More selective than 97% of Ohio colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $87,404. College Scorecard.
Higher than 97% of Ohio colleges we cover and 90% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 79% of Ohio colleges we cover and 65% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Oberlin College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 11,039 applicants, Oberlin College admitted 3,641 and 779 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1360–1520 on the SAT or 31–34 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Oberlin College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Ohio residents with household income up to $96,000 and a Student Aid Index of 3,750 or less may receive an Ohio College Opportunity Grant: up to $5,000 a year at private nonprofit colleges in 2026-27. Not included in the prices above. Ohio Department of Higher Education, OCOG 2026-27 award memo (FA27-001)
What Oberlin College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Oberlin College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Ohio. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $18,774 | $79,602 | 3.5 years |
| $30–48k | $15,799 | $66,988 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $22,123 | $93,802 | 4.1 years |
| $75–110k | $29,207 | $123,838 | 5.4 years |
| $110k+ | $48,731 | $206,619 | 9.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (63% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($58,343) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OH (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $22,905 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Oberlin College majors, earnings & careers
Oberlin College offers 36 bachelor's majors across 7 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Science & Math · 8
- Arts & Design · 6
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Business & Finance · 1
- Engineering · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Oberlin College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $129,395 | $26,500 |
| Economics | $87,120 | $25,000 |
| Political Science | $70,689 | $24,314 |
| History | $60,895 | $26,050 |
| Area Studies | $55,151 | $24,951 |
| English | $49,906 | $26,000 |
| Psychology | $48,109 | $26,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $46,580 | $23,250 |
Quick list of all 36 majors
- Anthropology—
- Archeology—
- Area Studies$55,151
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$44,095
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Computer and Information Sciences$129,395
- Dance—
- Economics$87,120
- Engineering, Other—
- English$49,906
- Environmental Science / Conservation$46,580
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$60,895
- Legal Professions and Studies, Other—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music$43,343
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$70,689
- Psychology$48,109
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art$44,299
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer and Information Sciences → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Cleveland
Overall prices in the Cleveland, OH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,274. Housing costs 21% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 40 inches of rain a year, 47 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Lorain County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Lorain County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Oberlin College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Ohio by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oberlin College | 34% | $38,645 | 81% | $58,343 | This school |
| Kenyon College | 31% | $38,512 | 82% | $71,830 | |
| Denison University | 17% | $40,007 | 79% | $67,753 | |
| Franciscan University of Steubenville | 58% | $23,589 | 75% | $50,030 | |
| Case Western Reserve University | 37% | $41,190 | 87% | $87,989 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Oberlin College would cost you $133 more per year than Kenyon College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Oberlin College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$4,154).
- Kenyon College gives aided families $319 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Ohio resident | Oberlin College | Kenyon College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $67,366 | $71,520 | −$4,154 |
| Books & supplies | $1,908 | $1,900 | +$8 |
| Housing & meals | $18,942 | $14,410 | +$4,532 |
| Personal & travel | $1,908 | $1,950 | −$42 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,720 | −$2,190 | −$530 |
| Sticker price | $87,404 | $87,590 | −$186 |
| Average grants | −$48,759 | −$49,078 | +$319 |
| You pay | $38,645 | $38,512 | +$133 |
“+” means Oberlin College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Oberlin College
What is the Oberlin College acceptance rate?
Oberlin College accepts 34% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,641 of 11,039 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1360–1520 on the SAT or 31–34 on the ACT.
How much does Oberlin College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $87,404 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $38,645 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $18,774 and families earning $110k+ pay $48,731.
How much do Oberlin College graduates earn?
Former Oberlin College students earn a median $58,343 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Oberlin College graduation rate?
81% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for their second year.
How long does a Oberlin College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Oberlin College costs about $93,802 after grants ($22,123 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $58,343 ten years after starting, $22,905 more than high school graduates in Ohio ($35,438), so the cost is repaid in 4.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Oberlin College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/oberlin-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).