Admission

Admission to either division of Oberlin College--the College of Arts and Sciences or the Conservatory of Music--is competitive and selective, and based on a student's prior achievement as well as future promise. Students may apply to both divisions. Separate applications, fees, transcripts and recommendation forms are required for each division. Students admitted to both divisions can choose to enroll in either the College of Arts and Sciences or the Conservatory of Music or in the five-year Double-Degree Program (leading to a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Music degree). Decisions on the two applications are reached independently.

Oberlin enrolls first year students in September and transfers in the fall or spring semester.

Applications for fall semester must be postmarked by

-- November 15 -(College of Arts and Sciences, Early Decision I and spring semester transfer applicants);

-- January 2 (College of Arts and Sciences, Early Decision II);

-- January 15 (College of Arts and Sciences, Regular Decision);

-- January 15 (All Conservatory Applicants); and

-- March 15 (College of Arts and Sciences fall semester transfer applicants).

A written request for deferred enrollment should be submitted to the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences Admissions specifically outlining the student's plans for the interim. Approved deferral requires the student's commitment to enroll and a $200 deposit to secure a place in the class. In return, the Admissions Office will hold a place in the entering class of the subsequent September (or February for transfer students only), as requested. A letter reconfirming admission and a new intent-to-enroll card will be mailed to all deferred admittees in December or March, prior to their anticipated Oberlin enrollment. During deferment, students may take six semester hours of credit per semester, with a maximum of 12 semester hours.

Though requests for deferred enrollment ordinarily will be honored, the Admissions Office has the option to ask for additional information and can deny the request. If attending Oberlin College is one of several options a student is considering after a period of time off, deferred enrollment is unlikely. Rather, the student will be invited to reapply for admission at a later date.

Additional questions about Oberlin's deferred admission policy should be directed to the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences Admissions and Financial Aid.

The best-prepared candidates usually present the following:

-- four years of English (with an emphasis on writing);

-- three years of one foreign language ;

-- four years of mathematics ;

-- three years of natural science, with laboratory; and

-- three years of social studies, including history .

Applicants whose interests in college may require calculus should take as much mathematics as possible. Trigonometry and pre-calculus are especially recommended.

For students intending to major in the natural sciences, courses in biology, chemistry and physics are all highly desirable. Foreign language study beyond the third year is also highly desirable.

Students from secondary schools that do not offer all of these courses should not feel discouraged from applying to Oberlin, especially if they have strong records of achievement within their schools and are looking for an academic challenge at the college level. Oberlin seeks students who exhibit traits of leadership and significant involvement in their schools and communities, and gives careful individual attention to each application. Entry-level foundation and introductory courses are offered to help entering students of special circumstance. For example, Effective Reading Strategies is a course designed to improve critical reading skills.

Students who have been enrolled in ungraded or innovative systems should present evidence of serious academic and intellectual effort, including detailed recommendations from a variety of academic teachers and counselors. Home-schooled students should contact the appropriate Admissions Office for information about Oberlin's Home School policy.

1. successful completion of college-level course work in secondary school, as measured by performance on the College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP) examination;

2. successful completion of approved liberal arts courses taken at a college while enrolled in high school; credit for such courses must appear on a transcript from an accredited college or university; and

3. work completed in International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

AP credit is granted on the assumption the student does not enroll in an equivalent course at Oberlin.

Oberlin does not recognize the results of CLEP (College Level Examination Program) and other programs of credit by examination not tied to the completion of specific courses leading up to the tests. Academic credit is not granted to incoming students for experiential learning programs.

Individual departments in which AP credit is being requested decide standards and grant credit. Information on those guidelines is included in each department's description of course offerings.

The following departments grant AP credit: art (art history only), biology, chemistry, classics (Latin), English, Environmental Studies, French, German, Hispanic Studies, history, mathematics, computer science, music (theory only), physics, politics, and psychology.

Transfer students should plan to complete the requirements for graduation in not less than four semesters. No student can graduate without four semesters of residence and the completion at Oberlin of 56 credit hours (for Arts and Sciences majors) or 62 hours (for Conservatory of Music majors) of college work.

Admission Auditions
Conservatory of Music applicants audition in their principal performing medium (instrument or voice) unless applying for admission as a composition or electronic and computer music major. Under normal circumstances an applicant will be limited to an audition in one performing area.

Candidates are encouraged to audition in person at Oberlin. During January and February, however, regional auditions are held throughout the country. Please contact the Conservatory of Music Admissions Office for details.

Applicants may submit pre-recorded auditions only if travel to Oberlin or to a regional audition is cost-prohibitive. Transfers to Oberlin should try to audition in person. Composers are asked to submit scores of at least three recent works that demonstrate aptitude for this major.

Details on auditions are furnished with application materials. The Conservatory of Music notifies applicants of the outcome of their applications by April 1.

Aptitude and Achievement Tests
Candidates for admission to the Conservatory of Music must submit results of either the SAT I: Reasoning Test of the College Board or the admissions tests of the American College Testing (ACT) Program. Although the Admissions Committee prefers that applicants take the test late in the junior year or early in the senior year, it accepts results from other testing dates. Details concerning application for the examination may be obtained from a high-school guidance counselor. No achievement tests are required. Transfer applicants who have successfully completed a college English composition course are not required to submit SAT or ACT results. Applicants whose first language is not English should submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Writing Proficiency
Students with an SAT verbal score below 580, or an ACT score below 24, or a TOEFL score below 600 must complete one course chosen from the RHET 111-119 series.