Oberlin College: Statistics

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Position Category
#1138 of 14,131 In the World
#323 of 2,597 In North America
#292 of 2,496 In the United States
#12 of 90 In Ohio
#407 of 2,195 For Art History
Top50% For 74 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
34%
Average SAT
1440
Average ACT
33
Avg. cost to attend
$51,624 /y
Aid receiving
99%
Undergraduates
2,896
Graduates
13
Male:Female Ratio
41:59
Control
Private
not-for-profit
Highest Degree
Master's degree
Website
www.oberlin.edu

Oberlin College Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Oberlin College has an acceptance rate of 34% and is among the top 8% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 34% 29% 39%
Applicants 10,536 4,723 5,787
Admissions 3,601 1,353 2,236
Freshmen enrolled full time 701 279 417

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
221 or 32%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1360
or below

75% of them
had 1520
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Oberlin College are 1360-1520 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
119 or 17%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 31
or below

75% of them
had 34
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Oberlin College are 31-34 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Recommendations Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Secondary school rank Considered but not required
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 1766 (61%)
Nonresident Alien 286 (10%)
Hispanic 266 (9%)
Two or more races 265 (9%)
Asian 147 (5%)
Black or African American 125 (4%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 52 (2%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 1 (0%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The average net cost to attend Oberlin College is $51,624 per year, calculated as the sum of the average cost of tuition, room and board, books, and supplies, reduced by the amount of average financial aid received.

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Net average cost to attend
$51,624/year
Average aid awarded
$35,780
Students receiving aid
99%

Average costs by household income

<$30K $18,774
$30-48K $15,799
$48-75K $22,123
$75-110K $29,207
$110K+ $48,731

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $66,410$30,000
Tuition in-state $66,410$30,000
Tuition out-of-state $66,410$30,000
Fee in-district $956$320
Fee in-state $956$320
Fee out-of-state $956$320

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 2,800
Combined charge for room and board $19,510
Room charge $9,830
Meal charge $9,680

Oberlin College majors

Oberlin College has granted 656 bachelor's degrees across 44 programs and 1 master's in Music Technology. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Oberlin College.

Major Bachelor Master
Music Performance, General 108
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 38
Psychology, General 34
History, General 29
Computer and Information Sciences, General 28
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 28
Political Science and Government, General 26
Environmental Studies 25
Film & Cinema & Media Studies 25
Jazz & Jazz Studies 22
Creative Writing 21
Neuroscience 20
Fine & Studio Arts, General 17
Music, Other 17
Sociology, General 17
Mathematics, General 14
English Language and Literature, General 13
American & United States Studies & Civilization 12
Chemistry, General 11
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 11
Legal Professions and Studies, Other 11
Physics, General 11
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 10
Comparative Literature 10
East Asian Studies 10
Philosophy 9
Anthropology, General 8
Biochemistry 8
Geology & Earth Science, General 8
Women's Studies 7
African-American & Black Studies 6
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 6
Music Technology 5 1
Engineering, Other 5
Religion & Religious Studies 5
Dance, General 4
Spanish Language and Literature 4
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 3
French Language and Literature 3
Music Theory and Composition 2
Visual and Performing Arts, Other 2
Archeology 1
Jewish & Judaic Studies 1
Latin Language and Literature 1
Grand Total 656 1

Oberlin College has a graduation rate of 81%, which is among the 11% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 81% 79% 83%
  • Full-time retention rate - 91%

Publications & Citations

Oberlin College has published 7,934 scientific papers with 151,867 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Environmental Science, Political Science, Philosophy, Biology, History, Law, Computer Science, Physics, and Engineering.

