Occidental College vs Hillsdale College

Occidental College and Hillsdale College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer contrasting educational experiences. Occidental, a liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, boasts a diverse student body and a focus on social justice. In contrast, Hillsdale, a private liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, emphasizes a classical education rooted in Western tradition. With acceptance rates of 34% and 48%, respectively, both colleges offer a selective admissions process. Occidental's popular majors include social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences, while Hillsdale's strengths lie in political science, economics, and history. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other key aspects, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Hillsdale College	Occidental College
Overview
Location	Hillsdale, Michigan	Los Angeles, California
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: 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	94.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Undenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	23.7%	38.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $25	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1340 - 1510	1340 - 1490
ACT range	30 - 34	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	22.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	38.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	2,994	6,495
Total number of admissions given out	709	2,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	397	535
Yield rate	56.0%	21.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$45,382	$77,878
Average net price	$24,057	$43,047
Tuition	$28,730	$57,830
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,020 Meal plan: $6,120	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 $20,535	100.0% Average amount $29,715
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	31.0% Average amount $4,603
Students taking out private loans	34.0% Average amount $10,497	17.0% Average amount $6,554

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,515 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Graduate students	87 Men 67.8% Women 32.2%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	N/A	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	62.5%
International students	N/A	6.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,124	1,650
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.6%	82.9%
Dropout rate	8.3%	4.1%
Transferred out	3.9%	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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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Occidental College vs Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College

Occidental College

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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