Richard Nixon graduated from Whittier College in 1934, when it was a small Quaker school in the hills east of Los Angeles. It was founded in 1887 and remains small, with around a thousand undergraduates. Whittier is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and its Whittier Scholars Program lets students design their own major. Business, kinesiology, biology and psychology are common choices.
Whittier, California, United States
Official website: whittier.edu
1887, by Quakers
Private liberal arts college
Hispanic-Serving Institution
$50,000 – $55,000
Undergraduate tuition and fees, per year
$16,000 – $19,000
Rent, food and local transport
Approximate figures for 2026-27, please verify. Fees change every year and vary by course, so check the latest amount on whittier.edu before you apply.
BA Business Administration
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.0, TOEFL: 80
BA Kinesiology
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.0, TOEFL: 80
BS Biology
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.0, TOEFL: 80
BA Psychology
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.0, TOEFL: 80
The Whittier Scholars Program for self-designed majors.
Small classes on a hillside campus near Los Angeles.
A mostly Latino student body and strong local ties.
Graduates work in business, education, healthcare and public service around Los Angeles.
Kinesiology and biology graduates often continue to health professions programmes.
Graduates can work in the US on OPT after finishing.
Undergrad
Early Action or Regular
Postgrad
No PG intake
Undergrad
Rolling
Postgrad
No PG intake
Campus climbs the lower slopes of the Puente Hills, and Uptown Whittier's shops and restaurants along Greenleaf Avenue are a short walk down. The Whittier Greenway Trail runs through town on an old rail line.
Downtown Los Angeles is about twenty miles away, but traffic makes a car or careful bus planning necessary. The weather is mild most of the year, and beaches are under an hour away.
Form I-20 issued by Whittier College
Proof of funds for one academic year
SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt
Completed DS-160 online application
US embassy or consulate interview
Passport valid six months beyond stay
Whittier uses Early Action in November and Regular Decision in winter, and keeps admitting after that while places remain. International students should apply by spring for a fall start.
Most students start in the fall (August). A smaller spring intake in January is open to some first-year and transfer students.
International students come in on an F-1 visa. The I-20 comes from Whittier College after you confirm your place and show you can cover a year of costs; you then pay the SEVIS fee, fill in the DS-160 and book your consulate interview.
Business administration, kinesiology, biology and psychology are popular. Applicants need secondary school transcripts, a recommendation and an essay. Test scores are optional, and non-native speakers usually show IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80.
Yes. Whittier offers merit scholarships to international first-year and transfer students, usually decided automatically at admission.
