Private nonprofit · College
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio · Fringe town
- 34.2%
- Admit rate
- $38,645
- Avg net price
- 81%
- Graduation rate
- $58,343
- Median earnings
Oberlin College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Oberlin, Ohio (fringe town setting), enrolling 2,887 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Oberlin College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 34.2%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1360–1520
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.98
Enter a test score to see where you land against Oberlin College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Oberlin College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located about 31 miles (50 km) southwest of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. Oberlin is the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 31 miles to Cleveland, OH
- To Great Lakes shore
- 11 miles
- Nearest airport
- 21 miles to Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) · major hub
How Oberlin College compares
More selective than 92% · #3 most selective of 65 in Ohio
Higher than 93%
Higher than 90% · #4 of 73 in Ohio
Higher than 87%
Higher than 63% · #17 of 74 in Ohio
Cheaper than 5% · #69 cheapest of 73 in Ohio
Lower than 24%
Lower than 83%
Larger than 68%
Percentiles compare Oberlin College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Ohio.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,887100%
- Graduate130%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,60756%
- Men1,28044%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White61%
- Black4.3%
- Hispanic9.2%
- Asian5.1%
- Other or multiracial20%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,887
- Graduate enrollment
- 13
- Student–faculty ratio
- 9 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 10%
- First-generation students
- 9%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $111,580
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $101,088
- Endowment
- $1,270,465,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 34.2%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1360–1520
- SAT average
- 1447
- SAT reading
- 700–760
- SAT math
- 660–760
- ACT composite
- 31–34
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.98
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $67,366
- Room & board
- $19,510
- Books & supplies
- $1,908
- Total cost of attendance
- $87,404
- Average net price
- $38,645
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 81%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 60%
- First-year retention
- 91%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $38,871
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $58,343
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Students with federal loans
- 31%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 77%
About 20% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,694
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 93%
- Housing charge (year)
- $9,398
- Meal plan (year)
- $9,544
- Application fee
- $100
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- North Coast Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 488 (280 men · 208 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (13)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 19
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,909 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$22,123/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Oberlin College discounts heavily: 99% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $33,119. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 882 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $58,343
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 45%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 49%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $6,691 (12%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 18°F
- Annual rain
- 40″
- Annual snow
- 47″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oberlin, OH US station (0.8 mi from campus).
What Oberlin College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Oberlin College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Oberlin College side by side →
Macalester College
Saint Paul, Minnesota · Large city · 5 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 2,131
- Admission
- 29%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- 1440
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $64k
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 11 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 2,169
- Admission
- 36%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- 1463
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $58k
Reed College
Portland, Oregon · Large city · 3 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,320
- Admission
- 25%
- Net price
- $33k
- SAT
- 1437
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $63k
Whitman College
Walla Walla, Washington · Small city · 118 mi to Spokane
- Students
- 1,531
- Admission
- 38%
- Net price
- $33k
- SAT
- 1410
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $68k
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio · Fringe rural · 43 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 1,732
- Admission
- 31%
- Net price
- $39k
- SAT
- 1429
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $72k
Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 1 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 2,214
- Admission
- 40%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1370
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $62k
Colleges near Oberlin College
Lorain County Joint Vocational School District
Oberlin, OH · Public · Certificate · 87 students
Ross Medical Education Center-Elyria
Elyria, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 74 students
Lorain County Community College
Elyria, OH · Public · Certificate · 5,373 students
Ohio Business College-Sheffield
Sheffield Village, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 224 students
Northern Institute of Cosmetology
Lorain, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 57 students
Medina County Career Center
Medina, OH · Public · Certificate · 43 students
Baldwin Wallace University
Berea, OH · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,842 students
Brown Aveda Institute-Strongsville
Strongsville, OH · Private for-profit · Certificate · 121 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













