My list

After Occidental College: graduation, pay and debt

Los Angeles, California · Private · 1,877 undergrads

85% of Occidental College students finish within six years, the typical student earns $79,660 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $21,500 in federal loans at the median.

The short answers

$79.7k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
85%
finish within six years.
72%
finish in four years.
90%
of first-years come back for year two.
$21.5k
median federal debt at graduation.
88%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers

Finishing

Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
72%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
85%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
90%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
81%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
88%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
564
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
83%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
14%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
518
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard, earlier release
11%

Pay after college

Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$61,194
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$79,660
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
68%

Pay is for students who got federal aid and are working, counted from the year they started college, whether or not they finished.

Debt and paying it back

Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$21,500
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$19,000
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$19,000
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$19,000
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
88%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
89%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
94%

Federal student loans only. Private loans and Parent PLUS loans aren't counted.

Where these numbers come from
  • Admit rate and applicants: IPEDS, fall 2024 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
  • Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard, 2024-25 (checked Oct 31, 2026)

Updated Oct 31, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers