Colby College — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Reach

Highly selective reach for nearly every applicant. Affordable on average — net price runs around $17,180/yr.

✅ Best for

Strong academic profile (SAT 1440–1550 · ACT 32–34 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
Students focused on Social Sciences (the school's signature program)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1440, or ACT below 32, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)
With selective universities, build a balanced college list of Reaches, Targets, and Safeties ⓘ

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus

Total enrollment

2,407

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$69,600

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$69,600

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

6.8%

Hyper-selective

SAT middle 50%

1440–1550

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

32–34

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$80,490

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$60,052

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$80,490

4-year completion

89%

Median debt (completers)

$19,157

Cost of attendance

$85,420

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

14%

💰 True ROI

11.7× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$68,720

$17,180/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$272,960

vs sticker $341,680

10-yr earnings total

$804,900

$80,490/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

0.9 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Colby College, the average net price is $17,180/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$4,049/yr

Family income $30-48k

$1,251/yr

Family income $48-75k

$3,666/yr

Family income $75-110k

$12,106/yr

Family income $110k+

$46,511/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Colby College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Colby College →

Opens on Colby College's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Colby College

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Colby College actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Social Sciences

156 degrees · 43.6%

Typical career outcomes

Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k

Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

2. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

86 degrees · 24.0%

Typical career outcomes

Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k

Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

3. Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

42 degrees · 11.7%

Typical career outcomes

Project Manager $99k Management Analyst $99k Research Analyst $79k

Often paired with another field (data + biology, design + tech). Outcomes match the second discipline.

4. Natural Resources & Conservation

39 degrees · 10.9%

Typical career outcomes

Environmental Scientist $79k Conservation Scientist / Forester $67k Wildlife Biologist $71k

Forestry, environmental science, conservation work — often public-sector or NGO.

5. Computer & Information Sciences

35 degrees · 9.8%

Typical career outcomes

Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k

High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Colby College

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Economics.	Bachelor's Degree	89	$76,401	$103,491
Political Science and Government.	Bachelor's Degree	76	$54,353	$96,621
Area Studies.	Bachelor's Degree	14	$45,686	$64,207
Natural Resources Conservation and Research.	Bachelor's Degree	52	$28,216	$55,719

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Colby College

CS degrees (annual)

35

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Colby College vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.