Westmont College
About
Westmont College is a private undergraduate residential Christian liberal arts college located in Santa Barbara, California. Founded in 1937, it serves approximately 1,300 students and emphasizes a classic liberal arts education integrating faith and learning, with notable programs in economics, business, kinesiology, and psychology.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 15.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 29 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 22 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing7 · 24.1%
- No Data22 · 75.9%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 2
Action history · 3
- Nov 2021Grant Substantive Change: ProgramWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Jun 2016Renewal of AccreditationWASC Senior College and University Commission
- Aug 2014Change in Agency recognitionNational Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 320 students received $2.0M in Pell grants, alongside $8.5M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 290 borrowers who entered repayment, 2 (0.6%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Westmont College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 8
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus3
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Religion1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Westmont College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Westmont College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectWestmont College | 70% | — | 1,310 | $32,926 | Baccalaureate |
| 62% | 88.4% | 6,272 | $19,798 | R2 Research | |
| 91% | 9.6% | 1,393 | $27,384 | Baccalaureate | |
| 69% | 69.2% | 1,595 | $24,817 | Baccalaureate | |
| 81% | 44.2% | 1,881 | $39,329 | Baccalaureate | |
| 83% | 62.9% | 8,976 | $45,409 | Doctoral/Professional | |
| 83% | 25.2% | 1,242 | $31,663 | Baccalaureate | |
| 77% | 83.7% | 4,757 | $50,168 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 93% | 7.1% | 1,700 | $19,424 | Baccalaureate | |
| 67% | 82.7% | 3,087 | $22,867 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs | |
| 85% | 87.4% | 2,874 | $26,984 | Baccalaureate | |
| 60% | 80.8% | 795 | $29,871 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 79% | 69.2% | 1,791 | $28,628 |
Institutions like Westmont College
Explore the federal data for institutions in Westmont College's comparison group.
- R2 ResearchCalifornia
Azusa Pacific University
Grad rate62%Admit rate88.4%Enrollment6,272Net price$19,798View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Claremont McKenna College
Grad rate91%Admit rate9.6%Enrollment1,393Net price$27,384View data - BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Gordon College
Grad rate69%Admit rate69.2%Enrollment1,595Net price$24,817View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Occidental College
Grad rate81%Admit rate44.2%Enrollment1,881Net price$39,329View data - Doctoral/ProfessionalCalifornia
Pepperdine University
Grad rate83%Admit rate62.9%Enrollment8,976Net price$45,409View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Pitzer College
Grad rate83%Admit rate25.2%Enrollment1,242Net price$31,663View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsCalifornia
Point Loma Nazarene University
Grad rate77%Admit rate83.7%Enrollment4,757Net price$50,168View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Pomona College
Grad rate93%Admit rate7.1%Enrollment1,700Net price$19,424View data - Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsCalifornia
University of Redlands
Grad rate67%Admit rate82.7%Enrollment3,087Net price$22,867View data - BaccalaureateIllinois
Wheaton College
Grad rate85%Admit rate87.4%Enrollment2,874Net price$26,984View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Whittier College
Grad rate60%Admit rate80.8%Enrollment795Net price$29,871View data
Westmont College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The page provides information about the Institutional Portfolio at Westmont College and includes contact details for Tim Loomer, Director of Research, Planning and Implementation. The office is under the Office of the Provost.
Visit IR office page- Tim LoomerDirector of Research, Planning and Implementation and Assistant to the President for Board Relations
Common Data Set
Westmont College's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Selectivity & Admissions
Admissions funnel
C12,483 applied → 1,913 admitted (77.0%) → 303 enrolled.
Selectivity
C1Accessible — 77.0% acceptance rate.
Admit rate by gender
C1Women were admitted at 1.2× the rate of Men (81.2% vs 70.2%).
SAT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% SAT 1220–1430 (median 1320).
ACT range (middle 50%)
C9Middle 50% ACT 25–32 (median 26).
What matters in admission
C7Relative importance of each admission factor.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 70%; first-year retention 85%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 16 pts below the overall rate (54% vs 70%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I369% of classes have under 20 students; 1% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B22% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D1245 transfer applicants → 155 admitted (63.3%) → 52 enrolled — more selective than first-year admission.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data definitionInstitutional Data | Westmont CollegeThe page provides an overview of the institutional data offered by Westmont College, including sections on accreditation, student achievement, demographics, and the Common Data Set for various academic years. It includes navigation options for different audiences like prospective students, parents, staff, and alumni, along with links for visiting, applying, and giving to the college.westmont.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookInstitutional Portfolio | Westmont College2026The Institutional Portfolio of Westmont College provides extensive information about the college, including accreditation, institutional data, student achievement, and demographics. The office responsible for the portfolio is the Office of the Provost, with Tim Loomer as the Director of Research, Planning and Implementation and Assistant to the President for Board Relations.westmont.edu
Notable alumni of Westmont College (14)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Greg BahnsenPhilosophy
- Diana Butler BassReligion
- David BatstoneBusiness
- Bob HuffPolitics
- Melissa ChatyEntertainment
- Priya David ClemensJournalism
- Dru C. GladneyAnthropology
- Salvador GüereñaLibrary Science
- Anita Perez FergusonPolitics
- Jean-Louis RavelomanantsoaAthletics
- George RekersPsychology
- Rod RosenbladtTheology
Frequently asked questions about Westmont College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Westmont College.
What is the graduation rate at Westmont College?
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Who runs Institutional Research at Westmont College?
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