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University or college · Private nonprofit

Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH

Oberlin College is a private nonprofit college in Oberlin, OH, with about 2,976 students on campus.

Visit www.oberlin.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
2,976
2,966 undergrad · 10 grad
Admission rate
34%
lower than at 92% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$38,645
higher than at 95% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
81%
higher than at 90% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$58,343
higher than at 83% of U.S. colleges
In brief

The short version on Oberlin College

A higher price after aid than almost any college

The average family on federal aid pays $38,645 a year after grants, more than at 95% of 4-year colleges. What it costs ↓

What you study here makes a big difference to pay

Among Oberlin College’s biggest bachelor’s programs, computer science graduates earn a median $129,395 four years out. Music graduates earn $43,343. Majors ↓

Students are a big part of Oberlin

34% of Oberlin’s 8,603 residents are enrolled in college. Living in Oberlin ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $87,404 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $67,366Room & board $19,510Books & supplies $1,908

After grants, the average family on aid pays $38,645.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$22,123

About $88,492 over 4 years · 75% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Oberlin College?

34%

of applicants admitted

About 7 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
700–760
SAT math
660–760
ACT
31–34

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1447.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
81%
within 6 years · Pell students 87%
Come back for year two
91%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$58,343
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$26,000
about $276 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

8.5%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$276 a month against about $3,239 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

82%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 96% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Visual & performing arts 27%Social sciences 13%Biology 11%Psychology 8%Area & ethnic studies 6%Computer science 6%Everything else 28%

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Music136 graduates a year · typical debt $25,500
$43k4 yrs out
Psychology, General58 graduates a year · typical debt $23,750
$48k4 yrs out
Economics58 graduates a year · typical debt $25,000
$87k4 yrs out
Biology, General53 graduates a year · typical debt $23,250
$44k4 yrs out
Political Science and Government51 graduates a year · typical debt $23,250
$71k4 yrs out
Natural Resources Conservation and Research49 graduates a year · typical debt $23,250
$47k4 yrs out
History45 graduates a year · typical debt $25,250
$61k4 yrs out
Fine and Studio Arts38 graduates a year · typical debt $20,500
$44k4 yrs out
Who goes there

The students

2,887 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 61%Hispanic 9%Black 4%Asian 5%Two or more 9%International 10%

Women and men

Women 59%Men 41%
9 : 1
students per teacher
10%
get Pell grants (lower income)
31%
take federal loans
0%
undergrads 25 or older
1%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Oberlin

34% of Oberlin’s 8,603 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Oberlin pages.

Oberlin →
OberlinOberlin, OH
$995/momedian rent · 4% below the state$242Ktypical home valueB−Safety Grade20° / 83°January low / July high · 47" of snowB+Health GradeAll colleges in and near OberlinCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Oberlin College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Lorain County Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Elyria
11.2 mi6,723 students
Baldwin Wallace UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Berea
19.8 mi3,173 students
Bowling Green State University-FirelandsCommunity college · Public · Huron Township
20.9 mi1,398 students
Bryant & Stratton College-ParmaCommunity college · Private nonprofit · Parma
23.9 mi522 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.