Private nonprofit · College

Colby College

Waterville, Maine · Remote town

#1 most selective in Maine#3 for grad earnings in Maine#3 graduation rate in Maine
7.1%
Admit rate
$17,180
Avg net price
89%
Graduation rate
$80,490
Median earnings

Colby College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Waterville, Maine (remote town setting), enrolling 2,407 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,407 undergradsRemote townHighly selective · 7% admitNCAA Division III with football · New England Small College Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Colby College's admitted students.

Admit rate
7.1%
SAT (mid 50%)
1460–1550
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Colby College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Colby College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Waterville, Maine

Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. Called "Taconnet" after Chief Taconnet, the main village was located on the east bank of the Kennebec River at its confluence with the Sebasticook River at what is now Winslow. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
69 miles to Portland, ME
To the ocean
35 miles
Nearest airport
18 miles to Augusta State (AUG)

How Colby College compares

Selectivity7.1%

More selective than 99% · #1 most selective of 15 in Maine

SAT average1501

Higher than 96%

Graduation rate89%

Higher than 95% · #3 of 17 in Maine

First-year retention94%

Higher than 91%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$80,490

Higher than 91% · #3 of 17 in Maine

Average net price$17,180

Cheaper than 63% · #7 cheapest of 17 in Maine

Median debt at graduation$19,157

Lower than 79%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 83%

Undergraduate enrollment2,407

Larger than 62%

Percentiles compare Colby College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Maine.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

2,407undergrads
  • Women1,36757%
  • Men1,04043%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White55%
  • Black4.8%
  • Hispanic8.4%
  • Asian10%
  • Other or multiracial22%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,407
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
14%
First-generation students
11%
Students over 25
0%
Median family income
$94,859
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$118,863
Endowment
$1,160,160,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
7.1%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1460–1550
SAT average
1501
SAT reading
720–760
SAT math
740–790
ACT composite
32–34
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$69,600
Room & board
$17,890
Books & supplies
$850
Total cost of attendance
$85,420
Average net price
$17,180

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
89%
Graduated on time (4 years)
75%
First-year retention
94%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$60,052
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$80,490
Median debt at graduation
$19,157
Students with federal loans
9%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
86%

About 13% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
75%
First-generation
85%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,260
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
94%
Housing charge (year)
$8,870
Meal plan (year)
$8,250
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
New England Small College Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
918 (518 men · 400 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (18)

Lacrosse105
Football88
Track and Field (Indoor)81
Track and Field (Outdoor)80
Rowing69
Soccer67
Swimming and Diving (combined)66
Ice Hockey61
Skiing45
Baseball43
Cross Country37
Squash34
Basketball33
Field Hockey32
Volleyball25
Tennis21
Softball19
Golf12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
32
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,412 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
11 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
7.7
Fondling
2.7
Robbery
0.3
Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$4,049
$30–48k
$1,251
$48–75k
$3,666
$75–110k
$12,106
$110k+
$46,511

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$15,497

$3,666/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

41%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$65,296
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 41% — get grant money from Colby College itself, averaging $65,296, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 673 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$80,490
Typical debt at graduation
$19,157
Debt vs. one year's pay
24%
Out-earn a HS grad
79%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$77,235
Men
$84,970

Men out-earn women by $7,735 (10%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
80°F
Winter low
9°F
Annual rain
43.4″
Annual snow
86.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waterville Trtmt Plt, ME US station (2.6 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Colby College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Colby College side by side →

Colleges near Colby College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.