Quad

Head-to-head

Occidental
Grinnell

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Grinnell costs about $19.9K less per year on average than Occidental ($37,528 vs. $57,431, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Grinnell's grants cover 55% of its full price on average, vs. 32% at Occidental

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Grinnell is 3.0× more selective than Occidental

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    Occidental grads earn $13.1K more ten years out than Grinnell's ($75,951 vs. $62,830)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Grinnell's yield is 13 pts higher than Occidental's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    Grinnell graduates 5 pts more of its students than Occidental (88% vs. 83%)

    Graduation rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Grinnell admits 15%, Occidental 44%; Grinnell's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
Occidental44%
Grinnell15%
Quad's selectivity
  • OccidentalVery selective
  • GrinnellHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Occidental
1380–1520
Grinnell
1410–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • OccidentalRigor and GPA very important
  • GrinnellSchool record required

Who's on each campus

Occidental and Grinnell are about the same size; Grinnell has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Occidental1.9K
Grinnell1.7K
Pell Grant share
Occidental17%
Grinnell18%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at Occidental, and Computer Science at Grinnell; both have 9 students per faculty member.

Students per faculty member
Occidental9 to 1
Grinnell9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • OccidentalEconometrics and Quantitative Economics12%
  • GrinnellComputer Science13%

What each costs

Grinnell costs about $19.9K less a year than Occidental on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Occidental$57.4K
Grinnell$37.5K
Aid generosity
Occidental32%
Grinnell55%

What each pays off

Occidental's former students earn more, a median $76K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Occidental$76K
Grinnell$62.8K
Graduation rate
Occidental83%
Grinnell88%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Grinnell but held steady at Occidental; Grinnell got more selective while Occidental held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • OccidentalSteady+6%
  • GrinnellGrowing+61%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Occidental College Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why