occidental Tigers compete in NCAA Division III in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Occidental College acceptance rate?
Occidental admitted 44.8% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025, or 3,359 of 7,490, according to its Common Data Set.
How much does Occidental College cost?
Occidental’s 2026-27 cost of attendance is $95,365 on campus, including $70,492 in tuition, before financial aid.
Why is Occidental called “Oxy”?
“Oxy” is the college’s long-standing nickname, and it appears in the college’s web address, oxy.edu.
Does Occidental require the SAT or ACT?
No. Occidental is test-optional. For Fall 2025, 25% of enrolled first-years submitted SAT scores and 8% submitted ACT scores.
Where is Occidental College located?
Occidental is in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of northeast Los Angeles, about 8 miles from downtown.
The Bottom Line on Occidental College
Occidental College is a small liberal arts college in Los Angeles that admitted 44.8% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025. It combines small classes and an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio with the opportunities of a major city. The Occidental College acceptance rate makes Oxy more reachable than most selective liberal arts colleges, so cost and fit decide the rest.
Its 2026-27 cost of attendance is $95,365 on campus before aid. Compare Oxy with Pomona, Santa Clara, Pepperdine and other private colleges in California.
Sources
CalChannel Editorial Team California college guides
The CalChannel editorial team researches and writes guides to California colleges, admissions and financial aid. We build our college profiles and aid guides from colleges’ own published data, federal IPEDS data and the California Student Aid Commission. Read our editorial policy.
