Match #1
Guilford College
Greensboro, NC
Profile closeness85/100
Admit rate80%
- 1,001 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Enrollment 1,001 students, close to 764
- Acceptance rate 80%, close to 81%
The colleges most similar to Whittier College are Guilford College, Earlham College, and University of Redlands. Whittier College admits 81% of applicants and has an average net price of $24,940 a year; 6 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 5 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Whittier College. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to Whittier College
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
Earlham College
Richmond, IN
Profile closeness71/100
Admit rate69%
- 658 students
- Private nonprofit
- Town: Distant
- Enrollment 658 students, close to 764
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #3
University of Redlands
Redlands, CA
Profile closeness67/100
Admit rate83%
- 2,049 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
- Acceptance rate 83%, close to 81%
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #4
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, CA
Profile closeness66/100
Admit rate76%
- 2,296 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Average net price $26,445, close to $24,940
- Acceptance rate 76%, close to 81%
Match #5
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, CA
Profile closeness64/100
Admit rate88%
- 2,759 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 63%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 88%, close to 81%
Match #6
California Baptist University
Riverside, CA
Profile closeness62/100
Admit rate85%
- 8,179 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 60%, close to 55%
- Average net price $24,138, close to $24,940
Match #7
University of La Verne
La Verne, CA
Profile closeness62/100
Admit rate71%
- 3,050 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 61%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 71%, close to 81%
Match #8
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Profile closeness44/100
Admit rate91%
- 19,562 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 55%, close to 55%
Match #9
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA
Profile closeness33/100
Admit rate91%
- 38,546 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Acceptance rate 91%, close to 81%
Match #10
Chapman University
Orange, CA
Profile closeness25/100
Admit rate65%
- 7,478 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Questions about Whittier College alternatives
What colleges are similar to Whittier College?
The closest matches to Whittier College are Guilford College, Earlham College, University of Redlands, California Lutheran University, and Azusa Pacific University. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is Whittier College hard to get into?
Whittier College admitted 81% of its 2,884 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is not very selective: it admits most applicants. 5 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which Whittier College alternatives cost less?
6 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Whittier College ($24,940 a year), including California State University-Los Angeles ($2,385), California State University-Fullerton ($5,115), and University of La Verne ($20,523). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
