Oberlin College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Kent, Ohio · Public · Open access · CDS 2025-2026
Oberlin College is a public university in Kent, Ohio that admits about 87% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $19,614 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Psychology, General and Business Administration, Management and Operations, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 65% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 1.6 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Oberlin College is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. For the most recent reporting cycle, Oberlin College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 87%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1095 and an ACT composite around 22. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $19,614 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Oberlin College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Oberlin College?
Oberlin College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Oberlin College weight in admissions?
Oberlin College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Academic GPA
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Class rank
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Oberlin College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 500–610, with an EBRW midpoint near 555. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 18–25. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 990 |
| 50th percentile | 1120 |
| 75th percentile | 1230 |
| % submitting SAT | 16% |
| 25th percentile | 18 |
| 50th percentile | 21 |
| 75th percentile | 25 |
| % submitting ACT | 43% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 18.7% |
| Top 25% of class | 44.6% |
| Top 50% of class | 79.5% |
| % submitting class rank | 47.5% |
How much does Oberlin College actually cost?
Published tuition is $12,846 for in-state students and $22,316 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $13,040 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $19,614 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 27% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $19,614 |
| Application fee | $50 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Oberlin College
| Regular deadline | 8/1 |
| Notification date | 10/1 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 or within 2 weeks if notified thereafter |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from Oberlin College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Oberlin College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Oberlin College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Psychology, General and Business Administration, Management and Operations. Across all programs, Oberlin College confers roughly 2,166 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing program report a median income of about $70,845 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 533 | $70,845 |
| Psychology, General | 343 | $40,904 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 276 | $59,986 |
| Design and Applied Arts | 250 | $52,096 |
| Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations | 239 | $57,478 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 178 | $40,115 |
| Marketing | 174 | $64,923 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 173 | $47,159 |
Is Oberlin College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Oberlin College disclosed 30 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 1.6 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 28 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Oberlin College?
About 31% of undergraduates at Oberlin College live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Ohio parents ask about
- Ohio State University-Main Campus51% acceptance
- University of Cincinnati-Main Campus85% acceptance
- Case Western Reserve University81% acceptance
- University of Dayton95% acceptance
- Miami University-Oxford82% acceptance
- Kent State University at Kent81% acceptance
- Cleveland State University
- Kenyon College31% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Oberlin College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Oberlin College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Oberlin College
What GPA do I need for Oberlin College?
Oberlin College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Oberlin College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 500–610, with an EBRW midpoint near 555. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 18–25.
How much does Oberlin College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Oberlin College after grants and scholarships is $19,614 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Oberlin College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Oberlin College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Oberlin College?
Oberlin College accepts about 87% of applicants out of roughly 25,526 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Oberlin College test-optional?
Yes. Oberlin College is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Oberlin College?
About 65% of students at Oberlin College graduate within six years. 80% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does Oberlin College look for in applicants?
Oberlin College rates GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Oberlin College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Oberlin College is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio.
What are the most popular majors at Oberlin College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Oberlin College by annual graduates are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Psychology, General and Business Administration, Management and Operations. The school awards about 2,166 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Oberlin College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Oberlin College reported 30 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 1.6 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Oberlin College?
At Oberlin College, 31% of undergraduates live on campus, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Oberlin College, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.