Oberlin College vs Wellesley College

Oberlin College and Wellesley College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Oberlin, located in Ohio, boasts a diverse student body with a strong commitment to social justice, while Wellesley, situated in Massachusetts, excels in preparing women for leadership roles. With acceptance rates of 32% and 24%, respectively, both colleges are highly selective. Oberlin's popular majors include music, environmental studies, and psychology, while Wellesley students often pursue economics, political science, and English. Oberlin's student body is more diverse, with 48% students of color compared to Wellesley's 38%. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Oberlin at 87% and Wellesley at 89%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Oberlin College logo

Oberlin College

Wellesley College logo

Wellesley College

Overview

Location Oberlin, Ohio Wellesley, Massachusetts
Campus setting Town: Fringe Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system 4-1-4 Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 91.0% 97.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 34.3% 16.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $100

Graduate: $100
SAT range 1338 - 1460 1400 - 1540
ACT range 30 - 34 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 34.0% 36.0%
Students submitting ACT score 22.0% 23.0%
Total number of applicants 10,597 7,663
Total number of admissions given out 3,639 1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll 864 606
Yield rate 23.7% 48.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $73,914 $64,602
Average net price $44,689 $21,862
Tuition $59,384 $60,424
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,858

Meal plan: $8,996
Room/dormitory: $9,704

Meal plan: $8,584
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

93.0%
Average amount $34,607
60.0%
Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan 34.0%
Average amount $5,142
13.0%
Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $4,519
13.0%
Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,942
Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
2,461
Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students 11
Men 72.7% Women 27.3%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 11.1% 13.8%
Campus local/setting Town: Fringe Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 2,694 2,211
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Social Sciences
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 82.3% 92.1%
Dropout rate 17.3% 7.8%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,028
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $101,858
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,721
  • Year 2: $41,205
  • Year 3: $56,067
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $21,275
  • Year 2: $21,508
  • Year 3: $32,173
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $19,045
  • Year 3: $28,960
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $19,436
  • Year 2: $16,345
  • Year 3: $26,082
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $22,771
  • Year 3: $22,024
Music (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,910
  • Year 2: $19,531
  • Year 3: $19,799
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,902
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $16,622
  • Year 2: $18,771
  • Year 3: N/A
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $16,992
  • Year 3: N/A
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $110,380
  • Year 2: $86,867
  • Year 3: $124,973
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,781
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $80,094
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $62,505
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,749
  • Year 2: $34,420
  • Year 3: $47,043
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,693
  • Year 2: $36,852
  • Year 3: $46,471
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,849
  • Year 2: $31,314
  • Year 3: $45,061
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $37,002
  • Year 2: $33,281
  • Year 3: $39,658
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: N/A
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,587
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: N/A
Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,490
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Occidental College Occidental College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Pomona College Pomona College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Scripps College Scripps College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Connecticut College Connecticut College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Trinity College Trinity College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Wesleyan University Wesleyan University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Lake Forest College Lake Forest College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Butler University Butler University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs DePauw University DePauw University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Earlham College Earlham College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Wabash College Wabash College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Grinnell College Grinnell College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Bates College Bates College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Colby College Colby College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Hampshire College Hampshire College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Smith College Smith College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Williams College Williams College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Carleton College Carleton College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Macalester College Macalester College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs St Olaf College St Olaf College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Millsaps College Millsaps College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Bard College Bard College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Hamilton College Hamilton College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Skidmore College Skidmore College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Union College Union College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Vassar College Vassar College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Davidson College Davidson College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Kenyon College Kenyon College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Ursuline College Ursuline College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Wittenberg University Wittenberg University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs The College of Wooster The College of Wooster
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Dickinson College Dickinson College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Lafayette College Lafayette College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Furman University Furman University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Rhodes College Rhodes College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Trinity University Trinity University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Bennington College Bennington College
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs University of Richmond University of Richmond
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Shenandoah University Shenandoah University
Oberlin College Oberlin College vs Lawrence University Lawrence University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Scripps College Scripps College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Connecticut College Connecticut College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Trinity College Trinity College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Wesleyan University Wesleyan University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Spelman College Spelman College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Principia College Principia College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bates College Bates College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bowdoin College Bowdoin College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Colby College Colby College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs College of the Holy Cross College of the Holy Cross
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Smith College Smith College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Macalester College Macalester College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bard College Bard College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Clarkson University Clarkson University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Colgate University Colgate University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Hamilton College Hamilton College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Hobart William Smith Colleges Hobart William Smith Colleges
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs St Lawrence University St Lawrence University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Skidmore College Skidmore College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Union College Union College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Vassar College Vassar College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Reed College Reed College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Dickinson College Dickinson College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Haverford College Haverford College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Lafayette College Lafayette College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Rhodes College Rhodes College
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Trinity University Trinity University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University
Wellesley College Wellesley College vs Franklin W Olin College of Engineering Franklin W Olin College of Engineering