Thank you for choosing Occidental College.
After the long, lingering months of pandemic disruption, to see the Oxy campus come fully alive this year has been a joy--and an experience that has reconfirmed for all of us the specialness of, and need for, residential community at Occidental College. We are grateful to you for being a vital part of our community, one that extends outward from campus across the United States and around the world.
The sacrifices our families make to send their children to Occidental are always top of mind for us, and we strive to keep costs down without compromising excellence. Every dollar we spend has a direct impact on the quality of education your student receives. Still, in planning for the next academic year, we are confronted with the inflation-fueled costs of the labor-intensive, immersive education we provide. It is in this context that I am writing to let you know that the Board of Trustees has set next year’s increase in tuition and room and board rates at 4.8%. This increase seeks to balance affordability with the reality of current inflation rates (6.5% in calendar year 2022).
Tuition is the largest source of support for ongoing operations and important programs at the College, and it also contributes to financial aid. As one of the small group of colleges that meets the demonstrated financial need of every student, Occidental’s policy remains unchanged. We spent $46.8 million on financial aid last year with 76% of our students receiving some form of aid. And we are deeply gratified by the response to The Oxy Campaign For Good—already the most successful comprehensive campaign in the College’s history. To date, we have raised more than 97 percent of our goal of $100 million for student scholarships.
We thank you for your continued belief in and commitment to an Oxy education. We remain dedicated to preparing our students for lives of meaning and impact in any field they decide to pursue.
Sincerely,
Harry J. Elam, Jr.
President