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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,302 undergradsMidsize suburbAccessible · 77% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

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
To the ocean
2 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Santa Barbara (SBA)

How Westmont College compares

Selectivity77.0%

More selective than 50% · #57 most selective of 107 in California

SAT average1328

Higher than 83%

Graduation rate70%

Higher than 78% · #41 of 122 in California

First-year retention85%

Higher than 76%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$64,778

Higher than 77% · #66 of 130 in California

Average net price$29,053

Cheaper than 18% · #70 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$23,250

Lower than 50%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,302

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

1,310students
  • Undergraduate1,30299%
  • Graduate81%

Undergraduates by gender

1,302undergrads
  • 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)

All students
64%
Low-income (Pell)
71%
First-generation
73%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)129
Soccer62
Baseball54
Basketball28
Tennis24
Swimming21
Volleyball17
Golf16

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.

2.7reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
2.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

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.

< $30k
$20,899
$30–48k
$15,492
$48–75k
$19,867
$75–110k
$24,524
$110k+
$38,124

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.

Est. total to a degree
$82,179

$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.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$29,640
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$57,814
Men
$81,496

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

HighLow
40°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Barbara, CA US station (2.6 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Westmont College

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.