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Founded in 1833, Oberlin College is a preeminent independent undergraduate college offering one of the nation’s most distinguished liberal arts programs and a world-class Conservatory of Music. As a College and a Conservatory enrolling approximately 2,800 students, Oberlin has long been guided by principles that include a commitment to the life of the mind, a conviction that music and the arts are central to human existence, a respect for diversity and the free exchange of ideas, a dedication to internationalism, a responsibility for stewarding the natural environment, and a commitment to informed social and political engagement.

Throughout its 173-year history, Oberlin has remained true to its early dedication to high intellectual standards, liberal education, excellence in teaching, and a social and moral commitment. It is the first College in the country to grant bachelor’s degrees to women (1841) and is known for its early leadership in educating African Americans. By the turn of the last century, one-third of all African- American graduates of predominantly white institutions in the United States had graduated from Oberlin.

Diversity remains a core value at Oberlin. Currently 20 percent of the population are students of color. International students hail from 50 countries and domestic students, from almost every state. Reflecting its historical and ongoing commitment to coeducation, the ratio of women to men on campus today is 55 percent to 45 percent.

Program - The College of Arts and Sciences (enrollment 2,200) and the Conservatory of Music (enrollment 600) combine to provide a unique educational program in which the two areas support one another and offer more than 50 majors. A five-year double-degree program leading to both Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts degrees is an attractive and rigorous option. In addition to the four-year undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, the College offers a new one-year Master in Education program. The Conservatory prepares students as professional musicians and teachers of music with programs leading to the Bachelor of Music degree. Also available are two-year programs leading to a Performance Diploma (undergraduate) and an Artist Diploma (graduate), as well as graduate study leading to the Master of Music degree in selected areas.

The excellence and uniqueness of Oberlin’s program are reflected campuswide and in the success of its graduates. A sampling of these distinctions includes:

• More than 400 annual solo and ensemble performances and 90 theater and dance performances across many campus venues, plus student performances around the world from Carnegie Hall and the Getty Center to a nine-day tour of China in 2005 by the Oberlin Orchestra;

• The resources of the Allen Memorial Art Museum, recognized internationally as one of the finest college art museums, with first-rate works by Rembrandt, Domenichino, Monet, Picasso, Kirchner, Rothko, and Lichtenstein;
• An environmental studies program supported by the first entirely solar-powered academic building at any U.S. college;

• An impressive new science center designed to integrate research into every student’s coursework and to sustain Oberlin’s top national ranking in undergraduate science;
• Six Oberlin graduates who have won the acclaimed MacArthur Award in support of their creative, intellectual, and professional accomplishments;
• A #1 national ranking in computational modeling; in 2005, Oberlin became one of the first liberal arts colleges in the country to install a supercomputer; and
• An alumni body that has earned more Ph.D.s than at any other American college.

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