Occidental College
Admissions
Interested in attending Occidental College?
On this page, you'll learn how difficult it is to get into Occidental College, we'll dig into high school grades and test scores, and you'll find out the factors the school considers when reviewing applications.
Admission Rates
Is it difficult to get into Occidental College?
Using the most up-to-date data on record, Occidental accepted 39% of applicants. We classify this as selective.
In the most recent year, 6,301 people applied and 2,622 were accepted.
Applied/Accepted
Acceptance rates at colleges can change over time, with some becoming more competitive and others accepting more students. Here’s a look at the acceptance rate trend for the past 3 years at Occidental College:
Acceptance rates at schools can vary depending on if the student is in-state, out-of-state, or international.
Of those accepted, 20% ended up enrolling at Occidental College, making their yield rate Medium. The yield rate is the percentage of accepted students who enroll at the school. You can use the yield rate to find out how coveted a school is for the students who apply to it.
Application Factors
You can increase your chances of getting into Occidental College by looking at what the school considers during the application process.
Here are the things Occidental considers:
Very Important
- Academic GPA
- Application Essay
- Rigor of Secondary School Record
Important
- Character/Personal Qualities
- Class Rank
- Extracurricular Activities
- Recommendation(s)
- Volunteer Work
- Work Experience
Considered
- Alumni/AE Relation
- First Generation
- Geographical Residence
- Interview
- Level of Applicant's Interest
- Standardized Test Scores
- Talent/Ability
Not Considered
- Religious Affiliation/Commitment
- State Residency
Grades & Testing
Do you have the grades and test scores to get into Occidental College?
Grades
Students who recently attended Occidental College as freshmen had an average unweighted high school GPA of 3.67. 52% of freshmen who attended Occidental were in the top 10% of their graduating high school class, and 86% were in the top 25% of their graduating high school class.
These are the high school grade point averages (unweighted) of students who enroll:
High School GPAs
Occidental is Test Optional. This means scores are considered if they are submitted, but applicants do not need to submit scores.
Applicants submitting SAT Scores
Applicants submitting ACT Scores
SAT Math Scores
SAT Verb Scores
SAT Composite Scores
Application Deadlines
These are the deadlines for applying to Occidental College. Application deadlines are subject to change, so please verify all deadlines with the school.
Regular Admissions
Early Decision
Early Decision is a program in which students commit to attend a school if they are accepted. Some schools have a higher acceptance rate for Early Decision than regular decision. Occidental's Early Decision acceptance rate is 52%, compared to 39% overall. If you’re sure you want to attend Occidental College, you might consider applying Early Decision.
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