Westmont College
Westmont College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Westmont College Featured Rankings
About Westmont College
According to Wikipedia, Westmont College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Montecito, California. It was founded in 1937. History Ruth Kerr, owner and CEO of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, established the school as the Bible Missionary Institute in 1937 on the former Westlake School for Girls campus near Downtown Los Angeles. It was renamed the Western Bible College in 1939. During these early years, Kerr and the other founders decided that a liberal arts curriculum was the best direction for the school. In 1940 Dr. Wallace Emerson, the first president, renamed the school Westmont College, derived from a college in the west and in the mountains. He envisioned a Christian liberal arts college that would take its place among the best in the nation.
Westmont College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,244 | 77% | 85% | 68% | 1345 | 28 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Westmont College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $55,724 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $25,406 |
| 30K - 48K | $23,934 |
| 48K - 75K | $22,519 |
| 75K - 110K | $26,273 |
| 110K+ | $35,729 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Westmont College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Westmont College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $70,327 a year, and 93% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Westmont College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 1,393 | 1,385 | 8 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Westmont College?
Westmont College is located at 955 La Paz Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93108-1089.
How Safe is Westmont College?
Relative to its enrollment, Westmont College has a violent crime rate of 0.08% and a property crime rate of 0.31%. Santa Barbara has a violent crime rate of 0.64% and a property crime rate of 1.84%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Westmont College Known For?
Westmont College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Religious Studies
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Physics
- Literature
- Anthropology
- Mathematics
- History
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Political Science
- Engineering
- Biology
- Medical
- Business
- Education
- Chemistry
- Nursing
Westmont College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Westmont College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Westmont College ranks #77 in the U.S. and #340 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWestmont College ranks #168 in the U.S. and #567 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWestmont College ranks #252 in the U.S. and #596 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWestmont College ranks #331 in the U.S. and #1155 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWestmont College ranks #528 in the U.S. and #2337 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesWestmont College ranks #680 in the U.S. and #2074 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesWestmont College ranks #734 in the U.S. and #2279 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesWestmont College ranks #904 in the U.S. and #3585 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWestmont College ranks #927 in the U.S. and #2882 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesWestmont College ranks #1159 in the U.S. and #4386 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesWestmont College ranks #1200 in the U.S. and #5158 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesWestmont College ranks #1255 in the U.S. and #5387 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesWestmont College ranks #1314 in the U.S. and #6830 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWestmont College ranks #1427 in the U.S. and #5790 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesWestmont College ranks #1513 in the U.S. and #5194 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesWestmont College ranks #1606 in the U.S. and #5762 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesWestmont College ranks #1658 in the U.S. and #6473 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesWestmont College ranks #1673 in the U.S. and #6243 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesWestmont College ranks #2587 in the U.S. and #6802 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesWho Are Westmont College's Most Influential Alumni?
Westmont College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Religious Studies, Psychology, and Philosophy. Here are some of Westmont College's most famous alumni:
- Greg Bahnsen
- An American theologian and philosopher .
- Mark L. Strauss
- An American biblical scholar.
- Rod Rosenbladt
- An American theologian.
- Robert L. Saucy
- An American biblical scholar.
- George Rekers
- An American psychologist and evangelist.
- Kevin Vanhoozer
- An American academic.
- Dan Kimball
- An American clergyman, author.
- David Allan Hubbard
- An American theologian, professor, and academic administrator .
- Timothy Mulholland
- An American psychologist.
- H. Lee Swanson
- A Scholar on learning disabilities.
- Jeffrey Swanson
- An American medical sociologist.
- Ron Shelton
- An American film director.
