Early Decision

If Oberlin is your first choice college, you may be interested in applying Early Decision. This option allows you to submit your application and to receive an admissions decision well in advance of the regular deadlines. Submitting an Early Decision application represents a binding commitment to attend Oberlin if accepted, and should not be undertaken lightly. We offer two early decision application options: Early Decision I and Early Decision II. In recent years, about one third of first-year students in the College of Arts and Sciences have enrolled through an Early Decision plan.

When applying Early Decision, you make a commitment to one school, so you may not apply as an Early Decision candidate to any other college. However, regular (non-binding) applications to other colleges may be prepared and submitted as a contingency plan.

An Early Decision application will either be accepted, deferred, or denied. If accepted, you will be expected to enroll at Oberlin, withdraw all other applications, and initiate no new applications. If your application is deferred, it will be reconsidered during the regular admission process, and you will no longer be considered an Early Decision applicant.

Application

Early Decision applicants should follow the same application requirements as all other first-year applicants, with one important exception. The Early Decision Agreement form is required of all Early Decision applicants. We cannot begin reviewing your application until we have received this form.

There are two Early Decision application deadline options from which to choose:

• November 15 for a decision in mid-December.
• January 2 for a decision in late January.

Applications from both rounds of Early Decision will be treated equally in the application review process.

Financial Aid

Some students considering an Early Decision application are hesitant because of financial issues. We are determined to make sure that financial concerns will not be an impediment to Early Decision, and we have implemented the following:

• If you are interested in applying Early Decision and intend to apply for financial aid, you may request an early financial aid estimate before submitting your application. This allows you to evaluate the affordability of attending Oberlin before committing to an Early Decision application. To obtain an early estimate, you must submit Oberlin’s Supplement to the Common App well in advance of the Early Decision deadline and indicate that you intend to apply Early Decision. Please note that an Early Decision preference is not binding until you submit the Common Application’s Early Decision Agreement. An Early Estimate Request Form will be mailed to you from the Financial Aid Office after the Supplement and $35 application fee is submitted. If you submit all of the required documents promptly, you will receive your estimated aid award prior to the Early Decision application deadline.
  
  

  Required Information to Obtain an Early Financial Aid Estimate	Deadline for Early Decision I	Deadline for Early Decision II
  Oberlin Supplement Pay $35 application fee	October 15	December 3
  Early Estimate Request Form HS Transcript SAT I/ACT plus writing	November 5	December 14
  CSS Profile (available Oct. 1)	November 5	December 14
  Non-Custodial Parent Statement (if applicable)	November 5	December 14

• Early Decision applicants with significantly strong academic records are eligible for Oberlin Merit Scholarships.
• Financial aid award letters are mailed at the same time as the admissions decision letters.

If you have any questions about financial aid, please call the Office of Financial Aid at 1-800-693-3173 or e-mail them at financial.aid@oberlin.edu.

Double Degree Applicants

The Early Decision option is available for admission to the College of Arts & Sciences only.  The Conservatory of Music offers a non-binding Early Review for applicants auditioning on campus in December.  Double Degree applicants may apply Early Decision to the College of Arts & Sciences, but should only do so if they intend to enroll at the College of Arts & Sciences even if they are not admitted to the Conservatory of Music.