Photo by Megan Harding

Expenses are an important issue when choosing a college or university. Oberlin College is committed to making college education affordable for all students it admits regardless of family income and resources. To demonstrate its commitment, Oberlin allocates about one quarter of its operating budget to aid resulting in almost two-thirds of students receiving financial assistance.

We provide some combination of financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, student loans, and income earned from on-campus jobs to about 70 percent of our students--many more than at most of our peer schools. Oberlin awards financial aid to meet 100 percent of the demonstrated financial need of any admitted student, as calculated by the Office of Financial Aid.

Oberlin receives a complete copy of the student’s College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE. Financial Aid Office staff analyze that information and establishes a family contribution amount for the student, which includes contributions from both the student and the parents. The demonstrated need is the difference between the family contribution and the cost of attending Oberlin. Families who do not receive direct financial aid from Oberlin can still take advantage of several financing options for managing the cost of an Oberlin education.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music offer merit-based scholarships determined by academic achievement and audition ratings and ensemble needs, respectively.