[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).
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.
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).
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 .
General Admissions Information
The following provides general admission information for applying to Occidental:
Occidental Admission Frequently Asked Questions
Occidental is less competitive, with an acceptance rate of 44.17%.
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.
Yes, Occidental requires applicants to submit a personal essay or statement as part of the application.
Yes, Occidental requires applicants to submit a recommendation letter as part of the application.
Occidental does not require an application fee for undergraduate or graduate admission.
Yes, Occidental requires applicants to submit high school record or transcript as part of the admission process.
Yes, Occidental requires international applicants to submit an English proficiency test (like TOEFL or IELTS) as part of the application.
The institutional SAT code for Occidental is 4581 and 4-digit ACT code is 0350.