Hamilton College vs Occidental College

Hamilton College and Occidental College, two esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Hamilton, nestled in Clinton, New York, boasts a lower acceptance rate (14.5%) compared to Occidental's (36.5%) in Los Angeles, California. While Hamilton's student body is predominantly white (68%), Occidental's is more diverse, with a significant Hispanic population (34%). Both colleges excel in academics, with Hamilton's popular majors including Economics, Government, and English, while Occidental's strengths lie in Psychology, Economics, and Art History. With similar graduation rates (Hamilton at 92% and Occidental at 89%), both colleges ensure their students are well-prepared for their post-graduate endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Hamilton College	Occidental College
Overview
Location	Clinton, New York	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	94.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.1%	38.2%
Application fees	$60	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1410 - 1540	1340 - 1490
ACT range	33 - 35	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	9,380	6,495
Total number of admissions given out	1,320	2,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	533	535
Yield rate	40.4%	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	$76,700	$77,878
Average net price	$26,803	$43,047
Tuition	$59,380	$57,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $6,910	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)	55.0% Average amount $47,867	100.0% Average amount $29,715
Students receiving federal student loan	35.0% Average amount $4,331	31.0% Average amount $4,603
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,195	17.0% Average amount $6,554

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,055 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	62.5%
International students	6.8%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,057	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	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Mathematics and Statistics	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.5%	82.9%
Dropout rate	0.8%	4.1%
Transferred out	6.8%	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,571 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $84,359 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,593 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $74,628 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,577 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,960 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,772 Year 3: N/A International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,978 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A	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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Hamilton College vs Occidental College

Hamilton College

Occidental College

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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