Quad
Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Econometrics and Quantitative Economics (12% of graduates). 9 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 84% of colleges. 75% of faculty are full-time. Spends $24,676 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

486 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 42% of graduates; 34 programs in 15 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 45.060312% 58
    Graduates in this field earn $103,164 4 years out
  2. Research and Experimental Psychology, Other 42.27999.3% 45
  3. International Relations and Affairs 45.09017.8% 38
    Graduates in this field earn $70,394 4 years out
  4. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01017.8% 38
    Graduates in this field earn $59,985 4 years out
  5. Film/Cinema/Media Studies 50.06015.3% 26

Fastest-growing field: Visual and performing arts, 7.7% → 13% of graduates since 2014–15 (64 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Economics$103,164 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $64,885

    4 years after completion$103,164
    National median: $82,686Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $70,323 · Non-Pell: $98,831(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $23,000 · 158 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Mathematics$88,080 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$88,080
    National median: $69,562Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 28 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Cognitive Science$78,782 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$78,782
    National median: $81,496About typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 47 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Political Science and Government$72,441 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $45,175

    4 years after completion$72,441
    National median: $63,293Above typical

    Median federal debt: $25,700 · 40 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$71,779 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report

    4 years after completion$71,779
    National median: $55,000Above typical

    Median federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 15 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college9 to 1
9 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 84% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 8.6 to 1 in its Common Data Set (1,919 students, 224 faculty).

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

70%

of classes have fewer than 20 students

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–99521%
10–1922549%
20–2910724%
30–39276%
40–4910%
50–9900%
100+00%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Cross-registration
  • Double major
  • Domestic exchange program
  • Honors program
  • Independent study
  • Internships
  • Student-designed major
  • Study abroad
  • Undergraduate research

Requires coursework in arts, English composition, a foreign language, history, humanities, math, a natural science, and social science.

Full-time faculty75%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$111,137

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$24,676
$24,676
← Lessmore than 90% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$335,709
$335,709
← Lessmore than 93% of 1,065More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Occidental College Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;Occidental College Common Data Set 2023–24, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)