Private nonprofit · College
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California · Midsize suburb
- 77.0%
- Admit rate
- $29,053
- Avg net price
- 70%
- Graduation rate
- $64,778
- Median earnings
Westmont College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Santa Barbara, California (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 1,302 undergraduates. It has a Other religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Westmont College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 77.0%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1240–1450
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.68
Enter a test score to see where you land against Westmont College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Westmont College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Evidence of human habitation of the area begins at least 13,000 years ago. Santa Barbara contains numerous performing art venues, including the 2,000-seat Arlington Theatre, which is the largest indoor performance venue in Santa Barbara and the site of the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 3 miles to Santa Barbara, CA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Santa Barbara (SBA)
How Westmont College compares
More selective than 50% · #57 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 83%
Higher than 78% · #41 of 122 in California
Higher than 76%
Higher than 77% · #66 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 18% · #70 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 50%
Lower than 76%
Larger than 45%
Percentiles compare Westmont College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,30299%
- Graduate81%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women78660%
- Men51640%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White52%
- Black2.6%
- Hispanic23%
- Asian5.3%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,302
- Graduate enrollment
- 8
- Student–faculty ratio
- 10 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 20%
- First-generation students
- 17%
- Students over 25
- 4%
- Median family income
- $87,651
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $91,494
- Endowment
- $92,162,206
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 77.0%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1240–1450
- SAT average
- 1328
- SAT reading
- 630–750
- SAT math
- 610–700
- ACT composite
- 25–32
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.68
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $53,584
- Room & board
- $16,960
- Books & supplies
- $1,600
- Total cost of attendance
- $71,150
- Average net price
- $29,053
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 70%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 64%
- First-year retention
- 85%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $53,737
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $64,778
- Median debt at graduation
- $23,250
- Students with federal loans
- 51%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 78%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,207
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 93%
- Housing charge (year)
- $9,860
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,500
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II without football
- Varsity athletes
- 351 (174 men · 177 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 7
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (1,310 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$19,867/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Westmont College discounts heavily: 97% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $29,640. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 303 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $64,778
- Typical debt at graduation
- $23,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 36%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 62%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $23,682 (41%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 78°F
- Winter low
- 46°F
- Annual rain
- 19″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Barbara, CA US station (2.6 mi from campus).
What Westmont College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Westmont College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Westmont College side by side →
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania · Midsize city · 1 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 1,727
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1343
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
Simmons University
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 1,670
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1316
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $63k
John Carroll University
University Heights, Ohio · Large suburb · 8 mi to Cleveland
- Students
- 2,274
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1298
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $63k
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 15 mi to Providence
- Students
- 1,773
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1308
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $68k
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington · Midsize city · 25 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 1,594
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $38k
- SAT
- 1296
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $70k
Willamette University
Salem, Oregon · Midsize city · 44 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,592
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1377
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $57k
Colleges near Westmont College
Antioch University-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 55 students
The Colleges of Law at Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Fielding Graduate University
Santa Barbara, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA · Public · Associate · 9,889 students
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Santa Barbara CA, CA · Private for-profit · Graduate
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 23,113 students
Lu Ross Academy
Ventura, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 229 students
Ventura College
Ventura, CA · Public · Associate · 10,150 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












