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Black Enterprise magazine's new guide to colleges and universities, The Top 50 Colleges and Universities for African-Americans, ranks Oberlin first in its category, "national liberal arts colleges" that are not historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). National liberal arts colleges are defined as "nationally known small colleges primarily with a teaching mission" that tend to draw students from across the country. Of all colleges and universities in the country, Oberlin is ranked 12th, following nine HBCUs, Spelman and Morehouse among them, and Stanford and Georgetown universities.

The rankings are based partly on a school's academic and social environment for black students, as rated by 1,000 African-American higher education professionals. According to Black Enterprise, this is the first list geared for black students that isn't based soely on the number of black graduates at a given college. The rankings, which may help parents and students make an enlightened choice about where to attend college, appear in the magazine's January issue.