Private nonprofit · College
Whittier College
Whittier, California · Large suburb
- 80.8%
- Admit rate
- $25,757
- Avg net price
- 60%
- Graduation rate
- $59,492
- Median earnings
Whittier College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Whittier, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 764 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
About Whittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Whittier's roots can be traced to Spanish soldier Manuel Nieto. In 1784, Nieto received a Spanish land grant of 300,000 acres (1,200 km2), Rancho Los Nietos, as a reward for his military service and to encourage settlement in California. On April 17, 1900, the Whittier Public Library Board of Trustees held its first meeting in Landrum Smith's drugstore. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 13 miles to Los Angeles, CA
- To the ocean
- 17 miles
- Nearest airport
- 13 miles to Long Beach (LGB) · major hub
How Whittier College compares
More selective than 44% · #60 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 60% · #70 of 122 in California
Higher than 22%
Higher than 66% · #82 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 27% · #61 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 39%
Lower than 89%
Larger than 30%
Percentiles compare Whittier College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Whittier College campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate76497%
- Graduate263%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women43857%
- Men32643%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White24%
- Black5.6%
- Hispanic39%
- Asian5.8%
- Other or multiracial26%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 764
- Graduate enrollment
- 26
- Student–faculty ratio
- 8 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 34%
- First-generation students
- 34%
- Students over 25
- 5%
- Median family income
- $64,984
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $81,846
- Endowment
- $139,279,793
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 145 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California64%
- Other U.S. states13%
- International23%
A regional draw: about 61% of first-years come from California, the rest from elsewhere.
22% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 80.8%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $51,350
- Room & board
- $17,082
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $63,664
- Average net price
- $25,757
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)
- 60%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 53%
- First-year retention
- 66%
- Transferred to another college
- 24%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,025
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $59,492
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,937
- Students with federal loans
- 54%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 62%
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
- 793
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,380
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,892
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 306 (163 men · 143 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 (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 9.6 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 17
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (795 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.
$24,973/year × about 4.2 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.
Whittier College discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $28,187. 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 242 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)
- $59,492
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,937
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 42%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 60%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 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 $6,770 (12%) 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
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 46°F
- Annual rain
- 11.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Fullerton Muni AP, CA US station (8 mi from campus).
What Whittier 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 Whittier College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Whittier College side by side →
University of Saint Joseph
West Hartford, Connecticut · Small city · 3 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 838
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 950
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $60k
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, Maine · Fringe rural · 16 mi to Portland
- Students
- 964
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1040
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $59k
Elmira College
Elmira, New York · Small city · 74 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 708
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1314
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $58k
Ottawa University-Ottawa
Ottawa, Kansas · Distant town · 50 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 870
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $28k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $56k
Saint Michael's College
Colchester, Vermont · Midsize suburb · 3 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 1,092
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1245
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $61k
Thomas Aquinas College
Santa Paula, California · Distant rural · 35 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 566
- Admission
- 83%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- 1329
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $56k
Colleges near Whittier College
ATI College-Whittier
Whitter, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 149 students
Rio Hondo College
Whittier, CA · Public · Certificate · 15,684 students
Beyond 21st Century Beauty Academy
Santa Fe Springs, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 120 students
Latin American Bible Institute
La Puente, CA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 111 students
Medical Allied Career Center
Santa Fe Springs, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 48 students
Southern California University of Health Sciences
Whittier, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 158 students
Biola University
La Mirada, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,474 students
Hacienda La Puente Adult Education
La Puente, CA · Public · Certificate · 491 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.















