Dickinson College vs Occidental College

Dickinson College and Occidental College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Dickinson, nestled in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, boasts a lower acceptance rate (29%) compared to Occidental's 34% in Los Angeles, California. Dickinson's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate population of 2,300 compared to Occidental's 2,000. While both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, Dickinson excels in the social sciences, while Occidental is known for its strength in the arts. Dickinson's graduation rate stands at 88%, while Occidental's is slightly lower at 85%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Dickinson College	Occidental College
Overview
Location	Carlisle, Pennsylvania	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	48.1%	38.2%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	1340 - 1490
ACT range	N/A	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score		22.0%
Total number of applicants	6,366	6,495
Total number of admissions given out	3,061	2,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	677	535
Yield rate	22.1%	21.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,300	$77,878
Average net price	$20,913	$43,047
Tuition	$58,158	$57,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,866 Meal plan: $7,386	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $39,555	100.0% Average amount $29,715
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $3,696	31.0% Average amount $4,603
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $9,232	17.0% Average amount $6,554

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,180 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	6 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	62.5%
International students	12.3%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,118	1,650
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Computer and Information Science	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.4%	82.9%
Dropout rate	17.6%	4.1%
Transferred out	N/A	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,304 Year 2: $51,750 Year 3: $73,244 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,684 Year 2: $50,320 Year 3: $56,449 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $55,723 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,550 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,461 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $48,836 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,322 Year 2: $40,737 Year 3: $43,711 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $43,177 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,473 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $42,465 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,634 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,617 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $38,644	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,544 Year 2: $55,078 Year 3: $63,231 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,360 Year 2: $37,779 Year 3: $49,843 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,329 Year 2: $36,132 Year 3: $45,083 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,948 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $43,488 Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $33,877 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $31,152 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,035 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $31,095 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,916 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $30,729 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,793 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A

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Dickinson College vs Occidental College

Dickinson College

Occidental College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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