13406 E. Philadelphia St.
Whittier, CA 90608

Whittier College, founded in 1887 by members of the Religious Society of Friends, is a four-year residential liberal arts college located in the heart of Southern california at the crossroads of Los Angeles and Orange County. Situated on 74-acres on sloping hillside set among the La Puente Hills, the Whittier campus has 29 academic and administrative facilities, seven residence halls, a chapel, two auditoriums, an outdoor amphitheatre, an art gallery, a Cultural Center, and three faculty Masters Houses.

Whittier College offers students pursuing a bachelor of arts degree a choice of 30 majors in 23 disciplines, or the option of a self-designed major through the Whittier Scholars Program. Whittier also offers a master's degree in education, with or without a teaching credential. The affiliated Whittier law school, located in Costa Mesa, offers programs leading to either a juris doctorate or a master's in law degree.

There are more than 1,400 undergraduate, graduate, non-degree and post-baccalaureate students from 16 states enrolled at Whittier College. Approximately 85 percent of Whittier's undergraduates participate in the Liberal Education Program and most of the remaining students design their own majors. There are about 91 full-time professors and almost all of them hold terminal degrees in their fields. Faculty, not teaching assistants, teach all courses at Whittier. The student-faculty ratio is 12 to one.

Quick Facts

Whittier College was named in honor of Quaker poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier, who died in 1892 without ever having seen the college.

Although Whittier claims a Quaker heritage, the college has been a secular institution since the 1940s.

The academic year consists of two semesters and the January Interim Session.

About 35 percent of Whittier professors are people of color or are from foreign countries.

More than 27 percent of Whittier's student body is Hispanic--one of the highest percentages among the 73 independent colleges in California.

This school profile has been compiled and updated by The CollegeBound Network. The school is not affiliated with The CollegeBound Network and shall not be considered a sponsor of this program.