Colby is a private, nonprofit college focused on the arts and sciences that awards bachelor's degrees. Carnegie—the system that classifies U.S. colleges and universities by what they do—places it among the country's most selective schools. It is not listed as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. That does not tell you which community it serves or how your child will feel there; it only says that it is not on those three specific lists. If this matters to you, ask directly what organizations and cultural support are currently available on campus.
I am going to walk you through what the official data—from IPEDS, part of the U.S. Department of Education—allow us to see about this school: who studies there, how much it costs, how difficult it is to get in, how much aid students receive, and how likely a student is to finish. None of these numbers makes the decision for you. But understanding them well is half the map you need before your child gets in the car.
Who shares the classroom with your child
Colby has 2,284 enrolled students, all of them undergraduates. It is medium-sized: neither a massive university nor a tiny college, and in fact it falls right at the midpoint compared with other similar selective private schools.
The campus is almost evenly divided between men and women: 51 out of every 100 are women. But there is one number worth looking at directly: 8 out of every 100 students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with the selective private schools in this same group, Colby ranks below the midpoint of that group in Latino representation.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, and having many would not make it good. It is an enrollment statistic, not a measure of quality or environment. But if your child will be part of that small number, it is worth asking directly during the visit: Is there a Latino student group? Is there anyone in the admissions or student life office who speaks Spanish? Is there a cultural center? Talk with a current student before deciding. The number describes the school as a whole; your child's experience in their specific major may look different.
One more fact about class size: Colby reports 9 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member, a very low ratio compared with its peers—it is in the lowest quarter among comparable schools. That sounds good, and it probably is, but this ratio does not count seats in a classroom. By itself, it does not guarantee small classes or personalized attention. Ask directly how many students are in the first-year classes for the major that interests your child.
How the academic year is organized
Colby uses a 4-1-4 calendar: four courses for four months, one month with a single course, and another four courses during the following four months. It accepts credit from AP exams, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. Accepting AP does not mean that it automatically grants credit for every exam: we do not know what scores it requires or how many credits it awards. Request a written transfer-credit evaluation before enrolling, and do not count those savings in your budget until you have it in hand.
In a recent year, Colby awarded 542 bachelor's degrees across 15 fields of study. The largest was social sciences, with 29 out of every 100 degrees—no other field comes close to that size, but neither does any one field account for a majority. The degrees are distributed across fields rather than concentrated in two or three areas. This figure counts degrees awarded, not people or the current catalog of majors. Before deciding, ask about the exact major that interests your child: how many students graduated in it, how long they took, and what the full curriculum looks like.
The institution also reports structured academic pathways: study abroad, undergraduate research with faculty, and several routes related to teacher certification. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they exist as formal options; it does not say how many students participate or how accessible they are in practice.
Getting into Colby: what they ask for and what actually happens
Colby does not have open admissions. It reviews several pieces before saying yes, and two are required: the high school transcript and, for those to whom it applies, an English proficiency exam. Then there is a long list of pieces that are not required but that it does consider if you submit them: grade point average, class rank, completion of the recommended course plan, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or work sample, work experience, and whether a family member studied there. The report does not say how much weight each piece carries in the final decision.
On that last point, an honest fact: if no one in your family attended Colby, that is not something your child can change. Do not spend energy worrying about it. Spend it on what is within their control: the essay, the letters, and the transcript.
The published application fee is $0.
Now for the figure that carries the most emotional weight: in the most recent cycle, 17,786 students applied for first-year admission, and Colby offered admission to 1,215. That is 7 out of every 100. It is among the schools that accept the smallest shares of applicants across all the selective private schools in this comparable group—nine out of ten of those schools accept a larger share of their applicants. On the other side of that calculation are 16,571 applicants who did not receive an offer.
I want to be direct with you here: this number says nothing about your child's worth. It says how many places were offered compared with how many people requested them. A low percentage does not make the school better; a high one does not make it worse. What I do ask is that your child's list not depend on a single school like this one. Make sure there are options on both sides: some that are highly selective and some that accept most of those who apply.
Of those who do receive an offer, half enroll at Colby. That is a high enrollment rate compared with similar schools—most of that group enrolls a smaller share of its admitted students. When your child's letters arrive, this number is not what decides anything. Put the admission letters side by side and compare the actual net price, the major, and how far away your child would have to live.
Colby is test-optional: the SAT and ACT are not required, although they are considered if submitted. Of the students who enrolled, 36 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—one of the highest submission shares among similar schools. Among those who submitted scores, the middle half scored between 710 and 760 in reading and writing and between 730 and 790 in math. Keep in mind: those ranges come from students who had already enrolled and who chose to submit their scores. They do not represent all applicants, and they are neither a minimum nor a guarantee for anyone.
Regarding transfers: very few Colby students leave for another school without finishing—7 out of every 100 from the class that entered in 2017—a low share compared with similar schools. And very few arrive as transfers: just 11 in the recent fall. If your child were to arrive through that route, request in writing, with the course list in hand, which credits Colby would accept before your child moves.
The sticker price: the figure that scares you before you know what is actually paid
At Colby College, among 14 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $6,072. Among 24 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $2,247; among 49 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $52,893. For dependent students, the band combines their parents' income with their own.
