Photo: Hayden Soloviev (CC BY 4.0)
School data & stats
Outcomes
Cost
Community
Overview
Westmont College is a private Christian liberal arts college in the hills of Montecito, near Santa Barbara. It combines an evangelical faith commitment with serious liberal arts academics, drawing students who want both a rigorous curriculum and an explicitly Christian campus culture rather than treating the two as in tension.
Academics
The sciences, English, and pre-med preparation are particular strengths, with faculty known for staying closely engaged with undergraduates rather than prioritizing research at students' expense. The core curriculum is substantial and shared across majors, giving graduates a common intellectual foundation regardless of field of study. Study-abroad participation is unusually high for a college this size, with Westmont-run programs in several countries.
Campus & student life
The campus occupies a former estate in the hills above Montecito, with garden-like grounds and ocean views a short distance from the Santa Barbara coastline. Chapel and Christian community life are woven into the weekly schedule, and most students live on campus given the residential character of the college. The setting is a genuine part of the experience — Southern California's hills and coast, but on a small, quiet campus rather than in a city.
Getting in
Admissions is holistic and pays real attention to a student's faith commitment and fit with the college's Christian mission alongside academic strength; essays typically ask students to reflect on both intellectual interests and spiritual life. The applicant pool skews toward students actively seeking a serious evangelical liberal arts college, not a general Christian-adjacent option.
After graduation
Graduates place well into medical school, graduate programs, and Christian ministry and nonprofit work, supported by a close-knit alumni network with a strong evangelical Christian college identity nationally, not just regionally.
Worth knowing
Westmont expects a genuine, active statement of Christian faith commitment from students, more than a nominal affiliation, and students should understand this before applying if they are not personally invested in that identity. The high cost of living in the Santa Barbara area is also a real practical factor for off-campus life.
Admissions
Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)
Applying
westmont.edu ↗High school coursework
Required14 academic units minimum · 4 years of English · 3 years of science (2 laboratory) · 3 years of mathematics (incl. second-year algebra) · 2 years of one foreign language · 2 years of social science
Recommended3 years of one foreign language
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