Oberlin is at (39.821235, -100.528369). It has an elevation of 2,562 feet (781 m). It is on the northwest side of Sappa Creek, a tributary of the Republican River, in the High Plains region of the Great Plains. It is at the intersection of U.S. Route 36 and U.S. Route 83 in northwest Kansas. Oberlin is northwest of Wichita, east of Denver, and west-northwest of Kansas City.