Whittier College
Whittier 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
Whittier College Featured Rankings
About Whittier College
According to Wikipedia, Whittier College is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution and, as of spring 2023, had approximately 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students. It was founded in 1887. Whittier offers one graduate degree, a master’s degree in education.
Whittier College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,797 | 81% | 66% | 55% |
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 Whittier College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $52,877 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $22,133 |
| 30K - 48K | $17,661 |
| 48K - 75K | $20,925 |
| 75K - 110K | $22,404 |
| 110K+ | $32,567 |
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 Whittier College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Whittier College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $68,254 a year, and 92% 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.
Whittier 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 899 | 848 | 51 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Whittier College?
Whittier College is located at 13406 E Philadelphia Street, Whittier, CA 90601.
How Safe is Whittier College?
Relative to its enrollment, Whittier College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.13%. Whittier has a violent crime rate of 0.50% and a property crime rate of 2.41%. 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 Whittier College Known For?
Whittier College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Literature
- Sociology
- Religious Studies
- Education
- History
- Political Science
- Biology
- Economics
- Business
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Anthropology
- Social Work
Whittier College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Whittier 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
Whittier College ranks #195 in the U.S. and #915 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesWhittier College ranks #217 in the U.S. and #922 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesWhittier College ranks #242 in the U.S. and #700 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesWhittier College ranks #304 in the U.S. and #1080 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWhittier College ranks #313 in the U.S. and #1364 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWhittier College ranks #325 in the U.S. and #1365 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesWhittier College ranks #369 in the U.S. and #1031 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesWhittier College ranks #385 in the U.S. and #1557 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesWhittier College ranks #390 in the U.S. and #1607 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesWhittier College ranks #409 in the U.S. and #2483 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesWhittier College ranks #428 in the U.S. and #1503 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesWhittier College ranks #465 in the U.S. and #1190 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWhittier College ranks #468 in the U.S. and #1517 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWhittier College ranks #477 in the U.S. and #2842 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWhittier College ranks #739 in the U.S. and #2981 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWhittier College ranks #804 in the U.S. and #2469 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesWhittier College ranks #950 in the U.S. and #2297 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesWho Are Whittier College's Most Influential Alumni?
Whittier College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Literature, Chemistry, and Physics. Here are some of Whittier College's most famous alumni:
- William F. House
- An American physician.
- R. Kent Hughes
- An American pastor.
- Joseph Bogen
- An American physician .
- Robert Zemsky
- A .
- David Allan Hubbard
- An American theologian, professor, and academic administrator .
- Arturo Porzecanski
- A Uruguayan economist.
- Howard Baker
- An American writer.
- Linda Vallejo
- An American artist .
- Keith F. Widaman
- A Researcher.
- Richard Nixon
- A President of the United States from 1969 to 1974.
- Richard M. Steers
- An American economist.
- Steve Jones
- A Left-handed baseball pitcher from the United States.
