Admit rate has ranged 33%–36% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Oberlin College is a small, fiercely intellectual liberal arts college in rural Ohio with a famously progressive, activist soul and a world-class Conservatory of Music attached. It’s a place where academic rigor meets social conscience, attracting students who are as likely to debate policy in the co-op as they are to perform in a practice room. While its sticker price is steep, its commitment to meeting full demonstrated need opens its distinctive, intense community to a wider range of students.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Grade point average
Letters of recommendation
College-prep program
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
2,887
In-state tuition
$67,366
Out-of-state tuition
$67,366
Graduation Rate
81%
Meets Full Need
Yes
ED Share of Class
37%
Demonstrated Interest
Considered
Median Earnings (10yr)
$58,343
First-Year Retention Rate (2022 cohort)
90.5%
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$58,343
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
1.5×
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Graduation rate
81%
First-year retention
91%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
82%
Pell (lower-income) share
10%
First-gen share (among federal-aid recipients)
9%
Financial health
2.5 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Computer and Information Sciences, General$76,460
Economics$41,205
Political Science and Government$29,685
Sociology$28,236
Neurobiology and Neurosciences$27,750
Anthropology$25,194
Biology, General
Applicants here also applied to
The schools that most often appear alongside Oberlin on applicants’ lists, from our self-reported outcomes corpus.
Co-application frequency from self-reported results — directional peer discovery, not a recommendation.
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
8
Per 1,000 students
2.76
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
97
Summer high
80°F
Winter low
25°F
Annual rain
43.3"
Annual snow
31.6"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Moderate
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
201
Scholarly works
8,519
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Share of this school’s graduates who go on to earn research doctorates (2010–20), by national rank and per-capita yield (NSF institutional-yield ratio). A signal of a research-oriented student culture — not a causal promise, since it partly reflects who enrolls. Only top producers appear. Source: NSF NCSES, Baccalaureate Origins of U.S. Research Doctorate Recipients.
Economic mobility
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Oberlin College?
Oberlin College's acceptance rate is approximately 34% (Oberlin, OH), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Oberlin College?
Admitted students at Oberlin College typically score 1360–1520 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Oberlin College cost?
At Oberlin College, the average net price (after aid) is about $38,645 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Oberlin College?
Oberlin College enrolls approximately 2,887 undergraduate students.
Where is Oberlin College located?
Oberlin College is located in Oberlin, OH.
Admissions
Gaining admission to Oberlin is a selective but not impossible proposition, with a published of 34%. The middle 50% SAT range for admitted students is 1360–1520. The college fills a significant portion of its class through binding Early Decision; for the Arts & Sciences division, 37% of the enrolling first-year class were admitted via ED. The acceptance rate for Early Decision applicants is notably higher than the overall rate, with a five-year average of 66% compared to 35% for Regular Decision. Demonstrated interest is a factor Oberlin considers in its admissions process. Recent enrollment data shows volatility, with the college enrolling 701 first-years in fall 2024, down from 778 in fall 2023 and 882 the year before that.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$23,456
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft$22,771
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Academics
Oberlin’s College of Arts and Sciences offers an expansive and rigorous educational program with more than 40 academic majors and more than a dozen interdisciplinary minors and integrative concentrations. The curriculum is famously demanding, with students describing the coursework as "very rigorous" and the teaching as "extremely high" quality. Popular majors reflect both its liberal arts core and its unique identity: music performance, biology, psychology, politics, neuroscience, and history are among the most pursued. The college promises to cultivate curiosity and help students master the tools of inquiry and expression, positioning itself as one of the world's great undergraduate educations.
Life at Oberlin is defined by its intense, close-knit, and politically engaged campus community. The college describes its environment as one that prioritizes inclusion and respect, fostering a holistic and transformative student experience. Social life is heavily student-driven, with a strong "pregaming" culture where students gather before parties and school events. Located in the small town of Oberlin, Ohio, the campus itself becomes the primary universe for students, leading to a self-contained and highly participatory culture where exploring, connecting, and learning are central.
Oberlin graduates are well-prepared, with strong graduation outcomes. The college's graduation rate places it in the top tier nationally. Post-graduation earnings data shows a mixed picture; one source reports median earnings six years after enrollment at $38,871, while another notes that Oberlin graduates made an average of $38,900 at age 34, below the national average at that time. Retention rates for first-year students have shown recent fluctuation, ranging from a high of 90.5% for the 2022 cohort to a low of 73.7% for the 2021 cohort.
Oberlin's sticker price is high, with tuition for 2025-26 set at $68,340. However, the college is aggressive with financial aid, setting aside over $100 million for student grants and scholarships each year. Its core policy is a commitment to meeting 100% of the demonstrated financial need for every admitted student who applies for . This need-based aid package may include federal student loans (optional and up to $5,500 depending on eligibility), grants, scholarships, and work-study. The college also offers a $10,000 Commitment Scholarship to all admitted students, renewable for four years. The result is a significantly reduced average for students who receive aid.
Oberlin stands out for its potent, almost paradoxical combination: a top-tier liberal arts education with a world-renowned conservatory, delivered in a small Ohio town, yet producing graduates with a disproportionately large impact on the world. It’s not just the academic rigor or the famous music school; it’s the culture. This is a place historically committed to justice and inclusion, a identity that continues to shape campus life today. Students are drawn by the promise of an intense, immersive community where intellectual passion and social conscience are not separate pursuits but intertwined. The binding Early Decision option reveals a core of deeply committed applicants who see Oberlin not as a safety but as a first-choice mission. While the financial commitment is substantial, the college’s promise to meet full need ensures that this distinctive, demanding experience is accessible based on talent and drive, not just means.
Oberlin College seal · sourceOberlin College and Conservatory | Oberlin College and Conservatory · sourceAbout Oberlin | Oberlin College and Conservatory · sourceFirst Impressions: Oberlin College (OH) - Educated Quest · source
