Whittier College

Whittier College is a private liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) 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. History Whittier College, founded in 1887, was named for the Quaker abolitionist and poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Since that time, the institution has grown into a distinctive, national liberal arts college. The college campus has about 1,200 students and more than 100 faculty. It emphasizes small, interactive classes led by full-time faculty members. Academics Whittier College is a four-year liberal arts institution. Nearly half of the student body are Latino and students of color constitute about 70% of the college's campus population. A majority of students hail from California. As of 2017, there are students from at least 27 states and 14 countries. Whittier offers over 30 majors and 30 minors in 23 disciplines and claims emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. Students may also apply for entry into the Whittier Scholars Program, in which each student, under the guidance of a faculty member, designs their own major and course of study based on individual interests and career goals. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were Business Administration and Management (62) Exercise Science and Kinesiology (52) Biology/Biological Sciences (40) Psychology (38) Social Sciences (29) English Language and Literature (24)