Expenses

College of Arts and Sciences Full Time, Over Hours, and Part-Time Charges

In the College of Arts and Sciences, the basic annual full-time tuition charge includes schedules of 12 to 20 credits (three to five full courses) each semester. Arts and Sciences students may take 14 to 18 credits (3.5 to 4.5 full courses) without permission; with permission of the Academic Advising Resource Center/Registrar, students may take an additional two credits (0.5 courses) without additional charges. Students taking more than 20 credits (five full courses) are charged $1,582 per credit for each credit above the maximum. With permission of the Academic Advising Resource Center/Registrar, a student may be approved to take fewer than 14 credits (3.5 courses). Schedules between 12 and 14 credits are charged full tuition. Schedules below 12 credits will be charged at a tuition rate of $2,656 per credit not to exceed the full tuition charge. Please see Full and Part-Time Status at the Registrar’s website for detailed information. Students taking fewer than 12 credits (3.5 courses) without permission to underload are charged full tuition. 

In rare circumstances, students in the College of Arts and Sciences who pass the requisite audition and are placed in a six-credit conservatory private study course may request for a waiver of fees for over 20 credits. Each request will be considered on an individual basis with consideration of the student’s semester coursework and future academic plans.

Students who pass an audition in more than one instrument or voice category may be permitted to register for lessons in multiple areas, but will be assessed a fee for each additional area of study. All lesson assignments are provided on a space-available basis and are contingent upon the approval of the Office of the Associate Deans in the Conservatory.

 Learn more about secondary lesson fees for Arts and Sciences students from the Conservatory Student Academic Affairs Office.

Conservatory of Music Full Time, Over Hours, and Part-Time Charges

In the Conservatory of Music, the basic annual full-time tuition charge includes schedules of 12 to 24 credits each semester. With permission of the Office of Associate Deans in the Conservatory and the advisor, a student may be approved for 26 credits for two semesters without additional charge. Students taking more than 24 credits for a third or more semester are charged $1,582 per credit for each credit above 24. With permission of the Office of Associate Deans in the Conservatory, a student may be approved to take fewer than 16 credits. Students with schedules between 12 and 16 credits are charged full-time tuition. Students with schedules below 12 credits are charged at a tuition rate of $2,656 per credit not to exceed the full tuition charge. Students taking fewer than 12 credits without permission to underload are charged full tuition.

Double Degree Program Full Time, Over Hours, and Part-Time Charges

Students in the Double Degree Program are charged a basic annual full-time tuition charge for 16 to 26 credits each semester. Students taking more than 26 credits are charged $1,582 per credit hour for each credit above the maximum. With permission of the Office of the Associate Deans in the Conservatory, a double-degree student may be approved to take fewer than 16 credits. Students with schedules between 12 and 16 credits are charged full-time tuition. Students with schedules below 12 credits are charged at a tuition rate of $2,656 per credit not to exceed the full tuition charge. Students taking fewer than 16 credits without permission to underload are charged full tuition.

Conservatory Private-Study Fees

In the Conservatory of Music, students who register for private lessons in two principal private-study areas are charged extra tuition at the rate of $2,656 for any credits in excess of eight principal private-study credits. Conservatory students who have declared majors in two performance areas are not charged extra tuition for the second principal private-study area. Students paying for two principal private studies may take 28 semester credits without additional tuition. Double-degree students follow the guidelines for charges for Conservatory students.

Fees, Attendance, and Grades

Tuition is charged for courses for which a student is officially registered, regardless of attendance. The receipt of an NP, F, or W grade, either through completing and failing a course, or through neglecting to officially drop a course not completed, does not cancel additional tuition charges for the course.

Activity Fee

The Student Finance Committee administers the activity fee, which subsidizes approved student activities and publications. The amount is established by the Student Finance Committee with the approval of the Board of Trustees. (Graduate students are not required to pay this fee.) For 2023-2024, the activity fee will be $574.

Student Health Fee

The fee for 2023-2024 is $322; $161 per semester. This fee cannot be waived. This fee will provide services and programs that support the physical and mental well-being of students. Visit our Parents website for details outlined in the FAQs: Student Health Fee.

Green Edge Fund Fee

The Fund for Ecological Design and General Efficiency (The Green EDGE Fund), administered by a board of students, faculty, and staff, invests in manageable projects with a clear and prompt payback to the fund. Student Board members manage the process by developing detailed, financially sophisticated proposals and working with Facilities to implement them. For 2023-2024, the fee is $25 per semester and is included with the first billing of each semester. This fee may be waived by completing a waiver form in the Office of Student Accounts during the first two weeks of the semester.

Auditing Fee

Students registered for at least one course for credit are permitted to audit up to two courses per semester that are recorded on their transcripts. There is a non-refundable service charge of $30 for recording the first audit; $70 for recording the second. 

Winter Term Housing and Dining Charges

A student participating in an on-campus Winter Term project may stay in his or her dorm room at no additional charge. Winter Term dining in Oberlin College dining halls is optional; the charge is based upon actual usage.

Tuition, Room, and Dining Charges

Fifty percent of the total charges for the year (tuition, room, and dining) is due for the fall semester; the remaining 50 percent is due for the spring semester. Students not on campus first semester who return to campus second semester are charged 50 percent of the total charges for the year (tuition, room, and dining).

