Celebrated as a college of firsts, Oberlin has often stood at the forefront of history. The college and town were founded together in 1833 by utopian abolitionists. Two years later, Oberlin adopted a policy to admit students regardless of race, the first college in America to do so. In 1837 Oberlin was the first to offer women opportunities to earn bachelors' degrees alongside men. Inclusion and social justice remain core values today. Students exert a strong influence in decision-making and have led the way in shaping an environmentally sustainable campus through local food purchases, carbon-neutral energy policies, and green building practices. Oberlin attracts academically and musically talented individuals who care deeply about the world and want to make it a better place. At Oberlin, a highly selective College of Arts and Sciences and world-class Conservatory of Music combine to spark unparalleled opportunities for intellectual inquiry, creative expression, and peer learning. Oberlin enrolls about 2,900 students, including about 200 in the Double-Degree Program, in which students earn degrees from both the liberal arts college and the conservatory. Students in both divisions live, eat, and study together on a single campus. Conservatory students can take up to 40 percent of their courses in the college; non-music majors can take classes and private lessons in the conservatory. All enjoy the 500-plus musical concerts and recitals that take place each year on campus in addition to performances in popular music, theater, dance, opera, poetry, and comedy. The Allen Memorial Art Museum collection ranks among the top five of any academic museum in the country; its art rental program allow students to borrow great works for $5 a semester. The Science Center promotes collaboration across disciplines and among students and faculty mentors. Research labs include a confocal microscope, a 600-MHz NMR spectrometer, and a new NSF-funded high-performance computer cluster. About 100 students receive summer stipends for research with faculty in science, social science, and humanities. The Environmental Studies Center, one of the first solar-powered academic buildings in the nation, has photovoltaic arrays totaling 160 kW and produces most of the energy it consumes on location. In buildings across campus, a resource monitoring system encourages energy conservation with real-time displays of electricity and water usage. Oberlin has four LEED-certified buildings: art museum, jazz studies facility, first-year residence hall, and field house; a fifth building is seeking LEED-Platinum status. About 90 percent of Oberlin students live on campus. Many opt to live in a cultural and language house such as Afrikan Heritage House, Asia House, or Spanish House. Students create and participate in more than 175 campus organizations. Each year more than 1,200 participate in community service. Nearly 75 percent enjoy learning experiences abroad during their college careers. Since 1920, more Oberlin graduates have earned PhDs than have graduates of any other primarily undergraduate institution. During the January winter term, students explore the value of self-education. The LaunchU program offers entrepreneurship courses and seed money for business ideas. Nearly one-quarter of the student body participates in the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, which offers alternatives to traditional campus housing and dining. Four residential co-ops and eight dining co-ops provide experiences in shared responsibility and decision-making. Oberlin attracts independent thinkers who value inclusion and individual expression while upholding high standards of academic rigor, intellectual debate, and service to society.
Academic
Grad Slug