College of Arts and Sciences Admissions

Admissions 101 for High School Seniors

Thanks for considering Oberlin College. We know it's not easy weighing your options for where to spend your college years. It can be a challenge to keep up with the many forms and documents required for admission and financial aid. That’s why we want to provide you with a snapshot of the basic information you need.

When are the deadlines? What do I need to do to get admitted? Here we’ve tried to answer the questions you may already have about Oberlin College. Take a look around, contact us, ask us questions, and find out what Oberlin is all about. Better yet, plan a visit to the campus, where you can talk to current students, meet with professors, and see why many of the brightest, most talented students choose Oberlin College.

• When to Apply
• What's Required
• What We Look For
• When to Visit
• How to Afford College

When to Apply

There are two decision plans under which you may apply to Oberlin College: early decision and regular decision. The Early Decision Plan is for students who, after careful consideration, have decided that Oberlin is their first choice. An early decision application is a binding commitment that should be carefully considered. Students applying under the Early Decision Plan must agree to enroll if accepted. If Oberlin admits you, you must withdraw applications to all other institutions.

We accept applications for early decision at two different times of the year; applications for regular decision are accepted only once a year. Here are the deadlines:

Begin preparing your application materials well in advance of the deadline, and be sure to give your guidance counselor and teachers plenty of time to write their letters of recommendation. All required documents should be submitted by the applicable deadline; please call us at 800-622-6243 if you are having any difficulty completing your application.

What's Required

We cannot begin reviewing your application until we have received all of the required parts:

• Common Application
• Common Application Personal Essay
• Supplement to the Common Application
• School Report
• High School Transcript
• Results of either the SAT or ACT with writing score (SAT II subject tests are optional)
• Guidance Counselor Recommendation
• Teacher Evaluations (2)

What We Look For

Oberlin admissions counselors engage in a holistic review process when reading and evaluating each application. This means many factors are considered, with no one component of the application singled out as most important.

• We seek an incoming class that represents a variety of talents, viewpoints, and achievements.
• We prefer a high school record that includes four years of English, four years of mathematics, three years of the same foreign language, three years of laboratory science, and three years of social studies. These are recommended but not required.
• For your teacher evaluations, we strongly recommend they be written by teachers you have had for academic courses during your junior or senior years—the people most familiar with your writing, analytical, and quantitative abilities.
• Although we require you to provide standardized test scores, no applicant is ever granted or denied admission to Oberlin solely on the basis of test scores.

When to Visit

Whether you have heard a lot or very little about Oberlin College, it’s important to form your own opinion. A visit to campus is one of the best ways to discover what Oberlin has to offer. When visiting Oberlin, you can attend classes, meet with professors, take tours, attend a group information session—even spend a night in a residence hall.

Interviews

High school seniors may schedule an on-campus interview through the end of January. Although an interview is not required for admission, it can be very informative. If you cannot visit campus, we can arrange for you to interview with an Oberlin graduate in your area.

Oberlin on the Road

Admissions counselors travel to various cities in the United States and in other countries to speak with prospective students at high schools, college fairs, and other events.

How to Afford College

Oberlin's financial aid policy is simple: We meet the full demonstrated financial need of every admitted student through a combination of grants, scholarships, student loans, and income earned from on-campus jobs. Each year, about two thirds of all students receive some form of need-based financial assistance.