For School & CBO Counselors

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Resources to help support the Occidental hopefuls in your orbit.

Bright. Ambitious. Curious. Collaborative. These are the type of students who thrive at Occidental. As one of a few small liberal arts colleges in a major U.S. city, Occidental has a lot to offer students who want to experience college to the fullest. There are 45 majors and minors, a core program that encourages free exploration of academic subjects, a close-knit residential campus, an engaging social scene, and a culture of care to see that all students are supported to pursue their potential.

View our class profile for our most recent crop of first-year students.

Exploring Occidental

Areas of Study

Search our academic majors and minors

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Meet the Majors

Read student perspectives on academic programs

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Student Life

Check out our residence halls and campus activities

Download some of our publications

Info for CBOs

Engaging with Occidental

There are a number of ways that your students can engage–both in-person and online–with Occidental throughout the college search:

attend a
visit campus or take a virtual tour
participate in an admission interview

Our admission counselors travel domestically. Contact your regional admission counselor about the possibility of a visit to your school or organization. Or coordinate a group visit if you are in the Los Angeles area or are planning a trip here.

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Applying to Occidental

Have a student who is ready to apply? Occidental's application is for Fall 2024 is open. Make sure to read up about our application process to help your student prepare.

APPLICATION PROCESS

We want to make sure that application fees do not pose a barrier for any student who wishes to apply. Read up on our policy on who qualifies for application fee waivers.

Advising & Course Registration New Students Website

Support at Occidental

The Occidental campus fosters a Culture of Care, providing proactive support and essential tools for success both in and out of the classroom. Below are some of the offices and services dedicated to helping students maximize their college experience:

Affording Occidental

Occidental meets 100 percent of the demonstrated need of the students we admit. That means that the College will help cover the gap between the total cost of attendance and how much a family can afford to pay. We extend financial aid through merit scholarships, need-based grants, work study, and student loans to meet the various needs and circumstances of our students.

Costs & Financial Aid

Applicants can use these two online estimator tools to generate an estimate of how much financial aid they might expect to receive from Occidental.

Financial Aid Highlights

78.6% of current students receive institutional grants or scholarships
100% of demonstrated need is met
$85,526 is the annual cost of attendance
$39,307 is the average scholarship/grant package

We use the and to determine a family’s contribution to educational costs. If the student’s parents are divorced or separated, we also consider the finances and contribution of the noncustodial parent when determining overall financial need. This information is collected through the noncustodial parent’s . In a limited number of cases, the noncustodial parent’s information may be waived. You must submit the for consideration. Submission of this request does not guarantee that a waiver will be approved.

Undocumented students are considered for need-based financial aid like any U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Because federal financial aid is not available for undocumented students, institutional funding is used in its place. Undocumented students residing in CA may be eligible to receive state grant funds through the California Dream Act. More information about this application process can be found on the .

The financial aid process for undocumented students is similar to the process for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents; however, the federal FAFSA application is waived for undocumented students. Undocumented students will only need to complete the by the due dates for the financial aid application. Visit our Financial Aid website for more information.

Parental citizenship status will NOT affect a student’s financial aid eligibility at Occidental since aid is determined solely by financial need. Whether or not the student’s parents file U.S. federal income taxes, the student must provide their parents' financial information on the financial aid applications.

While students can list their parent's Social Security number on the CSS Profile application, verification of their identity for the FAFSA is a multi-step process. For the FAFSA, the parent is required to create a studentaid.gov account that involves knowledge-based verification questions via TransUnion. If a parent is unable to complete the TransUnion process, they will receive instructions to contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center to provide acceptable documentation to verify their identity.

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