---
title: Occidental College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Los Angeles, CA
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $75,951 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $53,141 – $105,789 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $19,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,080 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 81% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $84,800 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 77% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.25× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $47,951 | derived |

**81% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $19,000 (≈ 25% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $15,793 to $46,705 across 11 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,705 | not reported |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,544 | $23,000 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $42,360 | $25,700 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,329 | $19,275 |
| Cognitive Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,243 | not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $34,830 | not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,948 | not reported |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,916 | $19,764 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,035 | $26,272 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $22,118 | $25,978 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $15,793 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Occidental College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?120254

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/occidental-college-ca.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`