What kind of school it is, and where it stands
Whittier College is a private, nonprofit, four-year institution that the federal system classifies as a baccalaureate college focused on arts and sciences. The Carnegie Classification, using data from 2019-20, describes it as a small and highly residential school: at least half of its degree-seeking students lived in institution-provided housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 studied full time. It also places it in its selective-admissions group.
That “highly residential” designation matters because it changes your budget. Living on campus is not the same as paying tuition; room and board are charged separately, and they almost never come together in the first number you see in a brochure. If your child will live there, ask for that cost separately, including the meal plan, before comparing this school with any other.
Geographically, Whittier College is in the city of Whittier, within Los Angeles County, in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is in the center of that city: the Census code places it in a suburb, within the urbanized area but outside the principal city. If your child plans to live at home and commute to class, do not rely on the map: drive the route on a weekday, at the actual time they would have class.
In terms of academic level, IPEDS—the federal system where colleges report their data—records the master’s degree as the highest level Whittier College says it offers, and classifies it primarily as an institution offering baccalaureate degrees or higher. That is an institutional fact, not a guarantee that the specific major your child is interested in has an undergraduate-to-graduate pathway. That must be verified program by program.
One note worth clarifying right away: Whittier College does not have any of three specific designations tracked by the government—it is not a historically Black college or university, not a Tribal college or university, and not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 colleges in this directory, only 138 have one of the three. Not having them says nothing about which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly: what cultural centers exist today, what student organizations are available, and—if possible—talk with someone who already studies there.
The size of the place and who else is there
Whittier College is small. In the official fall count, it had 859 enrolled students, most of them—813—undergraduates, and only 46 graduate students: it is, above all, a baccalaureate-degree college. Compared with the 941 selective private four-year schools in this comparison group that report the figure, it is on the smaller side: seven out of ten of those schools, or more, have more students.
Being small is neither good nor bad by itself. What does matter to ask is whether courses in your child’s major are offered every semester or only once a year, because that affects how long it actually takes to finish.
Now, something that does raise the volume: 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students at Whittier College reported being Hispanic or Latino in fall 2023. That is close to half. Among the 941 selective private schools in this comparison group that report this figure, it is among those reporting the highest share: nine out of ten in that group have an equal or lower proportion. Put simply: on this campus, being Latino would not be the exception.
But a high percentage of Latino students is not the same as specific support for Latino students. The figure counts how many there are. It does not say whether there is a counselor who speaks Spanish, whether targeted tutoring exists, or whether those students actually graduate. And it is the figure for the entire school, not for the particular major your child may be interested in.
Other facts about the student community: there are more women than men among undergraduates (59 out of every 100 are women). Adults ages 25 to 64 are few, just 6 out of every 100: this remains, mostly, a college for students who arrive young. And 61 out of every 100 first-time students reported a permanent address in California when applying, so most come from the same state, though not all do.
How academic life is organized
The academic year at Whittier College is organized by semesters: two long terms, about 15 weeks each. The institution reported that it accepts credit from AP exams, but did not indicate that it accepts credit for life experience. Saying it accepts AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam: it does not say what scores it requires or how many credits it awards, or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling, and do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand. It also enrolls high school students in college credit courses through a formal dual-enrollment program.
In a recent year, Whittier College awarded 338 baccalaureate degrees, spread across 17 families of majors. No family accounts for a large share: the most popular was business and administration, and even that was only 19 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. It has a broad offering, without one dominant major. This counts degrees awarded, not people or the current catalog; it does not measure quality or what job each person gets afterward. Before deciding, ask about the exact major your child is interested in: how many graduated in it, how long it took, and what the curriculum is like.
As for the student-to-faculty ratio: Whittier College reports 8 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member. It is a very low ratio, among the lowest of the 941 similar schools in this comparison group—it is in the bottom quarter. But a low aggregate ratio does not guarantee small classes or individual attention; it is an institutional average, not a count of seats in a classroom. Ask directly how many students are in first-year classes.
It also reports some structured academic pathways: study abroad, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, and state approval of the program for initial teacher certification.
Getting in: how likely it is, and how likely students are to stay
This is where it is useful to slow down, because there are several numbers and each measures something different.
The admissions policy. Whittier College does not have open admission: there are items it reviews before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, excluding standardized tests and legacy status, it marks six as required: high school record, high school GPA, completion of the required course plan, personal essay, letters of recommendation, and an English-proficiency exam for those who apply. Outside the required items, only one more factor is considered if submitted: whether someone in the family attended there. If that is not your child’s situation, do not spend energy on it—put it into the six pieces that are in their hands. The published application fee, by the way, is $0.
How selective it is in practice. In 2023, Whittier College received 2,797 first-time applications and offered admission to 2,388. That is 85 out of every 100. Compared with the 942 selective private schools in this comparison group, it is on the more accessible side: seven out of ten of those schools, or more, admit an equal or lower percentage. Put simply: out of every 100 who apply, 85 receive a yes. It is one of the schools that does admit students. But that figure is for the entire school and for one cycle; it does not say how much it will cost, how many graduate, or whether the specific major your child wants has its own additional filter. Those are three separate questions.
How many admitted students actually enroll. Here the number looks different. Out of every 100 students admitted in 2023, only 6 enrolled. It is among the lowest rates among similar schools: nine out of ten are above it. Put another way: out of every 17 young people who receive a yes, roughly one ends up attending. Do not read that as a stain on the school—the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose, and many admitted students already had another option and did not take this one. What it does tell you is this: what others decided does not predict what your child will be offered. Wait for their letter with the net price—the number it will actually cost you—before deciding whether this school stays on the list.
Standardized tests. Whittier College reported that it does not consider SAT or ACT scores in its admissions decision, even if applicants submit them. That box does not say whether it uses them for scholarships or course placement; ask that separately, and it is wise to confirm the current policy directly with admissions.
Transfers: those who leave and those who arrive. Of the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a baccalaureate degree, 27 out of every 100 transferred to another school without finishing at Whittier College. That is a considerable share, though it falls in the middle range compared with similar schools. The report does not say why each person left. And there is something important that almost no one sees: a student who transfers does not count as a graduate of this school, even if they finish their degree somewhere else. Remember that when you compare graduation rates later. Separately, in fall 2023, 80 students arrived who entered Whittier College for the first time after studying at another institution—a modest inflow.
The sticker price and what is actually paid
At Whittier College, among 29 first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $22,678. Among 18 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $28,096; among 60 students with EFC family income above $110,000, $35,090. For dependent students, the band adds their parents’ income and their own.
Between the average for the lower-income band (29 students) and that for the higher-income band (60 students), there is a difference of $12,412. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $32,436.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this comparison group that reported this figure with the same time coverage, this one falls in the most expensive quarter for lower-income families. That does not mean it should be ruled out. It means you should request the aid letter before deciding.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, placing yours correctly is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal Title IV aid; public institutions use the in-state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time students seeking a credential who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. What matters is the aid letter you receive.
How it is paid for: scholarships, loans, and what remains to ask
The good news, stated carefully: 96 out of every 100 students at Whittier College receive some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. Receiving something is common here. Among those who receive it, the average was $33,050 for the year. That is real money, but it is not a price: what matters is what remains after aid, and that is not in this figure—you have to request it, school by school, in your own letter.
Pell, the federal aid for lower-income families, went to 32 out of every 100 degree-seeking students.
Now the other side, stated plainly: in the 2022-23 year, 58 out of every 100 undergraduate students at Whittier College received a federal student loan. Financing with debt is common here, not the exception. Of those who borrowed, each received $6,489 on average that year. If your child borrowed something similar in each of the four years, the total would be close to $25,956, not including interest—and that figure is worth deciding on before the first signature, not at the end.
That average is for one year only and only for federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign, bank debt, or credit cards. Nor is it the total debt someone has when graduating—for that, you would need to add all four years, and that figure is not in this report.
This percentage describes other families, not yours. What your child would need to borrow comes from their own financial-aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it. The institution also reports a tuition installment payment plan as an additional option for managing the cost.
