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General Philosophy
Financial aid at Occidental College is built on the idea that parents and students are primarily responsible for paying for college to the extent that they are able. After evaluating each family's ability to contribute, Oxy puts together a package of grants, scholarships, work programs, and student loans to meet a student's full demonstrated need.
Read more about Occidental's aid programs in the brochure below. You can also download the PDF.
Determining Eligibility
We use the CSS Profile and FAFSA to determine an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC is a measurement of what your family is expected to pay toward college costs.
If your parents are divorced or separated, we also consider the EFC of your noncustodial parent when determining overall financial need. This information is collected through the CSS Profile - Noncustodial Parent. In a limited number of cases, the noncustodial parent information may be waived. You must submit the CSS Profile Waiver Request for the Noncustodial Parent for consideration. Submission of this request does not guarantee that a waiver will be approved.
Your EFC is determined by (but not limited to) some of the following factors:
- Parental Income (taxed and untaxed)
- Parental Assets (cash, savings, stocks, bonds, 529 accounts, real estate equity, etc.)
- Household Size
- Number of children enrolled full-time in an undergraduate program
- Student Income (taxed and untaxed)
- Student Assets (cash, savings, trust funds, UTMA/UGMA investments, etc.)
Financial Need
The full cost of attending Occidental involves more than tuition, fees, and room and board. Books, supplies, transportation and personal expenses are also considered. To determine your eligibility for financial aid, we subtract your EFC from the total cost of attendance (COA):
COA - EFC = Financial Need
Financial need determines eligibility for the different types of financial aid programs: need-based grants and scholarships, work programs and student loans.
Your Tentative Aid Offer
At Occidental, most first-year students with demonstrated need are offered $5,700 in need-based loans and $3,100 in work study. Any remaining need is met with grants and scholarships.
We encourage you to use our Net Price Calculator for an estimate of the financial aid you could receive from Oxy.
Academic Merit Scholarships
Academic merit scholarships, based on academic ability, achievement, motivation, and promise, are awarded by the Office of Admission during the admission application process. Academic merit scholarships are determined and awarded to students separate from any need-based aid they may receive. Merit scholarships are awarded for four years (8 semesters) as long as the student maintains the minimum GPA required by the scholarship program.