Occidental College vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Occidental College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique path to academic excellence. Occidental, a liberal arts college nestled in Los Angeles, California, fosters a close-knit community with a focus on interdisciplinary learning and global engagement. MIT, a world-renowned research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is celebrated for its rigorous STEM programs and groundbreaking innovations. While both institutions share a commitment to academic rigor and student success, they differ significantly in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Occidental College
Overview
Location	Cambridge, Massachusetts	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	92.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	4.1%	38.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75	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	33,240	6,495
Total number of admissions given out	1,365	2,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,177	535
Yield rate	86.2%	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	$58,920	$77,878
Average net price	$30,958	$43,047
Tuition	$55,510	$57,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,550 Meal plan: $6,550	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)	100.0% Average amount $32,562	100.0% Average amount $29,715
Students receiving federal student loan	6.0% Average amount $5,112	31.0% Average amount $4,603
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $17,891	17.0% Average amount $6,554

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,638 Men 51.9% Women 48.1%	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	7,296 Men 62.0% Women 38.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	62.5%
International students	29.2%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,280	1,650
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas New York Florida New Jersey	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Architecture Mathematics and Statistics	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	3:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	96.2%	82.9%
Dropout rate	3.0%	4.1%
Transferred out	N/A	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,716 Year 2: $150,045 Year 3: $183,153 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $170,089 Year 2: $165,236 Year 3: $182,183 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,191 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $163,496 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,796 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $155,540 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,685 Year 2: $137,214 Year 3: $155,079 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $104,229 Year 2: $121,226 Year 3: $139,548 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $141,603 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $132,987 Mechanical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $112,885 Year 3: $124,425 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,266 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $112,404 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,955 Year 2: $104,749 Year 3: $109,672	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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.