Navigating Westmont College Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid

Westmont College, an interdenominational Christian liberal arts college founded in 1937, is located in Montecito near Santa Barbara, California. Understanding the costs associated with attending Westmont, along with the available financial aid options, is crucial for prospective students and their families. This article provides a comprehensive overview of Westmont College's tuition, fees, and financial aid landscape.

Westmont College: An Overview

Westmont College is a private, non-profit institution with an enrollment size of fewer than 1,000 students. It has a not selective acceptance rate (83%), a low yield (21%), a high graduation rate (78%), and a very high retention rate (82%). Westmont College offers undergraduate degrees in 29 majors. The college's website is www.westmont.edu.

Understanding the Cost of Attendance

Knowing what a school costs is the first step in managing college costs. The "Cost of Attendance" is the total amount of money the average student has to pay, without any financial aid, to attend a particular school. Think of it as a school’s sticker price.

Westmont College's tuition is $55,724. Compared with the national average cost of tuition of $50,159, Westmont College is more expensive. These figures include both tuition and fees, also referred to as the sticker price. Fees differ by institution and may fund library services, student gym facilities, student centers, technology resources, and campus health centers. The total cost, including tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses, amounts to $73,544.

Breakdown of Costs

For the academic year 2026-2027, the estimated costs for a student living on campus are as follows:

Read also: Applying to Westmont College

Tuition: \$56,630
Health Fee: \$628
Student Activity Fee: \$362
Technology Fee: \$340
Westmont Housing: \$10,830
Meal Plan: \$7,510
Books, Course Materials, Supplies, & Equipment: \$1,600
Miscellaneous/Personal Expenses: \$1,400

The total direct costs (billed by Westmont) amount to \$76,300, while the total financial aid "Cost of Attendance" is \$79,300.

For students living off-campus, the cost of attendance includes allowances toward housing and other living expenses. These allowances are not intended to reflect actual costs that a student may incur, only an allowance toward those costs.

Financial Aid Options at Westmont College

Westmont College is committed to making college affordable. Westmont provided $39 million in grants and scholarships last year, assisting 95 percent of our students. With 95% of our students receiving financial aid, students find that their cost of attendance at Westmont is often much lower than our sticker price. Financial aid can include grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study jobs. Financial aid packages vary depending on your financial need. Most colleges determine financial need based on your FAFSA.

Types of Financial Aid

Grants and Scholarships: These are a type of funding that you don’t need to pay back. Need-based scholarships take a student’s financial status into account. Merit-based scholarships are awarded to students for academic or athletic achievement. You might also qualify for a scholarship based on your community service involvement, unique hobbies or traits, your personal background, or a parent’s employer or military affiliation. Some students receive enough in scholarship money to cover their tuition and living expenses.
Loans: Loans must be paid back.
Work-Study: Working while in school can help lessen the burden of your student loans. Schools offer work-study programs to those who qualify and campus jobs to students looking to earn money in their free time. Some institutions match students with work-study positions, while others require them apply to the positions, like they would for any other job.

Financial Aid Statistics

Students Receiving Financial Aid: 64.03%
Freshmen With Need and Received Financial Aid: 100%
Average Aid Package Awarded: \$44,848
Average Need-Based Scholarship or Grant Award: \$37,077
Average Need-Based Loan Amount: \$5,303
Average Non-Need-Based Aid: \$26,453

The average need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Westmont College was $42,156. Additionally, 61% of first-year students received need-based financial aid in fall 2023. The average need-based self-help aid awarded to first-year students was $4,564. The average non-need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Westmont College - excluding any athletic scholarships, if applicable - was $29,347. Westmont College met 77% of its students’ financial aid need.

Important Financial Aid Dates

Financial Aid Application Due: March 1 (The last day to apply for financial aid or turn in related paperwork.)

Student Loan Debt

How much student loan debt you accumulate can affect your financial life long after college ends. Ideally, your total student loan debt should fall below your anticipated starting salary once you graduate. At Westmont College, the median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed their undergraduate degree is $23,250. The median monthly federal loan payment (if it were repaid over 10 years at 5.05% interest) for student federal loan borrowers who graduated is $246. Additionally, 7% of graduating students at Westmont College took out private loans. Students with private loans had an average of $49,833 in private loan debt at graduation.

Average Total Indebtedness of 2024 Graduating Class: $30,527
Graduating students who have borrowed (any loan type, 2024): 59%

Managing Student Loan Debt

When helping your child evaluate student loan options, be sure to consider both the monthly loan payment and the total payments. The monthly payments can be reduced by extending the loan term, but your child will end up paying more over time in interest. A smarter way to reduce your child's future monthly payments is to start saving money well before college. Every dollar you save for your child will reduce the amount they will have to borrow and pay back with interest. A good rule of thumb is to keep total debt less than your child's expected annual income. That way they should be able to afford to repay their loans in 10 years or less. Anything less than 10% of your child's monthly income going to loan payments is considered affordable, 15% is a stretch, and anything over 20% is not recommended.

Net Price and Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Your net price is a college’s cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships you receive. The net price you pay for a particular college is specific to you because it’s based on your personal circumstances and the college’s financial aid policies. Use the college’s Net Price calculator for the most accurate estimate of your net price.

The US government has come up with a standardized way to calculate how much a typical family can afford to pay without help. This is called the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Colleges use this number as a guideline to decide how much aid to give you, but it's just a guideline. If the Net Price is higher than the EFC, the school will cost more than you can typically afford.

Academic Scholarships

Merit scholarships are awarded based on the academic criteria available to us. These scholarships are awarded to first-year and transfer students with a distinguished high school or college academic profile. More than 95 percent of first-year and transfer students receive an academic and/or talent-based scholarship. Students applying without ACT or SAT scores are eligible for all our academic scholarship tiers.

Westmont College Value and Rankings

Westmont College gets this verdict primarily on the school's reputation. On college ranking lists, it often ranks between #100 and 200, putting it roughly in the top 20% of schools. On value rankings lists, Westmont College doesn't often appear. This usually means that, compared to other schools of similar reputation, Westmont College has a higher net price and may offer less competitive financial aid. Overall, we still believe Westmont College is a good value school that is worth the cost.

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