▁and ▁oldest ▁contin ually ▁operating ▁conserv atory ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁It ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁few ▁American ▁conserv ator ies ▁to ▁be ▁completely ▁attached ▁to ▁a ▁liberal ▁arts ▁college , ▁allowing ▁students ▁the ▁opportunity ▁to ▁purs ue ▁degrees ▁in ▁both ▁music ▁and ▁a ▁traditional ▁liberal ▁arts ▁subject ▁via ▁the ▁five ▁year ▁Double - D eg ree ▁program . ▁Like ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁Ober lin ▁College , ▁the ▁student ▁body ▁of ▁the ▁conserv atory ▁is ▁almost ▁exclus ively ▁under grad uate . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁Ober lin ▁Colleg iate ▁Institute ▁was ▁built ▁on ▁ ▁of ▁land , ▁founded ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 3 ▁and ▁became ▁Ober lin ▁College ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 0 . ▁In ▁ 1 8 6 7 , ▁two ▁years ▁after ▁the ▁Ober lin ▁Conserv atory ' s ▁found ing ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 5 , ▁the ▁previously ▁separate ▁Ober lin ▁Conserv atory ▁became ▁incorpor ated ▁with ▁the ▁college ▁on ▁a ▁similar ▁grant . ▁ ▁In ▁tan dem , ▁the ▁administration ▁claimed ▁that ▁" O ber lin ▁is ▁peculiar ▁in ▁that ▁which ▁is ▁good ," ▁notable ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁college ▁and ▁first ▁conserv atory ▁in ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁to ▁regularly ▁admit ▁African - American ▁students . ▁Ober lin ▁College ' s ▁role ▁as ▁an ▁educ ator ▁of ▁African - American ▁students ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁Civil ▁War ▁and ▁there after ▁is ▁histor ically ▁significant . ▁Notable ▁is ▁the ▁gradu ation ▁of ▁William ▁Grant ▁Still , ▁a ▁student ▁who ▁widely ▁became ▁regarded ▁as ▁the ▁" de an