Homeschooled Applicants

Oberlin College has a rich diversity of students who bring educational experiences from both conventional and alternative schooling, and we welcome applications from home schooled students. When evaluating applications for admission, the Admissions Committee seeks evidence of academic preparation and proficiency comparable to:

• 4 years of English
• 4 years of mathematics
• 3 years of the same foreign language
• 3 years of laboratory sciences
• 3 years of social studies including history

Application

Common Application

Available for online completion or download through the Common App website.

Oberlin Supplement to the Common Application

Requires the applicant to answer a few additional questions and submit an Oberlin-specific essay. Can be completed through the Common App website or downloaded.

Academic Portfolio

A detailed syllabus that lists the subjects studied each year, the dates each subject was studied, a description of each course of study, major texts used or literature read, and evidence of science laboratory experiences.

Test Scores

Official score reports from either the ACT Plus Writing or the SAT. If you do not send us ACT scores, you must submit scores from the SAT I and from two SAT II subject exams.

Interview

Must be completed with an admissions counselor on campus. If you are unable to visit campus, please schedule a telephone interview. For more information, please visit the interview page.

Recommendations (2)

Two recommendations from non-parent adults who can provide a meaningful evaluation of your academic and personal characteristics. Non-parent adults include private instructors, coaches, religious leaders, mentors, employers, or sponsors of an extracurricular activity. A parent may submit an additional teacher recommendation if s/he was the primary instructor.

Academic Paper

Provide a copy of a recently written academic paper. Papers do not need to be lengthy, but should be a typical example of your written work. Graded copies are preferred. A recent scientific laboratory report is welcome as an example of an academic paper.

Application Fee

A $35 application fee is required. You may pay online with a credit card, mail a check, or request a fee waiver.

Credit card payments are accepted online through the Common App website. Payment online by credit card is possible only in conjunction with the online submission of EITHER the Common Application OR Oberlin's Supplemental Form.

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If you prefer to pay the application fee by check rather than use the online credit card option, you may submit a check or money order for $35 made payable to Oberlin College to:

Office of Admissions
101 North Professor Street
Oberlin, OH 44074

Please be sure to include the applicant's name on the check.

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If paying the $35 application fee would pose a financial burden for you or your family, you may request that the fee be waived.

We accept College Board or NACAC fee waivers.

We will also accept a signed statement from your guidance counselor or another appropriate school official (who can verify your family's financial circumstances) on school letterhead certifying your need for a fee waiver.

Only one document is required.

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Common Application Home School Supplement

We do not require this form, but we encourage you to submit it to share more information about your home school education. Please note that this form does NOT fulfill our requirement for an academic portfolio. Can be downloaded from the Common App website.

Financial Aid

We meet 100% of the demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. However, your status as a home schooled student may affect your eligibility for Federal financial aid. Home schooled applicants are eligible to receive Federal Student Aid funds if their secondary school education was in a home school that state law treats as a home or private school. Some states issue a secondary school completion credential to home schoolers. If this is the case in the state where the student was home schooled, they must obtain this credential in order to be eligible for Federal Student Aid funds. For further assistance please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 1-800-693-3173.