Westmont College

Black Pinpoint 955 La Paz Road | Santa Barbara, CA | 93108

01. Overview

What the school is known for:

Westmont College is a small “Christ-centered” bastion of the liberal arts in sunny Southern California that “provides a phenomenal education” and “a spiritually nurturing environment.” Highlights include small classes, more than 80 majors and pre-professional programs, and a “Mayterm” that affords opportunities to study around the world. There is “a lot of homework,” and “no matter what the class, the professors involve God in some way.” “The administration gets the job done,” and while bad teachers “do exist” here, the “very personable” faculty members “take a genuine interest not only in the academic well-being of their students, but also their personal, relational, and spiritual lives.” Professors are “fun to hang out with,” too. “A group of us regularly watches cheesy old movies at one prof’s house over homemade dinner,” reports a senior. “Westmont feels very sheltered from some of the harsh realities of the outside world. It has an unrealistic cozy feeling to it,” admits a junior. “However, it is also an environment which is especially proficient at fostering educational growth.”

02. Rankings

Rankings and Lists

03. Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Applicants Icon
Applicants
2,145
Acceptance Icon
Acceptance Rate
70%
GPA Icon
Average HS GPA
3.84

Deadlines

Early Action
November 15
Regular
August 15

SAT & ACT Test Scores

SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing

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25th-75th percentile (enrolled students)
520 - 650

SAT Math

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25th-75th percentile (enrolled students)
540 - 660

ACT Composite Scores

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25th-75th percentile (enrolled students)
24 - 29

What would you score on the digital SAT today?

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Testing Policies

Other Admission Factors Academic

Admission Factors Icon
Academic GPA
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Standardized Test Scores

Non-Academic

Character / Personal Qualities Icon
Character / Personal Qualities

Selectivity

4. Cost, Tuition, Expenses

Expenses per Academic Year

Tuition
$38,960
Average Cost for Books and Supplies
$1,600
Tuition / Fees Vary by Year of Study
No
Board for Commuters
500
Transportation for Commuters
$900
On-Campus Room and Board
12580
Approximate Expenses per year
$54,540

Students Also View These Schools

05. Academics

Student Faculty Icon
Student/Faculty
11 : 1
Acceptance Icon
Total Faculty
156
Terminal Degree Icon
Terminal Degree
98

Gender

Men
94
Women
62
Minority
22
International
2

Class/Lab sizes

Most frequent class size
10-19
Most frequent lab/sub section size
10-19

Rating

Graduation Rates

University Degrees

Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor's certificate

06. Student Body

What students say:

Westmont students are “Christians who want to help the world be a better place.” Most grew up “surrounded by church and church members for the majority of their lives.” Not everyone is “the sold-out Christian who is seeking God in everything” but just about everyone is “interested in a personal relationship with God.” “There is a remarkable sense of community here.” “The weirdest of us all have people who truly care about them,” asserts one student. Westmonters are “usually healthy-looking” and “genuinely nice.” They are “serving, caring,” and “creative.” “Most are fairly wealthy.” For whatever reason, a whole lot of guys play the guitar. Politically, “the largest on-campus political group is conservative” but there are “enough lefties and righties to keep hot topics hot.” “Missionary kids who have grown up all over the world” add some variety, but many students lament an overall lack of ethnic diversity.

Gender

61% female39% male

Out of State

25% are out
of state
75% are
in-state

Students

99% are
full time
1% are
part time

Student Body Profile

Total Undergraduate Enrollment
1,305
Foreign Countries Represented
8

Student Body Demographics

American Indian or Alaskan Native
0.20%
Asian
6.29%
Black
1.22%
Hispanic
12.39%
Caucasian
67.21%
Unknown
3.76%
International
0.91%

07. Mental Health

08. Campus Life

What students say:

This “beautiful and peaceful” campus boasts “breathtaking views of the mountains and the ocean.” “Dorm life is very communal” and the campus is generally buzzing with intramural sports, theater productions, concerts, and activities galore. “People take advantage of the gorgeous Santa Barbara weather,” too. “Bonfires at the beach” are commonplace and Westmont could well be the Christian surfer capital of the world. Fun is often “very G-rated.” “Drinking happens” but it’s “an underground thing” that occurs off campus, mostly when students “hit up clubs on State Street.” Rules concerning alcohol and much else here are “a little strict.” “You can’t have the door closed” when a person of a different gender is in your room, just for example. Many students call Westmont’s mandatory “tri-weekly chapel” “a blessing.” Others call it “nap time.” Also, “only juniors and seniors can have cars” and Westmont’s grub could improve. “The food is perhaps some of the worst that I have ever eaten (except when I try to cook for myself),” says a freshman.

Students
84%
First-Year Students
100%
Campus Environment
Small Urban
Help finding off-campus housing
Yes

9. Campus Visits

Campus Visits Contact

Barbara Jensen
Visit Coordinator
Phone icon
800-777-9011

Campus Tours

Campus Visiting Center

Phone icon
800-777-9011

Campus Tours

Appointment Required:
Yes
Dates:
Academic Year
Times:
9am to 4pm on Mondays - Fridays
Average Length:
1 hour

Visits

CLASS VISITS

Dates/Times Available
Academic Year
Arrangements
Contact Admissions Office

FACULTY AND COACH VISITS

Dates/Times Available
Academic Year
Arrangements
Contact Admissions Office
Advance Notice
1 week
 

On Campus Interview

Campus Interviews:
Yes
Information Sessions:
Not Available

Overnight Dorm Stays

Overnight Dorm Stays
Available
Arrangements
Contact Admissions Office

Campus Tours


TYPES OF TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE TO CAMPUS

The Santa Barbara airport is approximately 20 minutes from campus.



