# Colby College

Private nonprofit college in Waterville, ME. IPEDS ID 161086.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/colby-college · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/colby-college.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 7% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $17,180 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 89%; beats 88% of ME colleges and 95% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $80,490; beats 88% of ME colleges and 93% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $15,000

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,049 |
| 30-48k | $1,251 |
| 48-75k | $3,666 |
| 75-110k | $12,106 |
| 110k+ | $46,511 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.11 years on average (82% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $80,490 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in ME (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,049 | $16,641 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $1,251 | $5,142 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $3,666 | $15,067 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $12,106 | $49,756 | 1.1 years |
| 110k+ | $46,511 | $191,160 | 4.4 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $85,420
- Tuition and fees: $69,600
- Housing and meals: $17,120; books: $850

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 720–760; SAT math: 740–790; ACT: 32–34 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 17,786 applicants, 1,215 admitted, 605 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 7%, ACT 32–34 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 7%, ACT 32–34 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (38 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | $76,401 | $103,491 | $24,250 |
| Political Science | $54,353 | $96,621 | $27,000 |
| Area Studies | $45,686 | $64,207 | not reported |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $28,216 | $55,719 | $19,313 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $42,326 | not reported | $17,500 |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biology | $43,597 | not reported | not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Neuroscience | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Science, Technology and Society | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| International / Global Studies | $42,756 | not reported | not reported |
| Classical and Ancient Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Computer Interaction | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology | $40,842 | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist: median wage not reported (metro), $66,480 (ME), $82,220 (U.S.)
- Computer Science → Software developer: median wage not reported (metro), $123,120 (ME), $135,980 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).