Co-operatives

Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) is a student-owned and operated non-profit corporation which is entirely separate from Oberlin College. There are ten student-operated housing/dining cooperatives: three housing/dining co-ops, six dining-only co-ops, and one program hall. The 2023-2024 dining rate is $3,000 each semester and the housing rate is $4,495 each semester.

Fees for Off-Campus Study (Study Away)

Oberlin College charges students studying off campus Oberlin’s own tuition rate for any approved academic leave of absence (ALOA) semester whether on an Oberlin Affiliated Program or a non-affiliated program. If the program tuition is higher than Oberlin’s tuition, the higher tuition will be charged. Room and board costs for the semester are those charged by the program. There will be no additional study away fee charged. Oberlin merit and need-based aid will be applied to the tuition for the semester away if the student participates in an Oberlin Affiliated program or GLCA recognized program. Students participating in the Great Lakes Colleges Association Tuition Remission Exchange benefit program may only apply the benefit to Oberlin Enrolled-Not-in-Residence program or GLCA-recognized programs.

Fees for Transfer of Credit

Students who transfer courses taken at another institution while on personal leave, during the summer, or while finishing away are charged a fee of $15 per equivalent Oberlin credit hour. (Please note that these fees do not apply to the transfer of Advanced Placement credit earned in high-school or college-level courses completed elsewhere before a student has matriculated at Oberlin.) 

Enrollment/Matriculation Deposit

A $300 enrollment deposit is required to secure a place in the class. The deposit is payable two weeks after receiving notification of a financial-aid award or on the due date of the intent-to-enroll card, whichever is later. The deposit is forfeited if a student does not enroll; it is refunded after a student graduates. To receive a refund upon withdrawing from Oberlin College, a withdrawal application must be submitted to the Academic Advising Resource Center by the official last day of the semester preceding the semester from which a student is withdrawing. 

Financial Statements

The Office of Student Accounts is paperless. Student term bills are processed on the first business day of each month and include all billable fees. Students and Proxy/Authorized users will receive an email notification any time a new statement is processed and the statements are available in OberView. It is the responsibility of students to provide this information to all concerned parties. Students must authorize bill payers with proxy/authorized user access in order for The Office of Student Accounts to communicate with them regarding their account information. 

• Fall semester is billed the first week of July and payment is due July 22.
• Spring semester is billed the first week of December and payment is due December 22.

Payment for each semester must be made by the due date, or the student must be enrolled in a monthly payment plan. Payments under the plan must be current.

Annual student charges are billed at 50 percent for each semester. Financial aid, where applicable, is applied at the same ratio. An interest charge of 1 percent per month (annual percentage rate approximating 12 percent) will be assessed on all unpaid balances.

Oberlin recognizes that college expenses often impose a heavy financial responsibility on parents and students. In cases where special, unexpected hardships develop, Oberlin is more than willing to cooperate and act in a reasonable manner. However, Oberlin does reserve the right to withhold transcripts and recommendations, hold registration, and may also ask for the withdrawal of a student who consistently fails to meet their financial obligations to Oberlin. 

Prior to graduation, all outstanding debts to Oberlin College and Conservatory must be paid before a student may receive a diploma.

Health Insurance

Oberlin students are required to have health insurance coverage. Oberlin bills all students for health insurance in the fall semester for the upcoming school year. Except for international students, students may elect to waive the health insurance charge if they are covered by another plan. To waive the charge, students must complete an online waiver form by July 31, 2023 for the fall semester. The 2023-2024 cost is $3,140.

Visit the Office of Student Accounts for more information about waiving the health insurance requirement.

All students, whether they have Oberlin insurance or their own insurance, may use the Student Health Services provided by the institution. For more information about health care at Oberlin College, please see the Student Life section of this catalog.

Refunds

All students who officially withdraw from all courses or who take a medical or personal leave of absence during a semester will be refunded tuition based on the following schedule from the start of classes: 

• During the first 2 weeks: 80% refund,
• During the 3^rd week: 60% refund,
• During the 4^th week: 40% refund,
• During the 5^th week: 20% refund,
• After 5 weeks to the end of the semester: 0% refund. 

Room and board are refunded based on the housing and dining agreement. Other fees and charges are not refundable.

If you are a recipient of federal financial aid and withdraw from the institution prior to completing 60% of the semester, federal regulations require the institution to calculate how much aid you have earned. Any unearned federal and institutional financial aid will be charged back to your student account, possibly creating a balance due to the institution. For the complete description of the federal and institutional financial aid refund policy, refer to Oberlin’s Financial Aid Withdrawal and Refund Policy.

Tuition protection insurance is available as a supplement to the Oberlin College and Conservatory refund policy.

Visit the Office of Student Accounts website for more information.

Receipt of Veterans Benefits

Oberlin College will not impose any penalty, including the assessment of late fees, the denial of access to classes, libraries or other institutional facilities, or the requirement that a Chapter 31 or Chapter 33 recipient borrow additional funds to cover the individual’s inability to meet his or her financial obligations to the institution due to the delayed disbursement of a payment by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Changes in Published Charges

While there is no expectation that the charges and fees published in this catalog will change, Oberlin College does reserve the right to increase or decrease fees during and pertaining to the 2023-2024 academic year without prior notice.