St. Mary's University vs Occidental College

St. Mary's University and Occidental College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. St. Mary's, a Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, predominantly comprising Hispanic students. Occidental, a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California, has a more selective admissions process and a smaller, diverse student population. While St. Mary's excels in nursing and business programs, Occidental shines in social sciences and humanities. Both universities offer a vibrant campus life and notable alumni, but their unique characteristics cater to different academic aspirations and personal preferences. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your educational goals and personal preferences.
Occidental College logo

Occidental College

St. Mary's University logo

St. Mary's University

Overview

Location Los Angeles, California San Antonio, Texas
Campus setting City: Large 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 92.0% 71.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 38.2% 88.5%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $60
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 4,305
Total number of admissions given out 2,484 3,808
Admitted students who chose to enroll 535 606
Yield rate 21.5% 15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $77,878 $42,864
Average net price $43,047 $17,899
Tuition $57,830 $33,518
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,512

Meal plan: $8,090
Room/dormitory: $7,070

Meal plan: $4,086
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $29,715
99.0%
Average amount $26,071
Students receiving federal student loan 31.0%
Average amount $4,603
54.0%
Average amount $5,583
Students taking out private loans 17.0%
Average amount $6,554
6.0%
Average amount $14,391

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,964
Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
2,093
Men 41.3% Women 58.7%
Graduate students N/A 1,339
Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 62.5% 4.5%
International students 6.3% 5.4%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,650 1,560
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 Texas New Mexico Colorado Montana Pennsylvania

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Physical Science
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Legal Profession
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 82.9% 59.2%
Dropout rate 4.1% 39.9%
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
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,618
  • Year 2: $51,458
  • Year 3: $62,917
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,105
  • Year 2: $56,931
  • Year 3: $62,421
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,272
  • Year 2: $55,512
  • Year 3: $62,293
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $25,373
  • Year 2: $25,967
  • Year 3: $39,095
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,975
  • Year 2: $31,133
  • Year 3: $36,564
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $34,526
  • Year 3: $35,547
Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,519
  • Year 2: $31,673
  • Year 3: $34,251
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,206
  • Year 2: $28,960
  • Year 3: $34,018
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $24,035
  • Year 3: $31,992
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $18,044
  • Year 2: $26,896
  • Year 3: $29,126

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Occidental College Occidental College vs Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
Occidental College Occidental College vs Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design
Occidental College Occidental College vs Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Occidental College Occidental College vs University of La Verne University of La Verne
Occidental College Occidental College vs La Sierra University La Sierra University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Mills College Mills College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Pacific Oaks College Pacific Oaks College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Knox College Knox College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Principia College Principia College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Wheaton College Wheaton College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Bates College Bates College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Bowdoin College Bowdoin College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Colby College Colby College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Harvard University Harvard University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Occidental College Occidental College vs Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Smith College Smith College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Williams College Williams College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
Occidental College Occidental College vs St Olaf College St Olaf College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Cornell University Cornell University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Hobart William Smith Colleges Hobart William Smith Colleges
Occidental College Occidental College vs Duke University Duke University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Haverford College Haverford College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Swarthmore College Swarthmore College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Brown University Brown University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Furman University Furman University
Occidental College Occidental College vs Middlebury College Middlebury College
Occidental College Occidental College vs University of Puget Sound University of Puget Sound
Occidental College Occidental College vs Stanford University Stanford University
Occidental College Occidental College vs St. John's College St. John's College
Occidental College Occidental College vs Soka University of America Soka University of America
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Chapman University Chapman University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Occidental College Occidental College
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Pepperdine University Pepperdine University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs University of Redlands University of Redlands
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Scripps College Scripps College
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Boston College Boston College
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Rockhurst University Rockhurst University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Campbell University Campbell University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Xavier University Xavier University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Duquesne University Duquesne University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Villanova University Villanova University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Wilkes University Wilkes University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs University of Dallas University of Dallas
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Hallmark University Hallmark University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Hardin-Simmons University Hardin-Simmons University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Houston Baptist University Houston Baptist University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs University of the Incarnate Word University of the Incarnate Word
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs University of Mary Hardin-Baylor University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Our Lady of the Lake University Our Lady of the Lake University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Saint Edward's University Saint Edward's University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs University of St Thomas University of St Thomas
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Texas Wesleyan University Texas Wesleyan University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Marquette University Marquette University
St. Mary's University St. Mary's University vs Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs Whitworth University-Adult Degree Programs