Oberlin was the first college in the country to admit women, and one of the first to admit African Americans. By 1900 nearly half of all the black college graduates in the country–128 to be exact–had graduated from Oberlin.  This core of Oberlin-educated men and women formed the first black professional class in the country. 

Today, Oberlin's progressive history lives on in the idealism and conviction of its students.  Students are united by a commitment to social justice and a willingness to confront social issues that many would prefer to ignore.  As the New York Times noted in an article marking Oberlin's 150th anniversary, “In its century and a half, while Harvard worried about the classics and Yale about God, Oberlin worried about the state of America and the world beyond.”

Oberlin seeks a diverse and promising student body.  Recognizing that diversity broadens perspectives, Oberlin is dedicated to recruiting a culturally, economically, geographically, and racially diverse group of students.  Interaction with others of widely different backgrounds and experiences fosters the effective and concerned participation in the larger society so characteristic of Oberlin graduates. Among primarily undergraduate institutions, Oberlin ranks first for the number of graduates who go on to earn Ph.D.  degrees.  Its alumni, who include three Nobel laureates, are leaders in law, scientific and scholarly research, medicine, the arts, theology, communications, business, and government. 

Oberlin has several distinctive academic programs. During the four-week Winter Term, students create independent projects (group or individual) that can be pursued on- or off-campus. These projects may have an academic or career focus and need not be connected to a student's major. Oberlin's Experimental College, a student-run program, offers courses for limited academic credit taught by Oberlin students, townspeople, administrators, and faculty members. 

Oberlin offers a small-town atmosphere, and is located not far from Cleveland. There is never a lack of something to do.  More than 400 concerts and recitals take place on campus annually, from ticketed events like the Cleveland Orchestra to free student and faculty recitals. Each year the Conservatory stages two operas, and the theater and dance program presents several productions.  Numerous lectures and readings feature guests prominent in a variety of disciplines. 

Location

Oberlin College is an integral part of the city of Oberlin, a town of about 8,000 residents located 35 miles southwest of Cleveland. The town is primarily residential, with tree-lined streets and fine old clapboard houses.  The College is located in the center of town, close to the business district, and virtually everything a student needs is within walking or biking distance.

Majors and Degrees

Oberlin offers the Bachelor of Arts degree (awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences), and the Bachelor of Music degree (awarded by the Conservatory of Music).  Oberlin also offers a unique “double-degree” program, a five-year course of study leading to the B.A. and B.Mus.  degrees.  Students wishing to enter the double-degree program must be accepted by both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music. 

The B.A. is awarded in African-American studies, anthropology, archaeological studies, art (history and studio), biology, biopsychology, chemistry, cinema studies, classics (Greek, Latin, and classical civilization), comparative literature, computer science, creative writing, dance, East Asian studies, economics, English, environmental studies, French, geology, German, Hispanic studies, history, Jewish studies, Latin American studies, law and society, mathematics, music, neuroscience, philosophy, physics, politics, psychology, religion, Russian, Russian and East European studies, sociology, theater, Third World studies, 3/2 engineering, and women's studies.  In addition, many students pursue interdisciplinary individual majors.

The B.Mus.  is awarded in composition, electronic and computer music, historical performance, jazz studies (performance or composition), music education, music history, and performance (baroque cello/viola da gamba, baroque flute, baroque oboe, baroque violin, bassoon, clarinet, classical guitar, double bass, flute, harp, harpsichord, horn, lute, oboe, organ, percussion, piano, recorder, saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tuba, viola, violin, violoncello, and voice).  A major in music theory is only offered as part of a double major.

The Conservatory of Music also offers combined 5-year B.Mus.  and M.Mus.  degrees in opera theater, conducting, and music education and teaching as well as an M.Mus.  in historical performance and a four-semester Artist Diploma.

Academic Program

To receive the B.A. or the B.Mus.  degree, students must complete a major; nine credit hours in each of Oberlin's three divisions: humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences; and three Winter Term projects.  Students must also demonstrate quantitative proficiency and writing proficiency.  For the B.A., 112 credit hours are required for graduation; for the B.Mus., 124 hours are required.  The recommended semester course load is 14 credit hours for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and 15 or 16 credit hours for students in the Conservatory of Music. 

Academic Facilities

Oberlin's four libraries contain more than 1.75 million items, including 1.1 million catalogued volumes– an unusually large collection for a college of Oberlin's size.  Other features include an online catalog, connections to several networks, and access to numerous online and CD-ROM databases. The College's Allen Memorial Art Museum is considered one of the top college or university art museums in the nation. Seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish painting, European art of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and contemporary art are especially well-represented among the more than 14,000 objects spanning the range of art history in the museum. 

The Conservatory of Music contains 153 practice rooms–all with windows–and houses 168 Steinway grand pianos and 18 uprights.  The Conservatory also has two concert halls, numerous instrument collections, state-of-the-art electronic music studios, and recording facilities.

Oberlin's Irvin E.  Houck Computing Center provides more than 250 Macintosh and Dell computers for student use in several locations on campus. In all of the residence hall rooms, students have direct access to the Internet and the campus network from their personal computers.  Computer accounts are automatically given to all students at no charge. Although it is becoming more wireless, Oberlin is considered to be one of the most wired colleges in the country. 

Oberlin's new Science Center was designed to accommodate contemporary methods in science education. Everything is interconnected, promoting communication across disciplines and collaborative research relationships for which Oberlin is so well known.  The new Science Center complex is a testament to Oberlin's long-held belief that the best liberal arts education has a strong science component and that the best science education occurs in a liberal arts environment. 

The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies is an integrated building-landscape system that incorporates several ecological technologies, including solar cells on the roof that produce a portion of the building's electricity needs, an engineered wetland that treats and recycles wastewater, a restored native wetland, and orchards and vegetable gardens that demonstrate urban-scale organic agriculture. 

Financial Aid

In an average year, Oberlin commits more than $30 million, more than one-fifth of the College budget, to financial aid.  The Office of Financial Aid works to develop financial aid packages that meet the demonstrated financial need of all regularly admitted students who comply with the filing deadlines. Canadian citizens are treated as U.S. citizens for financial aid purposes.  Limited financial aid is also available for other international students. 

To apply for assistance, students must submit the Financial Aid PROFILE of the College Scholarship Service and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

Admission Requirements

Admission to both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music is highly selective.  Candidates for admission must submit the results of the SAT I or ACT.  The College also recommends that three SAT II Subject Tests be taken. For the class of 2008, the median SAT I scores were 684 verbal and 672 math. The median ACT score was 30.  Of those students who attend high schools that rank their students, 66 percent were in the top tenth of their high school class and 83 percent were in the top fifth.  For admission to the Conservatory of Music, the most important factor is the performance audition, or in the case of composition and electronic and computer music applicants, the compositions, tapes, and supporting materials submitted. 

Application and Information

For more information or to request an application, students should write to:

Office of Admissions, College of Arts and Sciences

Oberlin College

Oberlin, Ohio 44074

Telephone: 440-775-8411

800-622-OBIE (toll-free)

E-mail: college.admissions@oberlin.edu

Office of Admissions, Conservatory of Music

Oberlin College

Oberlin, Ohio 44074

Telephone: 440-775-8413

E-mail: conservatory.admissions@oberlin.edu

World Wide Web: http://www.oberlin.edu

Office of Financial Aid

Carnegie Building

Oberlin College

52 West Lorain Street

Oberlin, Ohio 44074

Telephone: 440-775-8142

800-693-3173 (toll-free)