Cost & aid
What it costs
In 2023–24, the average first-year paid an estimated $57,431 in total (tuition, housing, food, books and other costs, after grants), $33.1K more than the national median. The 75% who received grants paid $48,400 on average; the other 25% paid the full sticker price of $84,800.
- Full price
- $84,800 a year
- tuition, housing, food, books, and other costs
- Need-based aid
- Published data end at $110K
- use the college's net price calculator for higher incomes
Cost by family income
Per year for a typical family of four with one child in college. Up to $110K it is the average price federal aid recipients paid (2023–24).
Hover, tap, or use the arrow keys to read the price at an income.
- Published federal figures
View as a table
| Family income | Price per year |
|---|---|
| $0–30K | $21K a year |
| $30–48K | $18K a year |
| $48–75K | $21K a year |
| $75–110K | $28K a year |
| $150K | Published data end at $110K |
| $200K | Published data end at $110K |
| $250K | Published data end at $110K |
| $300K | Published data end at $110K |
| $350K | Published data end at $110K |
| $400K and above | Published data end at $110K |
At $150K: Published data end at $110K
Published data end at $110K; use the college's net price calculator for a number.
Your own number depends on the details below, so use the college's calculator for it.
What can change this
- Savings and investments above a typical amount raise the price. The curve assumes typical assets.
- Home equity: some colleges that use the CSS Profile count it. Check this college's own aid page or calculator.
- Divorced or separated parents: colleges with their own formula usually ask for both parents' finances.
$57,431
Tuition, housing, food, books & other expenses, after grants · 2023–24
75% got grants averaging $36,400; 25% got none.
Who pays what
Share of first-year students, 2023–24.
Housing and food use the college's on-campus rates, so the estimate runs high where many students live at home. “Other expenses” is the college's estimate of personal and transportation costs. Loans aren't subtracted because they're repaid.
$81,730 before aid
Tuition, fees, and on-campus food and housing · unchanged from 2023–24.
Show the full next-year estimate
- Tuition, fees, food & housing$81,730
- Books and supplies$1,240
- Transportation$0
- Other expenses$1,830
- Total for a student living on campus$84,800
$23K
≈ $244/month for 10 years
3.0 yrs
of median salary to cover 4 years of net price
About 1 in 3 undergrads borrows federally.
Everyone who borrowed and left, whether or not they graduated.
Three years into repayment
Where former undergraduates stand on their federal loans.
- Paid in full29–30%
- Paying it down29–30%
- Payments paused26–28%
- Not paying it down11–12%
- Behind or in default0–4%
- Forgiven or discharged0–2%
Some shares are published as a small range to protect privacy.
Who actually gets aid
Aid generosity
ModerateGrants cover 32% of the $84,800 full price on average across all first-years (moderate), more than at 30% of colleges.
$27,369 in grants per first-year ÷ $84,800 full price.
Who gets grants and scholarships
Full-time first-year students (532), 2023–24
About 1 in 4 first-year students got no grant aid and paid the full sticker price of $84,800.
Where the aid comes from
Share of first-year students receiving each; averages are per recipient.
Aid by family income
The whole first-year class (532)
- Federal aid + grants228avg grant $49.4K
- Grants, no federal aid172avg grant $19.2K
- No grants132pay full price
Students with grants but no federal aid usually got the college's own need-based aid (without federal loans or Pell) or merit aid.
By family income: only students who received federal aid (242 of 532), because income is only reported for them.
From Occidental College's Common Data Set
First-years and all full-time undergraduates, 2022–23, a year before the federal figures above.
| First-years | All full-time | |
|---|---|---|
| Have financial need | 50%267 students | 51%996 students |
| Need met, on average | 100% | 100% |
| Need fully met | 100% | 100% |
| Average aid package | $51,951 | $52,808 |
| Average need-based grant | $46,423 | $45,617 |
| Average need-based loan | $4,437 | $5,444 |
| Merit aid without need | – | 24%average $14,149 |
14% of the college's own grant dollars were awarded without regard to need.
Each college decides what a family needs, so “100% of need met” can mean different prices at different colleges. Merit awards that went toward a student's need count as need-based here.
Applying for aid
For fall 2024 entrants.
If your parents are divorced or separated, the other parent also files the .
Priority date: January 10 · Deadline: January 10 · Aid offers: on a rolling basis · Reply by: May 1
Dates for fall 2024 entrants; the next cycle's are usually similar.
What the college's own scholarships consider
| Academics | ✓ | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Leadership | ✓ | ✓ |
| Music or drama | ✓ | ✓ |
| State or district residency | ✓ | ✓ |
A blank means the college didn't mark it, not that it never counts.
International students
Need-based and merit aid offered.
International applicants file: the CSS Profile, the college's own form ().
Sources:IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, 2023–24;College Scorecard, most recent release;Occidental College Common Data Set 2023–24, 2024–25;Occidental College Common Data Set 2023–24, 2022–23;Occidental College Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2024 entrants;IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD), 2025–26;Common Data Set, most recent releaseAbout the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)