BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofitHSI

Whittier College

Whittier, California·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·whittier.edu
6-yr Graduation
60%
-8.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
795
peer median 1,230
Avg net price
$29,871
+$3.5k vs Baccalaureate
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data SetDocumentsAlumni

About

Whittier College is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California, United States. Founded by Quakers in 1887, it is a federally-designated Hispanic-Serving Institution. As of fall 2025, it had 797 undergraduate and graduate students. Whittier athletic teams compete in NCAA Division III.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
4,778
4,778 candidates competed
Admitted
3,860
80.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
209
5.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
60%-8.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
53%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
60%
Full-time retention
66%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
59%
Non-Pell
61%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 2.0-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.

FVT/GE

Of 40 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 32 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
40
Passing
8
20.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

40programs
  • Passing8 · 20.0%
  • No Data32 · 80.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
7
No data
32

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.

8
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+24.4%
$44,877 vs $36,082
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+32.3%
$47,719 vs $36,082
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+53.9%
$55,536 vs $36,082
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+54.8%
$55,853 vs $36,082
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+61.8%
$58,397 vs $36,082
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
+71.3%
$79,462 vs $46,391
Social Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+79.4%
$64,736 vs $36,082
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+104.5%
$73,792 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

6
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
53%
$25,500 debt · $47,719 earn
Education General
Master's Degree · Education
46%
$36,500 debt · $79,462 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
45%
$25,000 debt · $55,536 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
41%
$24,000 debt · $58,397 earn
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
39%
$17,500 debt · $44,877 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
29%
$21,000 debt · $73,792 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1949Next review Jun 2030

Action history · 1

  1. Jun 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$22,678
$30–48k$30,119
$48–75k$28,096
$75–110k$27,433
$110k+$35,090

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$29,871
+$3,492vs Baccalaureate median $26,380
Federal loans
58.5%
In-state tuition
$49,864
Out-of-state
$49,864

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 308 students received $1.8M in Pell grants, alongside $4.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
308
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.8M
$1,849,087 total
Direct Loans
$4.5M
735 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.2M
292 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.3M
342 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$351K
21 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.6M
80 loan awards

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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 561 borrowers who entered repayment, 10 (1.7%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
561
Defaulted
10
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.4%
2017
3.5%
2018
2.5%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* 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.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Whittier College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs44
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

243 total completions
01Business
4217.3%
02Visual/Performing Arts
3112.8%
03Psychology
2711.1%
04Biological Sciences
2510.3%
05Parks/Recreation
239.5%
06Liberal Arts
239.5%
07Social Sciences
208.2%
08Education
197.8%
09English Language
187.4%
10Family/Consumer Sci
156.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
795
12-mo unduplicated
899
Undergraduate
848
Graduate
51

Gender split

Men
40%364
Women
60%535

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
49.0%
White
22.8%
Non-resident
11.6%
Two or more
6.9%
Asian
5.3%
Black
3.7%
Unknown
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
246
113 M · 133 W
Women athletes
54.1%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$2.3M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$4K
$7K
Head-coach salaries
$39K
$44K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Soccer
22 M · 26 W
$279K
Baseball
42 M · —
$156K
Softball
— · 26 W
$140K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
11 M · 14 W
$185K
Water Polo
12 M · 12 W
$139K
Basketball
11 M · 12 W
$317K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
15.10
18 offenses · 1,192 students

3-year trend

3.202 yrs ago5.771 yr ago15.10Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
31
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
4
Motor vehicle theft
4
Rape
3
Fondling
3
Arson
2
Aggravated assault
2

By location

18total
  • On campus15
  • Public property3

Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons11
Drugs018
Liquor030

Residence-hall fires

  • Stauffer Hall2 fires
    Damage $100-$999
  • Stauffer Hall2 fires
    Damage $100-$999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
8.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
90

Whittier College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Whittier College selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

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
SubjectWhittier College
60%—795$29,871Baccalaureate
Austin College
67%47.7%1,217$23,451Baccalaureate
Bard College
68%52.1%2,911$31,771Baccalaureate
Earlham College
69%73.1%753$24,516Baccalaureate
Goucher College
57%77.7%1,459$23,774Baccalaureate
Guilford College
46%80.0%1,180$21,200Baccalaureate
Hollins University
65%68.0%761$22,263Baccalaureate
Knox College
68%70.8%1,136$24,875Baccalaureate
Lake Forest College
78%56.8%1,837$27,499Baccalaureate
Millsaps College
57%43.1%593$25,291Baccalaureate
Occidental College
81%44.2%1,881$39,329Baccalaureate
Pitzer College
83%25.2%1,242$31,663Baccalaureate
Randolph College
46%93.7%816$18,436Baccalaureate
Southwestern University
73%43.1%1,440$27,468Baccalaureate
Ursinus College
73%91.8%1,502$30,485Baccalaureate
Wofford College
84%51.9%1,817$28,984Baccalaureate
Peer group median68%56.8%1,230$26,380

Institutions like Whittier College

Explore the federal data for institutions in Whittier College's comparison group.

