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Is Occidental College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Occidental, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Workable
Occidental lands in the workable band for a typical family. Median debt of $21,500 can be carried by median long-run earnings of $79,660, but the margin is not huge. For context, Occidental's net price sits about 106% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school and near the top of its sector range. This is the kind of school where your actual aid offer can move the answer meaningfully.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$47,113
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis significantly impacts your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $24,276 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $97,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is manageable, but it makes the aid offer matter a lot.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data is workable, but not so strong that it erases financing risk.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$37,470
Median earnings 10 years out
$79,660
Median debt at graduation
$21,500
Graduation rate
80%
At Occidental, a typical graduate carries about $21,500 in student debt and earns roughly $79,660 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $244 per month, or 4% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $47,184 more than the typical working high school graduate in California ($32,476) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties each undergraduate program's federal loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
The national figure is $31,269. The Department of Education uses it instead of the state figure when fewer than half of a school's students come from its state.
84% of former students here earned more than the typical high school graduate ten years after entry, by College Scorecard's own measure.
Context, not a federal determination. The benchmarks are the Department of Education's published thresholds (2024 notice, based on 2022 Census data); thresholds under the 2026 rule have not been released yet. The official test looks at each program's graduates four years after completion; our figure is College Scorecard's median for the whole school, ten years after entry. How this works
Program earnings vs. the federal benchmark
Median earnings of working graduates four years after finishing each undergraduate program, next to the benchmark the federal earnings test uses: the typical working high school graduate aged 25–34 in California ($32,476).
Sociology
Bachelor's degree · 22 working graduates counted
$58,598
$26,122 above the benchmark
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor's degree · 23 working graduates counted
$59,542
$27,066 above the benchmark
Biology, General
Bachelor's degree · 26 working graduates counted
$59,985
$27,509 above the benchmark
International Relations and National Security Studies
Bachelor's degree · 34 working graduates counted
$70,394
$37,918 above the benchmark
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
Bachelor's degree · 16 working graduates counted
$71,779
$39,303 above the benchmark
Political Science and Government
Bachelor's degree · 23 working graduates counted
$72,441
$39,965 above the benchmark
Cognitive Science
Bachelor's degree · 16 working graduates counted
$78,782
$46,306 above the benchmark
Mathematics
Bachelor's degree · 16 working graduates counted
$88,080
$55,604 above the benchmark
Economics
Bachelor's degree · 66 working graduates counted
$103,164
$70,688 above the benchmark
21 other undergraduate programs here have no four-year earnings figure, usually because too few graduates were counted to publish one. That says nothing about how those programs do. See every program on College Scorecard
An estimate, not an official determination. Under a federal rule taking effect July 1, 2027, programs below this benchmark in official results may face limits on federal student loans; Pell Grants are not affected. The official test uses finer program categories, different graduating classes and the Department's own records; its first results are expected in 2027. Programs that train for tipped jobs, such as cosmetology and massage, won't be rated on 2025 earnings, and the Department decides which programs qualify. Earnings: College Scorecard field-of-study data (released Oct 15, 2026). Benchmark: Department of Education published thresholds (2024 notice).
Represent Occidental College and think a figure here is wrong? Request a correction and we'll check it against the latest College Scorecard release.
What this means for your family
Occidental is a private nonprofit four year school in Los Angeles, CA. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Pitzer
Claremont, CA
Worth-It Score: 65/100
Median net price: $36,135
Private nonprofit 4-year
Santa Clara
Santa Clara, CA
Worth-It Score: 94/100
Median net price: $36,116
Private nonprofit 4-year
Harvey Mudd
Claremont, CA
Worth-It Score: 100/100
Median net price: $39,347
Private nonprofit 4-year
Dominican University of California
San Rafael, CA
Worth-It Score: 74/100
Median net price: $35,567
Private nonprofit 4-year
Point Loma Nazarene
San Diego, CA
Worth-It Score: 54/100
Median net price: $40,555
Common questions about Occidental
The median net price at Occidental is $37,470 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in California? See the most affordable private colleges in California →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
What families actually paid
The published price is rarely what anyone pays. Pick a household income range to see what students at Occidental in that range paid on average, after grants and scholarships.
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All students who received aid
$37,470a year, on average
Average for first-time, full-time students who received federal financial aid, 2024-25. It does not include transfer or part-time students, and it is an average rather than a quote — what you pay depends on your own circumstances and the aid this school offers you. Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS.
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →