Occidental College

What Occidental College does

Occidental College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college founded in 1887 and headquartered on a hillside campus at 1600 Campus Road in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It serves approximately 1,886 undergraduate students across more than 40 majors and programs spanning the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies, with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The institution differentiates on its LA location (leveraged via study abroad sites in Spain, Chile, Japan, Italy, Austria, and South Africa, plus the Kahane UN Program in New York City), signature programs such as the Barack Obama Scholars Program, and an exclusive pre-med clinical partnership with Huntington Hospital.

Revenue is generated from three primary streams: tuition and fees (recurring), private donations and fundraising via the Oxy Campaign For Good and endowed scholarships, and federal/foundation grants supporting research. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through undergraduate, transfer, and international admission processes, supplemented by an alumni/donor engagement motion. There is no technology product surface; the institution's "product" is the educational experience itself, delivered through on-campus instruction, residential programs, and experiential learning partnerships.

Supporting operations include wholly-owned program subsidiaries such as OXY ARTS (gallery/cultural center in Highland Park), Upward Bound (pre-college pipeline for low-income, first-generation LA high school students), the Neighborhood Partnership Program, and the Community Literacy Center, alongside media properties including KOXY Radio and Occidental Magazine. The institution is governed by a Board of Trustees, currently led by President Stritikus following the 2024 departure of President Harry J. Elam, Jr., and recently ended legacy admission in response to the June 2023 Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious admissions. Notable alumni include Barack Obama '83.

Name

Occidental College

Legal name

Occidental College

Website

https://oxy.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Occidental College is a private, nonprofit liberal arts college in Los Angeles, founded in 1887, serving approximately 1,886 undergraduates across 40+ majors with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and signature experiential programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Secular/Nonsectarian Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate programs
• Higher education
• Community engagement
• Pre-professional advising

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from student tuition and fees for educational services
2. Private Donations and Fundraising: Revenue from alumni donations, the Oxy Campaign For Good, and endowed scholarships
3. Grants and Research Funding: Federal and foundation grants supporting academic research and programs

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Occidental College is a private liberal arts undergraduate college in Los Angeles offering more than 40 majors and programs across humanities, sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies. The institution supplements its core academics with cultural programming (OXY ARTS), signature leadership initiatives (Barack Obama Scholars Program, Kahane UN Program), student media (KOXY Radio), and community engagement programs such as Upward Bound, Community Literacy Center, and Neighborhood Partnership Program. It also provides pre-health and pre-law advising along with study abroad opportunities.

Product overview

Occidental College is a liberal arts college offering undergraduate education across more than 40 academic programs spanning humanities, sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies. The institution provides a unified liberal arts experience anchored by its core academic programs, supplemented by cultural offerings through OXY ARTS (gallery and museum), media via KOXY Radio Station, and signature initiatives including the Barack Obama Scholars Program. Student support services include Pre-Health and Pre-Law Advising, while community engagement programs such as Upward Bound, Community Literacy Center, and Neighborhood Partnership Program extend the college's mission beyond campus into the Los Angeles community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OXY ARTS: The arts center and gallery at Occidental College featuring exhibitions, events, and cultural programming
• KOXY
• Barack Obama Scholars Program
• Kahane UN Program

