Occidental College vs Williams College

Occidental College and Williams College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Occidental, nestled in Los Angeles, boasts a diverse student body and a focus on social justice, while Williams, located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, emphasizes academic rigor and a close-knit community. With Occidental's acceptance rate hovering around 35% and Williams' at a highly selective 13%, the institutions cater to different applicant pools. Occidental's popular majors include social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences, while Williams students often pursue majors in economics, English, and history. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, such as graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and campus culture, to determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Occidental College	Williams College
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	8.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	$65
SAT range	1340 - 1490	N/A
ACT range	30 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	12,452
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	1,099
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	574
Yield rate	21.5%	52.2%
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	$78,060
Average net price	$43,047	$14,487
Tuition	$57,830	$59,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	Room/dormitory: $7,625 Meal plan: $7,375
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	52.0% Average amount $52,053
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	13.0% Average amount $3,992
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	2.0% Average amount $3,884

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	2,174 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
Graduate students	N/A	50 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	62.5%	N/A
International students	6.3%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,650	2,045
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	82.9%	93.8%
Dropout rate	4.1%	3.1%
Transferred out	12.6%	1.6%
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 Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,470 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $99,047 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,280 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,723 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,217 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $63,034 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,948 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: $48,967 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,036 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $44,771 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,402 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,135 Year 2: $40,461 Year 3: $41,065 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,760 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $37,587 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,029 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $26,432 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,668 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $14,771

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Occidental College vs Williams College

Occidental College

Williams College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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