Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio · Private · 2,887 undergraduates · oberlin.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
33%
of 11,732 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1370 to 1480
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$97,210Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Oberlin College
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
33% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored, and your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$97,210
a year in 2027-28, from a $97,210 sticker price
What to do with your 1420
Send your score
About 55% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1290, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
Source: Admissions Testing Policy | Oberlin College and Conservatory · Checked October 17, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov1Early Action · November 1, 2026Apply early and hear early. Not binding.
- Nov1Early Decision · November 1, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Jan5Early Decision II · January 5, 2027A second binding round, after Early Decision.
- Jan15Regular Decision · January 15, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
33%
of applicants were admitted: 3,873 of 11,732 for fall 2025.
Early Action
Not binding. Apply by 11/1, hear by 1/15.
Early Decision
Binding. 39% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
968 students were offered a spot; 33 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 34% of them sent SAT scores and 14% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1370 to 1480
Reading and Writing 690 to 760
Math 660 to 740
ACT composite 30 to 33
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160064%
- 1200 to 139936%
- 1000 to 11990%
- 800 to 9990%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.60
- 4.09.7%
- 3.75 to 3.9935%
- 3.50 to 3.7427%
- 3.25 to 3.4917%
- 3.00 to 3.247.3%
- 2.50 to 2.994.4%
- Below 2.500.2%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$97,210
a year
- Tuition$73,130
- Fees$1,190
- Food and housing$20,900
- Books and supplies$970
- Transportation and other$1,020
Oberlin College published $93,466 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$12,176
- $30,001 to $48,000$20,246
- $48,001 to $75,000$18,356
- $75,001 to $110,000$32,410
- Over $110,000$50,738
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$59,480
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
39%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $29,230 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid priority date: 2/1
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
- Aid deadline: 2/15
- The last day to send aid forms.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Merit scholarships
Awards for grades and scores, on top of need-based aid. You don't repay them.
Oberlin College National Merit Scholarship (NMSC college-sponsored)
$2,000 a year
National Merit
Deadline: Name this college your first choice with NMSC. To keep it: stay a full-time student; if you're academically dismissed, you may lose your merit scholarship.
Details
Ohio programs for residents
Governor's Merit Scholarship
$5,000 a year
State program · In-state students
- Homeschool / dropout prevention & recovery / nonchartered nonpublic applicants (top 5% of similar applicants by ACT/SAT); Apply via ODHE portal in senior year; homeschoolers upload superintendent's response to home-education notification; Selective Service if applicable; on-time graduation; junior on track at determination
Compare awards across colleges with the merit aid calculator.
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
27 of 27
Earn credit with a score of 3
None
You need a 4 or 5 for credit here.
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,310Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| African American Studies | 4 | AAST 600 | |
| Art History | 5 | ARTH 600 | |
| Biology | 4 | BIOL 604 | |
| Calculus AB | 4 | MATH 133 | |
| Calculus BC | 4 | MATH 133 , 134 | |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 4 | MATH 133 | |
| Chemistry | 4 | CHEM 101 | |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 5 | POLT 099 | |
| Computer Science A | 4 | CSCI 150 | |
| Cybersecurity (Career Kickstart) | 4 | CSCI 601 | |
| English Literature and Composition | 5 | ENGL 600 | |
| Environmental Science | 5 | EVSS 600 | |
| European History | 4 | HIST 098 | |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | FREN 300 | |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | GERM 300 | |
| Latin | 4 | LATN 600 | |
| Music Theory | 4 | 4 | MUTH 600 |
| Physics 1 | 4 | PHYS 103 | |
| Physics 2 | 4 | PHYS 104 | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 5 | PHYS 111 | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | PHYS 110 | |
| Psychology | 4 | PSYC 100 | |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | HISP 300 | |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | HISP 300 | |
| United States Government and Politics | 5 | POLT 099 | |
| United States History | 4 | HIST 099 | |
| World History: Modern | 4 | HIST 097 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
81%
Come back for a second year
91%
Typical earnings
$60,877
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Oberlin College$40,937
- All colleges$44,832
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 8 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Oberlin College. The Oberlin College logo is a trademark of the college.