Occidental College vs Duke University

Occidental College and Duke University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Occidental, a liberal arts college nestled in Los Angeles, boasts a tight-knit community and an acceptance rate of 34%. Duke, a renowned research university in Durham, North Carolina, offers a wider range of academic programs and a more diverse student body, with an acceptance rate of 8%. While both schools excel in the humanities and social sciences, Occidental is known for its strength in the arts, while Duke is renowned for its engineering and business programs. Occidental's smaller size fosters a more personalized learning environment, while Duke's larger student body provides ample opportunities for extracurricular involvement. With graduation rates of 86% and 94% respectively, both institutions ensure that their students are well-prepared for successful careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Duke University	Occidental College
Overview
Location	Durham, North Carolina	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Large	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	98.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.9%	38.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1468 - 1558	1340 - 1490
ACT range	33 - 35	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	47.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	46.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	49,703	6,495
Total number of admissions given out	2,927	2,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,744	535
Yield rate	59.6%	21.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,860	$77,878
Average net price	$27,297	$43,047
Tuition	$58,085	$57,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,164 Meal plan: $6,862	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	46.0% Average amount $50,731	100.0% Average amount $29,715
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,537	31.0% Average amount $4,603
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,957	17.0% Average amount $6,554

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,883 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	10,737 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	62.5%
International students	21.4%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,718	1,650
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Engineering Legal Profession Social Sciences	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.9%	82.9%
Dropout rate	4.0%	4.1%
Transferred out	N/A	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $151,472 Year 2: $213,978 Year 3: $201,782 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $155,031 Year 2: $168,098 Year 3: $200,300 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $143,622 Year 2: $148,189 Year 3: $163,560 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $163,977 Year 2: $138,342 Year 3: $159,598 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $115,135 Year 2: $106,898 Year 3: $134,542 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $123,138 Year 2: $116,541 Year 3: $124,406 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,817 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $117,262 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,699 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $112,646 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,661 Year 2: $91,078 Year 3: $108,736 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $104,348	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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