Whittier College vs Mills College

Whittier College and Mills College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Whittier College, nestled in the vibrant city of Whittier, California, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 67%. Its student body comprises 2,400 undergraduates, representing a diverse mix of ethnicities and backgrounds. Popular majors include Business, Psychology, and Biology. In contrast, Mills College, located in the charming town of Oakland, California, has a more open admissions policy, reflected in its acceptance rate of 80%. Its undergraduate population of 800 students enjoys a close-knit community atmosphere. Mills College is renowned for its strengths in the liberal arts, with popular majors such as English, Art, and Environmental Studies. Both institutions offer excellent graduation rates, with Whittier College achieving a rate of 75% and Mills College reaching 70%. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we present a comprehensive comparison of these two colleges
Mills College logo

Mills College

Whittier College logo

Whittier College

Overview

Location Oakland, California Whittier, California
Campus setting City: Large Suburb: Large
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 62.0% 82.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 79.8% 82.5%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $50
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $70
SAT range 1378 - 1413 1120 - 1340
ACT range 30 - 31 23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score 5.0% 11.0%
Students submitting ACT score 5.0% 9.0%
Total number of applicants 847 2,884
Total number of admissions given out 676 2,379
Admitted students who chose to enroll 39 277
Yield rate 5.8% 11.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $51,108 $61,014
Average net price $25,283 $22,091
Tuition $29,340 $48,924
Room & board $14,369
Room/dormitory: $8,216

Meal plan: $6,756
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $22,278
97.0%
Average amount $32,645
Students receiving federal student loan 47.0%
Average amount $5,389
65.0%
Average amount $5,040
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $29,740
6.0%
Average amount $17,379

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 446
Men 0.4% Women 99.6%
1,325
Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students 371
Men 18.3% Women 81.7%
62
Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 1.1% 6.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 705 849
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio 8:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 64.0% 63.6%
Dropout rate 36.0% 3.6%
Transferred out N/A 31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,948
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $70,496
Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,134
  • Year 2: $64,493
  • Year 3: $57,979
Education, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,320
  • Year 2: $56,579
  • Year 3: $56,033
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $49,646
  • Year 3: $52,756
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,658
  • Year 3: $23,920
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,216
  • Year 2: $24,808
  • Year 3: $23,861
Music (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $22,841
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,229
  • Year 2: $34,526
  • Year 3: N/A
Literature (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: N/A
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,533
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $34,282
  • Year 2: $41,689
  • Year 3: $64,434
Education, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,241
  • Year 2: $67,324
  • Year 3: $59,453
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,364
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $54,567
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,650
  • Year 2: $35,914
  • Year 3: $47,815
Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $25,730
  • Year 2: $28,309
  • Year 3: $42,330
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $22,976
  • Year 2: $14,935
  • Year 3: $38,238
Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,267
  • Year 2: $26,715
  • Year 3: $37,247
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,562
  • Year 2: $21,508
  • Year 3: $35,879
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $25,185
  • Year 2: $16,015
  • Year 3: $34,329
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $27,103
  • Year 2: $27,765
  • Year 3: $30,273

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