Occidental College vs Swarthmore

Nestled in the vibrant cities of Los Angeles and Philadelphia, Occidental College and Swarthmore College stand as two beacons of higher learning, each offering a distinct educational experience. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and fostering a diverse and inclusive community, they differ in several key aspects. Occidental, with an acceptance rate of 34%, boasts a larger and more diverse student body, while Swarthmore, with an acceptance rate of 10%, maintains a smaller and more selective community. In terms of popular majors, Occidental students gravitate towards the social sciences and humanities, while Swarthmore students excel in the natural sciences and engineering. Furthermore, Swarthmore's graduation rate of 94% slightly edges out Occidental's 89% graduation rate. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Occidental College	Swarthmore College
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
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
Students retention rate	92.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	7.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	$60
SAT range	1340 - 1490	1430 - 1560
ACT range	30 - 33	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	13,012
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	1,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	454
Yield rate	21.5%	44.8%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,878	$75,793
Average net price	$43,047	$19,733
Tuition	$57,830	$55,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	Room/dormitory: $8,796 Meal plan: $8,354
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	76.0% Average amount $40,072
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	6.0% Average amount $5,191
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	1.0% Average amount $30,543

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	1,651 Men 49.7% Women 50.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	62.5%	89.9%
International students	6.3%	15.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,650	1,605
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi	New York California Pennsylvania New Jersey Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Engineering Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.9%	94.1%
Dropout rate	4.1%	5.7%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $97,897 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $113,966 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,029 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $88,391 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,119 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,841 Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $42,944 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,425 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $36,220 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,963 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,964 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A

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