BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Colby College

Waterville, Maine·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·colby.edu
6-yr Graduation
89%
-2.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
2,412
peer median 2,201
Avg net price
$23,939
-$535 vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
19,187
19,187 candidates competed
Admitted
1,360
7.1% acceptance rate
Enrolled
628
46.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
89%-2.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
75%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
89%
Full-time retention
94%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
84%
Non-Pell
81%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 39 Title IV programs, 4 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 35 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
39
Passing
4
10.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

39programs
  • Passing4 · 10.3%
  • No Data35 · 89.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
4
No data
35

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

4
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
+60.1%
$55,719 vs $34,808
Area Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+84.5%
$64,207 vs $34,808
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+177.6%
$96,621 vs $34,808
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+197.3%
$103,491 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

3
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Bachelor Degree · Natural Resources And Conservation
35%
$19,500 debt · $55,719 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
22%
$21,000 debt · $96,621 earn
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
21%
$21,500 debt · $103,491 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1929Next review Jun 2028

Action history · 2

  1. Apr 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Feb 2008Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$6,072
$30–48k$1,331
$48–75k$2,247
$75–110k$15,937
$110k+$52,893

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$23,939
-$534vs Baccalaureate median $24,474
Federal loans
8.7%
In-state tuition
$66,600
Out-of-state
$66,600

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 421 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $4.1M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
421
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$2.7M
$2,711,528 total
Direct Loans
$4.1M
351 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$248K
81 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.2M
202 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.7M
68 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 157 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
157
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
0.0%
2017
3.7%
2018
2.0%
2019
0.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Colby College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs49
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

611 total completions
01Social Sciences
19031.1%
02Psychology
6811.1%
03Biological Sciences
6811.1%
04Multi/Interdisciplinary
538.7%
05Natural Resources
528.5%
06Computer Sciences
406.5%
07Visual/Performing Arts
396.4%
08Mathematics
386.2%
09Physical Sciences
345.6%
10English Language
294.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,412
12-mo unduplicated
2,472
Undergraduate
2,472
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
48%1,198
Women
52%1,274

Race / ethnicity composition

White
53.5%
Non-resident
11.0%
Asian
10.7%
Hispanic
8.3%
Two or more
7.1%
Black
5.4%
Unknown
3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
693
401 M · 292 W
Women athletes
42.1%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$11.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$102K
$85K
Head-coach salaries
$82K
$72K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 18

Football
92 M ·
$972K
Lacrosse
47 M · 36 W
$1.1M
Track and Field (Indoor)
40 M · 39 W
$224K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
40 M · 39 W
$310K
Soccer
28 M · 32 W
$572K
Ice Hockey
31 M · 27 W
$880K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
5.22
12 offenses · 2,299 students

3-year trend

8.352 yrs ago4.861 yr ago5.22Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
41
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
8
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
6

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
9
Fondling
3

By location

12total
  • On campus12

Includes 12 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
2
Stalking
6 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs027
Liquor085

Residence-hall fires

  • Goddard-Hodgkins Hall1 fire
    Machinery/IndustrialDamage $100-$999
  • Alfond Commons1 fire
    Smoking materialsDamage $1,000-$9,999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
245

Colby College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Colby College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectColby College
89%2,412$23,939Baccalaureate
Bowdoin College
95%7.1%1,881$20,786Baccalaureate
Bates College
90%13.3%1,760$30,703Baccalaureate
Wellesley College
92%14.0%2,407$25,008Baccalaureate
Trinity College
84%29.2%2,238$35,009Baccalaureate
Williams College
94%8.3%2,164$14,852Baccalaureate
Peer group median91%13.3%2,201$24,474

Frequently asked questions about Colby College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Colby College.

What is the graduation rate at Colby College?

Colby College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 89% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Colby College?

Colby College reports a total enrollment of 2,412 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Colby College?

The average net price at Colby College is $23,939 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Colby College?

Colby College's yield rate is 46.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Colby College located?

Colby College is located in Waterville, Maine 04901-8840.

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