Private nonprofit · College

Colby-Sawyer College

New London, New Hampshire · Remote rural

#3 most selective in New Hampshire
80.1%
Admit rate
$27,431
Avg net price
57%
Graduation rate
$46,474
Median earnings

Colby-Sawyer College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in New London, New Hampshire (remote rural setting), enrolling 771 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 771 undergradsRemote ruralAccessible · 80% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

About New London, New Hampshire

New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. In 1753, the Masonian Proprietors of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, granted the area now called New London as "Heidelberg". Although it appears on some New Hampshire maps, the township was never settled, and the 1753 grant lapsed into default. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
66 miles
Nearest airport
22 miles to Lebanon (LEB)

How Colby-Sawyer College compares

Selectivity80.1%

More selective than 44% · #3 most selective of 11 in New Hampshire

Graduation rate57%

Higher than 56% · #6 of 13 in New Hampshire

First-year retention77%

Higher than 51%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,474

Higher than 28% · #14 of 15 in New Hampshire

Average net price$27,431

Cheaper than 23% · #9 cheapest of 13 in New Hampshire

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment771

Larger than 30%

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

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

885students
  • Undergraduate77187%
  • Graduate11413%

Undergraduates by gender

771undergrads
  • Women55572%
  • Men21628%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White78%
  • Black3.8%
  • Hispanic2.7%
  • Asian1.2%
  • Other or multiracial15%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
771
Graduate enrollment
114
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
23%
First-generation students
24%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$80,006
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,746
Endowment
$71,949,999

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

Admissions

Admission rate
80.1%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$19,125
Room & board
$17,364
Books & supplies
$2,000
Total cost of attendance
$38,527
Average net price
$27,431

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)
57%
Graduated on time (4 years)
14%
First-year retention
77%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$37,935
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$46,474
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
66%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
73%

About 43% 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
14%
Low-income (Pell)
41%
First-generation
45%

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
884
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
362 (173 men · 189 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)107
Soccer60
Baseball43
Basketball37
Tennis31
Field Hockey30
Lacrosse25
Skiing15
Volleyball14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
6
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (972 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.

2.3reported offenses a year
2.0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
1.0
Fondling
0.7
Statutory rape
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
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
$22,456
$30–48k
$19,687
$48–75k
$24,437
$75–110k
$27,412
$110k+
$29,679

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
$125,171

$24,437/year × about 5.1 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$37,454
average award, among those who get one

Colby-Sawyer College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $37,454. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 183 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)
$46,474
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
58%
Out-earn a HS grad
64%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$46,008
Men
$49,039

Men out-earn women by $3,031 (7%) 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
79°F
Winter low
13°F
Annual rain
48.5″
Annual snow
85.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.85.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, MT Sunapee, NH US station (7.5 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-Sawyer College

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

Colleges near Colby-Sawyer 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.