Occidental Acceptance Rate and SAT/ACT Scores

Occidental College Admission Requirements and Statistics

[updated for 2024-2025 admission data]

How hard is Occidental College to get into?

This page provides the latest information on Occidental College (Occidental)'s admission process, acceptance rate, and student profile. Occidental's acceptance rate is 44.17% for 2024-2025 admission. A total of 6,461 students applied and 2,854 were admitted to the school. It means that your chances of getting into Occidental is not low.

To apply to Occidental, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Occidental's acceptance rate places 23rd out of 118 California colleges with competitive admission.
The median SAT score is 1440 and the ACT score is 33 at Occidental. Occidental's SAT score ranks 9th out of 28 California colleges that consider SAT score for admission.
Occidental's yield rate is 17.83%, which is significantly lower by 16.16 percentage points (approximately 47.5% lower) compared to similar colleges with acceptance rates between 40% and 50% (average yield: 33.99%). You can compare colleges with similar acceptance rates to Occidental at colleges with acceptance rates between 40% and 50%.

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2024-25, Occidental's acceptance rate is 44.17% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 17.83%. 2,628 men and 3,821 women applied to Occidental and 1,066 men and 1,783 women students were accepted.

Among them, 210 men and 299 women were enrolled in Occidental. You can explore the Occidental's admission rates and SAT score trends over the past decade, including year-by-year data and analysis, by visiting Admission Trends page.

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at Occidental
	Total	Men	Women	Another Gender	Gender Unknown
Applicants	6,461	2,628	3,821	0	0
Admitted	2,854	1,066	1,783	0	0
Enrolled	509	210	299	0	0
Acceptance Rate	44.17%	40.56%	46.66%	-	-
Yield	17.83%	19.70%	16.77%	-	-

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Occidental College 2025 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

For the academic year 2025, 101 students (20% of enrolled students) submitted SAT scores and 41 students (8% of enrolled students) submitted ACT scores as part of the admission process at Occidental.

The median SAT score for admitted students is 1,440, including 720 in SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) and 720 in SAT Math. The 75th percentile SAT EBRW score is 750 and the 25th percentile is 690. For SAT Math, the 75th percentile score is 770 and the 25th percentile is 690.

The median ACT composite score is 33, with a 75th percentile score of 34 and a 25th percentile score of 31 at Occidental. The median ACT Math score is 30 and the median ACT English score is 34.

How competitive is Occidental's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Occidental College are relatively high compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,295, ACT: 29 - private (not-for-profit) baccalaureate college - arts & sciences).

2025 SAT and ACT Scores at Occidental
	25^th Percentile	50^th Percentile (Median)	75^th Percentile
SAT Total	1,380	1,440	1,520
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	690	720	750
SAT Math	690	720	770
ACT Composite	31	33	34
ACT Math	28	30	33
ACT English	33	34	35

Data source: IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) (Last update: December 11, 2024)

Occidental College 2025 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School Record (or Transcript), Recommendations, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not required, but considered in admission process at Occidental. The english proficiency test is required .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Occidental College.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

Occidental Admission Requirements
High School GPA	Considered, if submitted
High School Rank	Considered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)	Required
Completion of College Preparatory Program	Considered, if submitted
Recommendations	Required
Formal Demonstration of Competencies	Considered, if submitted
SAT / ACT	Considered, if submitted
English Proficiency Test	Required
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)	Not Considered
Work experience	Considered, if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Not Considered

General Admissions Information

The following provides general admission information for applying to Occidental:

Open Admission Policy: No
Undergraduate Application Fees: -
Graduate Application Fees: -
Admission Information: https://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid
Online Application: https://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/apply
Calendar System: Semester
Course for High School Students: Not Offered
Credits Accepted: Advanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree Offered: Bachelor, Master

Get Admission Information

What is the acceptance rate at the Occidental?

Occidental is less competitive, with an acceptance rate of 44.17%.

What SAT or ACT scores are required for admission to Occidental?

Occidental recommends submitting SAT or ACT scores, but they are not strictly required for admission. The average SAT score required for admission to Occidental is 1,440, and the average ACT score is 33. Meeting or exceeding these scores will improve your chances of admission.

Does Occidental require essays or personal statements?

Yes, Occidental requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.

Are recommendation letters required for Occidental admission?

Yes, Occidental requires applicants to submit a recommendation letter as part of the application.

Is there an application fee?

Occidental does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.

Do I need to submit my high school transcript?

Yes, Occidental requires applicants to submit high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.

Are there any specific admission requirements for international students?

Yes, Occidental requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.

What is SAT code and ACT code for Occidental?

The institutional SAT code for Occidental is 4581 and 4-digit ACT code is 0350.