Products and services

• Liberal Arts Education Programs Undergraduate liberal arts education across more than 40 majors and programs spanning humanities, sciences, social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies, with emphasis on critical thinking, writing, and experiential learning.
• OXY ARTS The art gallery and cultural center of Occidental College, offering exhibitions, film screenings, educational programs, and community arts events including the National Museum of the Aftermath exhibition series.
• Barack Obama Scholars Program Signature Oxy program that empowers the next generation of leaders to actively pursue the public good through leadership development and community engagement.
• KOXY Radio Station Campus and community radio station serving the Oxy campus and Northeast Los Angeles with diverse music, live shows, and events.
• Upward Bound Program Pre-college program assisting low-income, first-generation students in central and northeastern Los Angeles with academic enrichment, college preparation, and SAT preparation.
• Community Literacy Center Community engagement program connecting Oxy students with local children (K-8th grade) for creative exploration in language arts, reading, writing, and creative expression.
• Pre-Health Advising Personalized advising program supporting students pursuing medical, dental, nursing, and allied health careers, including the Huntington-Oxy Pre-med Preceptorship (HOPP) and connections to medical research opportunities.
• Pre-Law Advising Advising program helping students explore legal careers, navigate law school applications, and connect with alumni attorneys and internships, including courses like Lawyering for Social Justice.
• Neighborhood Partnership Program Program connecting Oxy students with schools and community agencies in the Los Angeles area through tutoring, college access services, and civic engagement partnerships.
• Kahane UN Program Program allowing Oxy students to participate at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, pursuing an in-depth education on the 21st-century global community.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Museum of the AftermathminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026OXY ARTS hosts the National Museum of the Aftermath's exhibition 'National Museum of the Aftermath' from June 9 - August 8, 2026, including a film screening series featuring 'Space Traders' and 'Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One'
• LA Phil (Los Angeles Philharmonic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 June 2025Occidental College and LA Phil launched a new summer internship program. A donor-funded 10-week internship program takes Oxy students inside the operations of the LA Phil, providing practical professional experience in arts administration and performance.
• Huntington HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive pre-med internship partnership where Occidental students participate in the Huntington-Oxy Pre-med Preceptorship (HOPP) program, providing direct patient care and shadowing opportunities at Huntington Hospital. This is the only college in California offering a pre-med internship at Huntington Hospital.
• Franklin, Lincoln, Wilson, and Belmont High SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpward Bound program partnership with local Los Angeles high schools to provide college preparation services, academic enrichment, and mentorship to low-income, first-generation students
• Schools and Community Agencies in Northeast Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighborhood Partnership Program connects Oxy students with local schools and community agencies for tutoring, college access services, and civic engagement partnerships
• Local Charter, Public, and Private SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Literacy Center partners with local schools to provide language arts enrichment for kindergarten through eighth grade students, including English-language learners

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pomona College: Pomona is a fellow highly selective residential liberal arts college in Claremont, California, just east of Los Angeles. It competes directly with Occidental for the same high-achieving California applicants, faculty talent, and donor base, and is the closest geographic peer in the Claremont Consortium.
• Claremont McKenna College: Claremont McKenna is another Claremont Consortium liberal arts college that competes with Oxy for top California students, particularly those interested in economics, politics, and pre-professional pathways. Comparable scale and selectivity make it a near-direct competitor.
• Amherst College: Amherst is a leading East Coast residential liberal arts college with similar scale (~1,800 students) and need-blind admissions. It competes with Oxy for the same national pool of high-achieving applicants and is a benchmark for selective private liberal arts outcomes.
• Williams College: Williams is consistently ranked among the top US liberal arts colleges and competes with Oxy for the same elite applicant pool. Comparable small scale, residential model, and need-based financial aid make it a direct positioning peer in rankings and admissions.
• Bowdoin College: Bowdoin is a small residential liberal arts college in Maine with a similar enrollment profile and need-blind admissions. It competes for high-achieving national applicants and is comparable in faculty-student ratio and pre-professional advising infrastructure.
• Haverford College: Haverford is a small Quaker-affiliated residential liberal arts college in Pennsylvania with comparable enrollment size and academic rigor. It is a direct competitor in the selective liberal arts market and shares Oxy's emphasis on close faculty mentorship.
• Middlebury College: Middlebury is a residential liberal arts college in Vermont with strong international and language programs. It competes with Oxy for nationally mobile, high-achieving applicants and is comparable in scale and selectivity.
• Davidson College: Davidson is a residential liberal arts college in North Carolina with a similar enrollment scale and strong pre-health and pre-law advising. It competes with Oxy for high-achieving students prioritizing graduate-school outcomes.
• Swarthmore College: Swarthmore is a top-ranked residential liberal arts college in Pennsylvania with comparable small scale and academic rigor. It is a direct competitor for the highest-achieving national applicants and is a benchmark in US News liberal arts rankings alongside Oxy's peer set.

Broad incumbents

• University of Southern California: USC is a large private research university also located in Los Angeles and competes with Oxy for California applicants, LA-based partnerships, and pre-med/pre-law talent. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps on the LA-experiential-learning narrative and many of Oxy's institutional partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oxynews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/OccidentalCollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/24515358071
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/occidental-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/occidentalcollege

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Occidental College