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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Oberlin College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/oberlin-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/oberlin-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/oberlin-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/oberlin-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/oberlin-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Oberlin College cost after financial aid?

Oberlin College publishes a cost of attendance of $87,404, a sticker price that aid reduces substantially for recipients. Tuition and fees are $67,366 and room and board are $19,510.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported required fees of $1,142 and on-campus food and housing of $20,096. At the university, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $38,645, with aid covering about 56% of the published cost and reducing the sticker by $48,759 on average.

That net price is $11,274 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #1,353 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That places the affordability pillar in the 4th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars at the university.

Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars at Oberlin College, sitting at the 4th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. At the college, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $38,645, $11,274 above the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $18,774, while those earning over $110,000 average $48,731. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $26,000 in federal student loans, $1,801 above the peer median of $24,199. Both the net price and the median debt sit above their peer medians.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a non-monotonic pattern: the lowest average net price falls in the $30,001–$48,000 band, not the lowest-income band. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $18,774; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $15,799; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $22,123; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $29,207; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $48,731.

Pell Grant recipients make up 9.6% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $29,957.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$18,774

**$30–48K**
$15,799

**$48–75K**
$22,123

**$75–110K**
$29,207

**$110K+**
$48,731

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$38,645**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At Oberlin College, aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $48,759 against the sticker price. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $38,645.

Across income bands, the pattern shows the largest discounts flowing to families with lower incomes: the average net price is $18,774 for families earning under $30,000, $15,799 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $22,123 for $48,001–$75,000, $29,207 for $75,001–$110,000, and $48,731 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $29,957, a difference of averages that coincides with aid concentrated on families with lower incomes.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year aid recipients with need had an average of 100% of their need met in the 2025-26 academic year. Their average need-based grant was $59,480 and their average total package was $62,083.

Of 768 first-year students, 468 were determined to have need, and 468 had it fully met. 300 first-year students received merit aid averaging $29,230 in the 2025-26 academic year.

Oberlin College publishes a cost of attendance of $87,404, with tuition and fees at $67,366 and room and board at $19,510. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $18,774; for those in the $30,001–$48,000 band, it is $15,799; for the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $22,123; for the $75,001–$110,000 band, it is $29,207; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $48,731.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $29,957. Azimuth ranks Oberlin College #1,353 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $48,759 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $38,645, which sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,274.

The median federal student debt at completion is $26,000. That debt is above the peer median of $24,199 by $1,801, and 95.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years for the median federal debt is $295. Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) carry a separate median of $45,976.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing reaches 95.0% of federal aid recipients at Oberlin College. Among those who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $26,000.

That median is $1,801 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the separate [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a median of $45,976.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 43% of graduates in a cohort of 710 borrowed from any source. The average cumulative debt was $28,452 per borrower. Of those graduates, 37% held federal loans, averaging $22,795.

Four years after completing a degree at Oberlin College, graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $51,715. That figure falls in the 22nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median is below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $16,535. Earnings scenarios derived from the college's program mix show a downside scenario of $43,448 and an upside scenario of $86,772.

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median federal debt of $26,000, which is above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,801. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $45,976. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $295.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$45,976

**Estimated parent payment**
$584/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 34.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 15.5% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.4% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.8% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=oberlin-college#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$26,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$45,976

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$295/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$584/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$879/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $51,715, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**12.7%** of income above the allowance · Concerning

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20% · selected scenario
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=oberlin-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.