Publications
7,934
Citations
151,867

Publication / Citation count by topic

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
5,145 / 78,324
Environmental Science
2,949 / 73,416
Political Science
2,831 / 39,628
Philosophy
2,640 / 38,419
Biology
2,633 / 88,349
History
2,605 / 32,163
Law
2,517 / 38,278
Computer Science
2,512 / 70,915
Physics
2,467 / 68,573
Engineering
2,314 / 59,864
Sociology
2,311 / 42,072
Chemistry
1,924 / 63,146
Geography and Cartography
1,825 / 38,177
Art & Design
1,656 / 15,494
Quantum and Particle physics
1,564 / 45,994
Medicine
1,504 / 43,156
Psychology
1,378 / 46,789
Geology
1,346 / 46,569
Archaeology
1,287 / 26,886
Linguistics
1,105 / 20,555
Ecology
1,016 / 34,753
Mathematics
1,003 / 27,398
Economics
988 / 19,750
Business
982 / 19,908
Paleontology
955 / 37,111
Biochemistry
946 / 33,899
Genetics
905 / 34,542
Organic Chemistry
871 / 26,166
Art History
798 / 3,434
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
756 / 24,981
Materials Science
751 / 23,035
Theology / Divinity / Religious studies
699 / 6,650
Classics and Ancient History
671 / 2,887
Literature
655 / 3,823
Astrophysics and Astronomy
629 / 17,652
Library and Information science
615 / 5,408
Statistics
575 / 21,849
Optical Engineering
541 / 20,035
Fashion Design
532 / 7,339
Social Psychology
505 / 19,279

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1993 114 622
1994 59 694
1995 70 835
1996 131 733
1997 84 846
1998 85 972
1999 91 1170
2000 150 1309
2001 95 1512
2002 81 1872
2003 99 1917
2004 100 2096
2005 165 2245
2006 130 2488
2007 112 2440
2008 163 2916
2009 147 3412
2010 144 3769
2011 220 4402
2012 253 4629
2013 218 5202
2014 210 5455
2015 236 5712
2016 209 5952
2017 255 6357
2018 230 7330
2019 207 8378
2020 192 9081
2021 226 10041
2022 170 8931
2023 184 9701
2024 175 10232
2025 107 8848
Academic rankings

Oberlin College alumni

  1. Lena Dunham

    Lena Dunham
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1986-.. (age 40)
    Enrolled in Oberlin College
    In 2008 studied creative writing
    Occupations
    film directorwriterfilm produceractorfilm actor
    Biography

    Lena Dunham is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series Girls (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Awards. Dunham also directed several episodes of Girls and became the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series. She started her career writing, directing, and starring in her semi-autobiographical independent film Tiny Furniture (2010), for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. She has since written and directed the 2022 films Sharp Stick and Catherine Called Birdy. In 2025, she created the Netflix series Too Much starring Megan Stalter.

  2. Ed Helms

    Ed Helms
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1974-.. (age 52)
    Enrolled in Oberlin College
    Studied in 1996
    Occupations
    television directorfilm actorbanjoisttelevision producervoice actor
    Biography

    Edward Parker Helms is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom The Office (2006–2013), and starred as Stuart "Stu" Price in The Hangover trilogy. He later starred in the comedy series Rutherford Falls (2021–2022), which he co-wrote.

  3. Corey Stoll

    Corey Stoll
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1976-.. (age 50)
    Occupations
    television actorstage actoractorfilm actor
    Biography

    Corey Daniel Stoll is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Congressman Peter Russo in the first season of the Netflix political thriller series House of Cards (2013–2016), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination in 2013, and Dr. Ephraim Goodweather on the FX horror drama series The Strain (2014–2017). From 2020 to 2023, he portrayed Michael Prince, a business rival to protagonist Bobby Axelrod, in the Showtime series Billions. He was also a regular cast member on the NBC drama series Law & Order: LA (2010–2011).

  4. Bobby McFerrin

    Bobby McFerrin
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1950-.. (age 76)
    Occupations
    beatboxeranimatoruniversity teacherrecording artistconductor
    Biography

    Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, and conductor. His vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rapidly alternating with arpeggios and harmonies—as well as scat singing, polyphonic overtone singing, and improvisational vocal percussion. McFerrin performs and records regularly as an unaccompanied solo vocal artist and has frequently collaborated with other artists from both the jazz and classical scenes.

All 100 notable alumni

General info

Founded 1833
Motto Learning and Labor.
Colors cardinal red, mikado yellow
Academic calendar September to May
Total FTE staff 899
Carnegie classification Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus

Location and contacts

Address 70 N Professor St
Oberlin, Ohio, 44074
United States
City population 9,000
Phone 4407758411

Oberlin College in social media