10. Sports & Athletics

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Athletic NAIA

Men's Sports (Warriors)

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Basketball
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Cross Country
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Soccer
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Tennis
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Track Field Outdoor

Women's Sports (Warriors)

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Basketball
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Cross Country
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Soccer
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Tennis
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Track Field Outdoor
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Volleyball

11. Housing & Activities

Hosting Features

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Apartment Single
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Dorms Coed

Special Needs Admissions

College Entrance Tests Required
No
Interview Required
No

Student Activities

Registered Student Organizations
50
Number of Honor Societies
7
Number of Social Sororities
0
Number of Religious Organizations
40
Join a fraternity
0%
Join a sorority
0%

12. Student Services

Military

Army ROTC Offered at cooperating institutions: Univ. of Calif. Santa Barbara
Air Force ROTC Offered at cooperating institutions: USC, UCLA, Loyola Marymount University

CAMPUS SECURITY REPORT

The Jeanne Clery Act requires colleges and universities to disclose their security policies, keep a public crime log, publish an annual crime report and provide timely warnings to students and campus employees about a crime posing an immediate or ongoing threat to students and campus employees.

Please visit The Princeton Review's page on campus safety for additional resources:

Visit Page
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The Princeton Review publishes links directly to each school's Campus Security Reports where available. Applicants can also access all school-specific campus safety information using the Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool provided by the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education: https://ope.ed.gov/campussafety/#/

Other Information

Campus-wide Internet Network
Checkmark icon
Fee for Network Use
X Mark icon
Partnerships with Technology Companies
X Mark icon
Personal computer included in tuition for each student
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13. Financial Aid

Dates

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Notification DateApr 1

Required Forms

FAFSA
School

Financial Aid Statistics

Average Freshman Total Need-Based Gift Aid
$23,901
Average Undergraduate Total Need-Based Gift Aid
$22,611
Average Need-Based Loan
$6,327
Financial aid provided to international students
Yes

Available Aid

Financial Aid Methodology
Scholarships and Grants

Need-Based Aid

01 - Need-Based College/University Scholarship or Grant Aid from Institutional Funds
02 - Need-Based Federal Pell
03 - Need-Based Private Scholarships
04 - Need-Based SEOG
05 - Need-Based State Scholarships

Federal Direct Student Loan Programs

01 - Direct PLUS Loans
02 - Direct Subsidized Stafford Loans
03 - Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

Federal Family Education Loan Programs (FFEL):

01 - College/university loans from institutional funds
02 - Federal Perkins Loans
Is Institutional Employment Available (other than Federal Work Study)
Yes

14. Career Services & Jobs

Graduation Rates

Career Services

01 - Classes
02 - Interest Inventory
03 - Internships
04 - On Campus Interviews

Opportunities at School

01 - Coop
02 - Experiential
03 - Internship

15. Majors

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01 BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES.

  • Biochemistry.
  • Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology.
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02 BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES.

  • Accounting.
  • Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations, Other.
  • Finance, General.
  • International Business/Trade/Commerce.
  • Small Business Administration/Management.
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03 COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES.

  • Computer and Information Sciences, General.
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04 EDUCATION.

  • Art Teacher Education.
  • Elementary Education and Teaching.
  • English/Language Arts Teacher Education.
  • Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching.
  • Mathematics Teacher Education.
  • Music Teacher Education.
  • Physical Education Teaching and Coaching.
  • Secondary Education and Teaching.
  • Social Science Teacher Education.
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05 ENGINEERING.

  • Chemical Engineering.
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics.
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06 ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS.

  • English Language and Literature, General.
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07 FOREIGN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LINGUISTICS.

  • French Language and Literature.
  • Spanish Language and Literature.
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08 HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS.

  • Pre-Dentistry Studies.
  • Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies.
  • Pre-Pharmacy Studies.
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09 HISTORY.

  • History, General.
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10 LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES, GENERAL STUDIES AND HUMANITIES.

  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies.
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11 MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS.

  • Applied Mathematics, General.
  • Computational Mathematics.
  • Mathematics, General.
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12 MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES.

  • Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies.
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14 PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES.

  • Philosophy.
  • Religion/Religious Studies.
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15 PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

  • Chemical Physics.
  • Chemistry, General.
  • Physics, General.
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16 PSYCHOLOGY.

  • Psychology, General.
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17 SOCIAL SCIENCES.

  • Anthropology.
  • Economics, General.
  • International Relations and Affairs.
  • Political Science and Government, General.
  • Social Sciences, General.
  • Sociology.
  • Urban Studies/Affairs.
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18 THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS.

  • Bible/Biblical Studies.
  • Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology.
  • Theology/Theological Studies.
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19 VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS.

  • Dance, General.
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General.
  • Music History, Literature, and Theory.
  • Music Performance, General.
  • Music Theory and Composition.
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General.

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