Oberlin CollegeStudent Guide

Academic dates, campus language, housing, and student-life references for Oberlin College. Free for students.

Private Non-Profit Liberal Arts College in Oberlin, OH. Operating on a semester system.

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3K+

Total Enrollment

Liberal Arts College

Institution Type

12

Housing Buildings

390

Housing Capacity

Student guide · Fall Semester 2026

The semester, explained for Oberlin College

Dates from the active academic calendar, plus the campus language and local details students actually need. Every entry comes from DormWay's approved campus reference library.

Relevant term
Fall Semester 2026
Campus terms
16
Local details
13

Academic calendar

Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 21, 2026 – Dec 18, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.

6 entries
  1. Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
  2. Winter Term 2027
  3. Spring Semester 2027
  4. Fall Semester 2027
  5. Winter Term 2028
  6. Spring Semester 2028

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Campus language

Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.

16 terms

A

ASOC
Associated Students of Oberlin College, the student government body.
Azzie's
Azariah's Café, a coffee shop located within the Mudd Center library.

D

DeCafé
The Decafé, a popular grab-and-go dining spot located in Wilder Hall.

E

ExCo
Experimental College, a program where students, faculty, and community members teach their own courses.

H

Harky
Harkness House, a student-run cooperative residence.

K

Keep
Keep Cottage, a housing and dining cooperative.

O

Obie
A nickname for an Oberlin College student or alumnus.
Old B
Old Barrows, a residence hall often distinguished from the newer Barrows Hall.
OSCA
Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, the largest student-run cooperative in the country.

S

SIC
Sexual Information Center, a student-run resource for sexual health and education.
Stevie
Stevenson Dining Hall, the primary all-you-care-to-eat dining facility on campus.

T

Tank
Tank Hall, a cooperative residence known for its community atmosphere.
Tappan
Tappan Square, the central green space and park at the heart of the campus.
The Rat
The Rathskeller, a dining venue located in the basement of Wilder Hall.

W

Winter Term
The four-week period in January dedicated to intensive individual or group projects.
WOBC
Oberlin's community and student-run radio station.

Places and practicalities

Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.

13 details
decafe
DeCafe
heritage_kosher_allergen_free
Heritage (Kosher/Allergen-free)
Mudd
Mudd Center, the main campus library and academic hub.
ObieID
The unique digital identity used to log into campus computers, email, and online services.
OCMR
Oberlin College Mail Room; refers to the specific mailbox number assigned to every student.
Presto
The online search catalog for the Oberlin College Libraries.
rathskeller
Rathskeller
stevenson_hall
Stevenson Hall
The Con
The Oberlin Conservatory of Music buildings and facilities.
The Sco
Dionysus Disco, a student-run club and performance venue located in Wilder Hall.
The Shopping Shuttle
A weekend bus service that transports students to local shopping centers like Walmart.
umami
Umami
Wilder
Wilder Hall, the student union building housing many student services and offices.

Quick answers

Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.

What academic term is relevant now?
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 21, 2026 – Dec 18, 2026.
How much campus context is included?
16 approved campus terms and 13 local details are included in full.
Are all approved campus terms included?
Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
Where does this guide come from?
Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.

Get to know your university

Assisted

Find a few communities to try at Oberlin College

These are things we discovered from public campus sources. We are constantly looking for more.

Tell us what we missed
Interest filters
  • Major-aligned clubs, pre-professional groups, and research communities.
  • Performing arts, visual arts, student publications, film, and music.
  • Cultural orgs, identity communities, and faith-based groups.
  • Volunteer groups, civic engagement, mutual aid, and student government.
  • Outdoor clubs, intramural sports, club sports, and rec center programs.
  • Entrepreneurship, hackathon teams, makerspaces, and engineering project teams.
  • Casual hangouts, interest groups, and open events without applications.

DormWay is still mapping student communities at this campus.

We only show recommendations once we have enough public sources for Oberlin College.

These are things we discovered. We are constantly looking for more.

Tell us what we missed

Recommendations are based on public campus sources. We do not endorse student organizations.

Using DormWay at Oberlin College

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Oberlin College on DormWay

Current DormWay activity for this campus

4

Active Students

6

Syllabi Analyzed

6

Courses on DormWay

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Popular Courses

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First Year Seminar Program: Dark Matter of LifeIntroduction to Psychological ScienceIntroduction to StatisticsOrganismal BiologyPoetry LabThe HeLa Revolution: The Past, Present, and Future of Research Ethics

Life in Oberlin for Oberlin College Students

Everything you need to know about living and studying in Oberlin.

Timezone

Eastern Time (ET)

Median Rent

$950

Cost of Living Index

94

Student Population

2,900

City Transportation

Walkability

75

Bikeability

70

Public Transit

Lorain County Transit bus services, Campus and local shuttle services

Nearest Airports

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (regional major), Lorain County Regional Airport (nearby general aviation)

Climate Averages

Climate

Humid continental

Avg Annual Temp

49°F

Avg Snowfall

50 in

Campus Operations Snapshot

Parking and Transit

Woodland Hall Lot

surface_lot • Limited (55 new spaces added)

Designated for student parking.

Stevenson Hall Lot

surface_lot

Located behind Stevenson Hall.

Service Building Lot

surface_lot

Main visitor lot; requires temporary permit.

Dorms & On-Campus Housing at Oberlin College

All first-year students are required to live on campus unless granted an exemption.

4 known dorm and housing options. Every known option is shown below.

Dascomb Hall

Capacity: 100

Room types: single, double, suite

East Dormitory

Capacity: 120

Room types: single, double

Barrows Hall

Capacity: 90

Room types: single, double

West Hall

Capacity: 80

Room types: suite, apartment

Campus Details

Academic System

Semester

Control

Private Non-Profit

Email Domain

@oberlin.edu

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