IPEDS

Whittier College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness
Phone
562.907.5027
Address
13406 E. Philadelphia St. Whittier, CA 90602

The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness supports the mission and strategic values of the college through a culture of evidence-based planning. The mission is to provide timely, accurate, and unbiased data to support strategic planning and to facilitate the assessment work of faculty and administrators.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Don Everhart, Ph.D.
    Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness

Common Data Set

Whittier College's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Acceptance rate
94.3%
Accessible
Yield
10.4%
of admitted students enroll
Total enrollment
1,192
1,131 UG · 61 grad
6-yr graduation rate
66%
First-year retention
69%
Student–faculty ratio
10 to 1
Est. net price (aided)
$29,172
after avg need-based grant
01

Selectivity & Admissions

Admissions funnel

C1
Applied
2,533
Admitted
2,388
Enrolled
249

2,533 applied → 2,388 admitted (94.3%) → 249 enrolled.

Selectivity

C1
Acceptance rate
94.3%

Accessible — 94.3% acceptance rate.

Admit rate by gender

C1
men93.3%
women95.2%
another gender100.0%

Admit rate varies by gender.

SAT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
1170
Median
1220
75th
1290

Middle 50% SAT 1170–1290 (median 1220).

ACT range (middle 50%)

C9
25th
24
Median
26
75th
30

Middle 50% ACT 24–30 (median 26).

What matters in admission

C7
Very Important2
Rigor of secondary school recordAcademic GPA
Important1
Application Essay
Considered10
Standardized test scoresRecommendation(s)Extracurricular activitiesTalent/abilityCharacter/personal qualitiesFirst generationAlumni/ae relationRacial/ethnic statusVolunteer workWork experience
Not Considered6
Class rankInterviewGeographical residenceState residencyReligious affiliation/commitmentLevel of applicant’s interest

Relative importance of each admission factor.

02

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G
Total$67,136
Tuition
$48,92473%
Fees
$9401%
Room & board
$15,27223%
Books
$1,0001%
Other
$1,0001%

Total sticker cost of attendance is $67,136 (2023-2024).

Sticker vs. net price

G+H
Sticker COA
$67,136
Net (aided)
$29,172
Avg need grant
$37,964

Sticker $67,136 → about $29,172 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($37,964); 74% of demonstrated need is met.

Where grant aid comes from

H1
Institutional: Endowed scholarships, annual gifts and tuition funded grants, awarded by the college, excluding athletic aid and tuition waivers (which are reported below)85.2%
State (all states, not only the state in which your institution is located)8.2%
Federal6.2%
Scholarships/grants from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) not awarded by the college0.3%

0% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.

Graduate debt

H4/H5
Grads with debt
73%
Avg debt
$27,035

73% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $27,035 on average.

03

Outcomes & Equity

Graduation & retention

B
6-yr grad rate
66%
Retention
69%

6-year graduation rate 66%; first-year retention 69%.

04

Academic Experience

Class-size distribution

I3
2-9 students68
10-19 students115
20-29 students90
30-39 students4
40-49 students1
50-99 students1
100+ students0

66% of classes have under 20 students; 0% have 50+.

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
10 to 1
Faculty with terminal degree
83%
Women faculty
50%

Key faculty indicators.

Degrees by discipline

J
Social sciences16.8%
Parks and recreation14.3%
Business/marketing14%
Biological/life sciences11%
Visual and performing arts8.5%
Family and consumer sciences6.9%
Psychology6.6%
History4.4%

STEM-dominant: ~16% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.

05

Student Body & Diversity

Undergraduate race/ethnicity

B2
Hispanic/Latino44.1%
White, non-Hispanic26.1%
Nonresidents7.5%
Asian, non-Hispanic6.7%
Two or more races, non-Hispanic6.6%
Black or African American, non-Hispanic4.9%
Race and/or ethnicity unknown3.6%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander0.4%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.

International students

B2
International UG
85
Share
8%

8% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).

Undergrad vs graduate

B1
Undergraduate
1,13195%
Graduate
615%

1,131 undergraduates and 61 graduate students.

06

Transfer Path

Transfer admissions

D1
Applied
213
Admitted
212
Enrolled
81

213 transfer applicants → 212 admitted (99.5%) → 81 enrolled

Source publications

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Whittier College (10)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Richard Nixon
    Politics
  • Fred D. Anderson
    Business
  • Andrea Barber
    Entertainment
  • Cassey Ho
    Entertainment
  • Cheryl Boone Isaacs
    Entertainment
  • Zilpha Keatley Snyder
    Literature and journalism
  • William F. House
    Medicine
  • Wayne R. Grisham
    Politics
  • Tony Strickland
    Politics
  • Don Sutton
    Sports

Frequently asked questions about Whittier College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Whittier College.

What is the graduation rate at Whittier College?

Whittier College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 60% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Whittier College?

Whittier College reports a total enrollment of 795 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Whittier College?

The average net price at Whittier College is $29,871 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Whittier College?

Whittier College's yield rate is 5.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Whittier College located?

Whittier College is located in Whittier, California 90601.

Who runs Institutional Research at Whittier College?

Whittier College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness.

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