Campus life, support, and some practical details
Whittier College does have its own housing. It does not require all first-time students to live there, but that does not say whether your child or their specific program has that requirement—ask. It also offers meal plans with a fixed number of meals per week. The reported maximum housing capacity is 793 students. Having rooms does not guarantee an available bed: ask in writing for this year’s rate, the deadline to apply for housing, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
There is an opportunity for ROTC, and the only branch confirmed in writing is Army. Navy and Air Force are not marked—that does not mean they are impossible; it means you need to ask directly.
In athletics, Whittier College competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This figure does not say which division each sport plays in or whether it offers athletic scholarships—confirm that directly with the coach of the sport your child is interested in.
Regarding distance education: the school offers courses that way at the undergraduate and graduate levels, but in the fall count no undergraduate student took their entire course load that way, and the institution reported that it does not offer a complete program that can be completed entirely at a distance. If that matters to you, confirm it in writing for the specific major.
The library operates with hired staff and its annual spending exceeds the threshold recorded by the government; it has physical and digital collections, and interlibrary loan. That does not guarantee it has the databases specific to your child’s major—ask by major name.
Finally, the institution reports several support services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services upon completing the program, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for military members and their families, a student veterans organization, and a published services page for people with disabilities. Being reported does not say how accessible or effective they are in practice—that must be asked directly of the corresponding department.
How many stay, and how many finish
This is perhaps the hardest part to read calmly, and that is why it is worth stating directly, without wrapping it up.
Of the cohort that entered in fall 2022 seeking a full-time baccalaureate degree (246 students), 53 out of every 100 met the official retention criterion the following year: they were still enrolled there or had already graduated. Compared with 930 similar selective private schools, Whittier College is among those retaining the fewest students from its first cohort: nine out of ten of those schools retained a higher proportion. The figure does not explain why the rest do not appear as retained—it does not distinguish transfers, pauses, money, or any other reason.
Now the graduation rate, which follows a different cohort over more time. Of 519 students who began a full-time baccalaureate degree in 2017, 63 out of every 100 graduated from Whittier College within six years. Within four years, the figure falls to 55 out of every 100. Compared with 920 similar schools, it is above the group median—more than half of those schools reported an equal or lower proportion.
It is worth seeing the exact numbers behind that 63%: of the 519 who started, 329 graduated here, 139 transferred to another institution without completing at Whittier College, 1 was still enrolled without finishing, and 50 fell into the “no longer enrolled” category—which does not report the reason, and may include those who completed after the deadline. Remember: those who transfer do not count as graduates of this school, even if they completed their degree elsewhere.
There is a third view, even longer: the cohort that entered between July 2015 and June 2016 (541 students, including full-time and part-time students). At eight years, 67 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this school. Among those who received a Pell Grant, the figure was 64 out of every 100—5 points below the group without Pell. Compared with similar schools, it is above the median. 28 out of every 100 appears in a category of possible continued enrollment, but the federal definition has an internal contradiction that prevents stating precisely how many were still enrolled on that exact date. And 5 out of every 100 had unknown enrollment status—unknown does not mean they were not still studying somewhere; it only means the report did not determine it.
None of this measures the effort of a particular student or predicts what will happen to yours. It measures what happened, on average and during a specific period, to a whole cohort before your child’s.
What you already know, and what remains yours to decide
Now you know something real about Whittier College: its size, who makes up its student body, how selective it is, how likely an admitted student is to enroll, what the sticker price is, what it may cost based on your family income, how it is financed, and how many make it to a degree. That is one—complete and verifiable—piece of a larger puzzle.
The college’s role is to admit, deny, and offer, or not offer, the aid it decides to offer. Your child’s role is to study, build their record, write their essay, and eventually decide whether this is where they want to spend the next years. Your role is different: understand the family’s finances, request the aid letter in writing, verify what is marked here as “you need to ask,” and support the decision without carrying it alone or letting your child carry it alone.
No figure in this article tells you whether Whittier College is the right college for your family. That can only be known by combining this piece with what your child wants to study, what they have already built, and what you can and are willing to pay. A plan comes from that combination, not from a single number.
Source note: the information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and from Whittier College reports to the United States Department of Education, primarily from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Whittier College or the United States government; this article organizes and explains public data to help families understand it.