Occidental College vs Harvey Mudd College

Occidental College and Harvey Mudd College, both located in Southern California, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Occidental, with an acceptance rate of 34%, boasts a diverse student body and a strong liberal arts curriculum, while Harvey Mudd, with an acceptance rate of 14%, emphasizes science, engineering, and mathematics. While both colleges offer a supportive and collaborative learning environment, Occidental's larger student body and broader range of majors may appeal to those seeking a more traditional college experience, while Harvey Mudd's focus on STEM fields and smaller class sizes may be a better fit for those with a passion for these disciplines. Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two excellent institutions and find the one that best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Harvey Mudd College	Occidental College
Overview
Location	Claremont, California	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.0%	38.2%
Application fees	$70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1480 - 1560	1340 - 1490
ACT range	34 - 36	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	4,737	6,495
Total number of admissions given out	473	2,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	225	535
Yield rate	47.6%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$82,236	$77,878
Average net price	$33,838	$43,047
Tuition	$60,402	$57,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,592 Meal plan: $8,741	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)	63.0% Average amount $32,188	100.0% Average amount $29,715
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,821	31.0% Average amount $4,603
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $9,820	17.0% Average amount $6,554

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	905 Men 50.3% Women 49.7%	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	62.5%
International students	8.5%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	926	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	Engineering Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Physical Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	94.4%	82.9%
Dropout rate	0.5%	4.1%
Transferred out	4.7%	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mathematics and Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,973 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $166,134 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $123,339 Year 2: $142,581 Year 3: $159,657 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,948 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $90,517	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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Harvey Mudd College

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