Admit rate has ranged 7%–10% over the last 5 years. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Colby College is a fiercely selective liberal arts powerhouse in rural Maine, where 2,400 students—nearly a third of them students of color—grapple with a famously rigorous curriculum and a tight-knit, sometimes stressful community. With a median SAT of 1520 and an acceptance rate that dipped to 7% in recent cycles, Colby attracts brainy overachievers who thrive on its 10:1 student-faculty ratio and robust research opportunities. The school's hefty $80K sticker price is softened by generous aid (average net price: $18,341), and graduates leave with modest debt ($19,157 median) and strong earnings trajectories.
Admission requirements
Test-optional — scores considered if submitted
Required
High school transcript
Letters of recommendation
TOEFL (non-native English)
Considered (not required)
Grade point average
Class rank
Test scores (SAT/ACT)
College-prep program
Demonstrated competencies
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Undergrad enrollment
2,407
In-state tuition
$69,600
Out-of-state tuition
$69,600
Acceptance Rate
7%
Graduation Rate
88%
Student Body Size
2,400
Median Student Debt
$19,157
Most Popular Majors
Social Sciences (27%), Biology (10%), Psychology (10%)
Early-Career Earnings
$43,563
Student-Faculty Ratio
10:1
Outcomes & value
Outcomes & value
Median earnings (10 yr)
$80,490
Value (earnings ÷ net price)
4.7×
Median debt at graduation
$19,157
Graduation rate
89%
First-year retention
94%
Reducing loan balance (3 yr)
87%
Pell (lower-income) share
39%
First-generation share
11%
Endowment / student
$481,994
Financial health
3.0 / 3.0Meets the federal financial-responsibility standard
U.S. Dept. of Education Financial Responsibility Composite Score (FY2022-23). Scale −1.0 to 3.0; ≥1.5 meets the standard. Reported for private nonprofit & for-profit institutions only — public universities are state-backed and not scored, so this is a stability signal, not a ranking.
Top-earning majors
Median earnings by field of study (highest credential), ~2 years after completion.
Economics$57,995
Political Science and Government$47,118
Anthropology$44,971
International/Globalization Studies$42,682
English Language and Literature, General$41,193
Psychology, General$38,289
Area Studies
Campus & location
Campus safety
On-campus violent crimes (2024)
6
Per 1,000 students
2.49
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Climate
Pleasant days / yr
87
Summer high
78°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
49"
Annual snow
58.1"
Natural-hazard risk
Relatively Low
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility▾
Research output
Institutional h-index
176
Scholarly works
6,226
Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.
Future-scholar output
Science & engineering PhDsper-capita yield 6.3
Share of this school’s graduates who go on to earn research doctorates (2010–20), by national rank and per-capita yield (NSF institutional-yield ratio). A signal of a research-oriented student culture — not a causal promise, since it partly reflects who enrolls. Only top producers appear. Source: NSF NCSES, Baccalaureate Origins of U.S. Research Doctorate Recipients.
Economic mobility
Mobility rate
0.9%
Bottom → top quintile
61%
Quick answers
What is the acceptance rate at Colby College?
Colby College's acceptance rate is approximately 7% (Waterville, ME), based on the most recent figures we compiled from public and primary sources.
What SAT score do you need for Colby College?
Admitted students at Colby College typically score 1460–1550 on the SAT (the middle-50% range). Scores outside this band are still admitted, especially with strong applications.
How much does Colby College cost?
At Colby College, the average net price (after aid) is about $17,180 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Colby College?
Colby College enrolls approximately 2,407 undergraduate students.
Where is Colby College located?
Colby College is located in Waterville, ME.
Admissions
Colby's admissions process is brutally selective, with just 7% of applicants admitted in recent cycles—down from 13% five years prior. The college received 20,144 applications for one recent class, yielding a freshman cohort where 95% graduated in the top 10% of their high school class. Test scores are sky-high: median SATs hover at 1520, with the middle 50% range at 1470–1530, while ACT medians hit 34. Geographic diversity is a priority, with 45+ U.S. states and 80+ countries represented; 31% of students identify as people of color, and 11% are international.
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
$33,993
Biology, General$30,771
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings). Figures cover graduates who received federal aid and lag ~2 years; not all programs report data.
From bottom quintile
1%
Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.
Academics
Colby's academic culture is intense and intimate, with a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and 100% of faculty holding terminal degrees. The curriculum leans heavily on interdisciplinary collaboration and undergraduate research—expect to work directly with professors on fieldwork, lab projects, or humanities thesis work. Popular majors cluster in the social sciences (27% of graduates), biology (10%), and psychology (10%), though the college offers 49 majors total. The 87% graduation rate speaks to strong support systems, but students warn of a high-pressure environment where 'the stress culture here is very real' (per TikTok testimonials).
Life at Colby revolves around a close-knit residential community where nearly all students live on campus. The vibe is academically charged but socially active, with a party scene that's 'more alcohol-heavy than most liberal arts colleges' (per Reddit) but tame compared to big state schools. Students report feeling safe on campus, with visible security and low crime rates. The rural Maine location (Waterville pop: 15,000) means campus events dominate social life—think guest lectures, dorm gatherings, and outdoor excursions. One Reddit user summed it up: 'It's a friendly campus, but you’ll know everyone’s business by sophomore year.'
Colby delivers strong ROI for a liberal arts college: 88% graduate within 4.2 years, and alumni earn $43,563 median salaries early-career, rising to $36,427 five years out (though this lags behind some Little Ivy peers). The median student debt is $19,157—well below national averages—thanks to Colby's no-loan financial aid policy. About 90% of students complete their degrees, a testament to academic support. Long-term, graduates often pivot to grad school (20% within five years) or high-impact roles in education, healthcare, and tech.
Colby's sticker price nears $80K, but the average net price after aid is $18,341—42% of students receive aid, with average packages of $75,056. The college meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans, using grants and work-study instead. Families earning under $30K pay ~$10K/year, while those earning $30K–$48K pay ~$16K. MyinTuition’s quick calculator helps estimate costs, but note: Colby expects summer earnings contributions ($2,450) from aided students.
Colby punches above its weight as a microcosm of elite liberal arts values: rigorous academics, globally diverse cohorts (11% international), and unusually strong financial aid for a school of its size. Its 7% acceptance rate now rivals the Ivy League, yet it retains a collaborative vibe—no cutthroat competition, just hard work on Maine’s frozen tundra. The Jan Plan (a month-long winter term for internships or passion projects) and gold-standard science facilities (rare for LACs) sweeten the deal. For students who want Ivy-caliber academics without the pretension, Colby delivers—provided you can handle the cold and the workload.
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