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Whittier College
Whittier, CAprivate nonprofitwww.whittier.edu/
Acceptance
81%
Avg net price
$25,757
Earnings (10 yr)
$59,492
Graduation rate
60%
Admit rate has ranged 57%–85% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Whittier College is a small, unpretentious liberal arts school in Southern California with an 83% acceptance rate and a scrappy, inclusive vibe. Known for its strong social mobility outcomes (#14 nationally) and intimate 11:1 student-faculty ratio, Whittier attracts students who want close mentorship and a tight-knit community—not cutthroat prestige.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
- High school transcript
- Grade point average
- Letters of recommendation
- College-prep program
- TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
- Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
- Undergrad enrollment
- 764
- In-state tuition
- $51,350
- Out-of-state tuition
- $51,350
- Acceptance Rate
- 83-85%
- On-Campus Housing
- 52% of students
- Six-Year Grad Rate
- 66%
- Social Mobility Rank
- #14 nationally
- Student-Faculty Ratio
- 11:1
- Median Early-Career Earnings
- $36,427
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
- Median earnings (10 yr)
- $59,492
- Value (earnings ÷ net price)
- 2.3×
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,937
- Graduation rate
- 60%
- First-year retention
- 66%
- Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
- 67%
- Pell (lower-income) share
- 49%
- First-generation share
- 34%
- Endowment / student
- $182,303
Financial health
2.2 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
- Business Administration, Management and Operations$35,914
- Social Work$33,281
- Sociology$28,309
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$27,765
- Social Sciences, General$26,715
- Natural Resources Conservation and Research$25,194
Campus & location
Campus safety
- On-campus violent crimes (2024)
- 0
- Per 1,000 students
- 0.00
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
- Pleasant days / yr
- 212
- Summer high
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 45°F
- Annual rain
- 20.7"
- Natural-hazard risk
- Very High
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility
Research output
- Institutional h-index
- 117
- Scholarly works
- 2,175
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Economic mobility
- Mobility rate
- 3.0%
- Bottom → top quintile
- 37%
- From bottom quintile
- 8%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Quick answers
- What is the acceptance rate at Whittier College?
- Whittier College's acceptance rate is approximately 81% (Whittier, CA), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
- How much does Whittier College cost?
- At Whittier College, the average net price (after aid) is about $25,757 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
- How many undergraduates attend Whittier College?
- Whittier College enrolls approximately 764 undergraduate students.
- Where is Whittier College located?
- Whittier College is located in Whittier, CA.
Admissions
Whittier College is decidedly not a selective school, with an Acceptance rateThe share of applicants a college admits in a given year. A 10% acceptance rate means it admits about 1 in 10 applicants. hovering around 83-85% ([US News](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/whittier-college-1342/applying), [Niche](https://www.niche.com/colleges/whittier-college/)). Of the 4,521 applicants in a recent cycle, 3,856 were admitted—though only 291 enrolled, suggesting YieldThe share of admitted students who actually choose to enroll. Colleges watch it closely, which is why some weigh how interested you seem. is a challenge ([Class Profile](https://www.whittier.edu/admission/profile)). The middle 50% SAT range (920-1110) and test-blind policy signal academic flexibility ([BigFuture](https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/whittier-college/admissions), [PrepScholar](https://www.prepscholar.com/sat/s/colleges/Whittier-College-sat-scores-GPA)).
Academics
A classic liberal arts curriculum anchors Whittier’s academic offerings, with business administration, psychology, and visual/performing arts as the most popular majors ([US News](https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/whittier-college-1342/academics), [CollegeRaptor](https://www.collegeraptor.com/colleges/majors/Whittier-College-CA--125763)). The college leans into its small size with a and emphasizes pre-professional tracks like health sciences and engineering ([Academics Page](https://www.whittier.edu/academics)). While its #107 ranking among liberal arts colleges ([Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/11x0rvt/is_whittier_college_worth_it/)) won’t impress elitists, the trade-off is accessibility and hands-on learning.
Compare Whittier College
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See colleges similar to Whittier College →Sources
- Common Data Set | Whittier College
- Common Data Set: Home
- [PDF] A. General Information - Whittier College
- Institutional Data | Whittier College
- Demystifying the Common Data Set - Top Tier Admissions
- Whittier College - Profile, Rankings and Data | US News Best Colleges
- Whittier College SAT Scores and GPA
- Whittier College Admissions - U.S. News & World Report
- Whittier College Admissions - BigFuture College Search
- Class Profile & College Highlights | Whittier College
- Whittier College - Niche