There is a difference of $46,821 between the average for the lowest-income band (14 students) and the average for the highest-income band (49 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $15,163.
Among the 937 schools of the same type and control included in this census that reported this measure with the same time coverage, Colby falls within the least expensive quarter for the lowest-income families after grants and scholarships are subtracted. That does not mean it will be inexpensive for your family. It is a fact that matters when you decide which schools to apply to.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The aid letter you receive is what matters.
Grants, Pell, and loans: who receives what
Out of every 100 degree-seeking students at Colby, 44 receive some grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. The other 56 receive none of it. Compared with similar schools, Colby is in the quarter where grants and scholarships reach fewer students—although among those who do receive them, the annual average is $57,663, a large amount.
Only 13 out of every 100 students receive a Pell Grant, the federal aid for low-income families. That is a low share. Do not assume that aid will arrive: ask in advance for the list of available grants and scholarships, who qualifies, and the deadlines.
And here is one number worth underlining in green: only 9 out of every 100 Colby undergraduate students have a federal student loan in their own name. It is among the lowest shares across comparable selective private schools—nine out of ten of those schools have a larger share of students with debt. Among those who did borrow, the average amount that year was $6,247.
This does not mean that everyone covered the year without debt. The figure does not show whether families used savings, whether students worked, or whether they used another type of debt not recorded in this report. And that average of $6,247 is for a single year and only for federal loans in the student's name: it does not include what parents borrow on their own through PLUS loans, credit card debt, or the cumulative debt with which a student graduates after four years. That number—the total debt at graduation—is not in this report, and no one can give it to you before it exists.
Colby also offers an installment tuition payment plan if your family needs to spread the cost over the course of the year.
Campus life: where and how your child would live
Colby has its own housing, on or off campus, with capacity for 2,260 students. It does not require all full-time students to live there, although that does not mean that no particular program has such a requirement—ask directly. It also offers meal plans, with a fixed number of meals per week in its largest option.
The existence of a room does not guarantee a bed for your child. Request in writing this year's rate, the housing application deadline, and whether a place is guaranteed or your child would join a waiting list.
Colby reported no ROTC opportunities—neither the general option nor any of the three military branches. That does not prove that no nearby pathway exists; it only says that Colby did not mark it in this field. If that scholarship matters to your family, ask admissions about it directly before ruling it out.
It does compete in intercollegiate athletics and is affiliated with the NCAA. It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. But that membership belongs to the school, not to your child: if your child is interested in playing, they need to write directly to the coach and ask whether there is room on the team, which division that sport competes in, and whether it offers athletic scholarships. Ask for the answer in writing.
Colby does not offer distance education. No students take all of their classes online. If your child works or cares for someone at home, their schedule would have to accommodate in-person attendance.
The library operates with paid staff, has physical and digital collections, and participates in interlibrary lending. The institution also reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services after program completion, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, and a webpage for services for students with disabilities. Their inclusion in the report confirms that they formally exist; it does not measure how good they are or how quickly they respond. Ask about them during the visit.
If your child gets in, will they stay? Will they graduate?
Here are the most reassuring numbers, presented with the honesty they deserve.
Of the class that entered in the fall of 2022, 91 out of every 100 were still enrolled or had already graduated one year later. It is among the highest retention rates across comparable selective private schools.
Of those who entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor's degree, 90 out of every 100 graduated within six years—498 out of 552 students. Using the shorter period of four years, the figure falls to 82 out of every 100. It is one of the highest graduation rates among its peers.
And looking further ahead, at eight years: of a cohort that entered in 2015–16, 87 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from Colby. Among students who specifically received a Pell Grant, that figure fell to 77 out of every 100—eleven points below students who did not receive Pell.
These numbers are high, and it is honest to tell you that plainly. But a high percentage is not a promise for your child in particular. It is what happened to a specific class at a specific school several years ago. What is within your control, and your child's, is making sure that your child enters with their credits in order, knows from the first semester who their academic advisor is, and knows when to register for the courses required by their major. And if your family qualifies for Pell, it is worth asking specifically what support exists for those students—an assigned advisor, emergency assistance, whether the grant is renewed each year—and requesting the answer in writing.
What you already know and what is still missing
You now know Colby College as deeply as the official data allow: a small, remote, highly selective college with few Latino students in its enrollment, an extremely high sticker price but a very low actual price for modest-income families, very little reliance on federal loans, and graduation rates among the highest in the country.
None of this tells you whether Colby is the right school for your child. That depends on two other pieces this article cannot give you: what your child wants to study and has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay once you have the aid letter in hand. Put those three pieces together, and that is where you will find your plan.
You can begin your part today: verify the exact major, complete the FAFSA, and request in writing what this article cannot promise you. Your child's part—their effort, their essay, their curiosity about what they want to study—is their part of the journey. You are not going to drive that stretch for them. But you can reach the door without having missed an exit because you did not know the map.
Source note: the information in this article comes from official IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) data from the U.S. Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the 2023 cycle and the 2023–24 academic year, except where another period is indicated. Best College Aid does not represent Colby College or any government agency; this article is not a substitute for official information that the college itself can confirm for you in writing.