Occidental College vs Soka University of America

Occidental College and Soka University of America, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Occidental, a liberal arts college nestled in Los Angeles, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on social justice. Soka, located in Aliso Viejo, emphasizes global citizenship and sustainability, with a curriculum rooted in Buddhist principles. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal values.

	Occidental College	Soka University of America
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Aliso Viejo, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: 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%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	52.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1340 - 1490	1205 - 1400
ACT range	30 - 33	24 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	44.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	8.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	519
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	272
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	133
Yield rate	21.5%	48.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$77,878	$57,098
Average net price	$43,047	$10,586
Tuition	$57,830	$32,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	$13,032
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,715	100.0% Average amount $29,337
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	30.0% Average amount $4,711
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	13.0% Average amount $7,418

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	435 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%
Graduate students	N/A	10 Men 60.0% Women 40.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	N/A
Out-of-state students	62.5%	64.4%
International students	6.3%	N/A
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,650	572
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi	California Colorado Illinois Oregon Nevada

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Liberal Arts Education
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	7:1
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	82.9%	90.6%
Dropout rate	4.1%	9.4%
Transferred out	12.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,666 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $34,176

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Occidental College vs Soka University of America

Occidental College

Soka University of America

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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