Waterville, ME · Private · 2,407 undergraduates · town
Colby College
Extremely selective
Colby’s academic calendar creates an unusual fourth space: January. Jan Plan separates one intensive experience from the normal semester and connects it to internships, research, fieldwork, and self-directed projects.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in academic standing, and exceptional in career outcomes.- Admission
- 6.8% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 87.6%
17,786 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$80,490 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Colby apart
Jan Plan
Jan Plan devotes January to one focused experience, while DavisConnects links advising with research, internships, fieldwork, and other experiential work.
Experiential work through DavisConnects
Full-time students generally live in College-owned housing. First-year orientation includes COOT, a peer-led program of activity-based trips.
A four-year residential setting
Mayflower Hill is a residential home base, while January creates an intentional window beyond an ordinary semester schedule.
The Colby reset
One month with a different purpose
Jan Plan breaks the semester rhythm and gives projects, research, and work a distinct place in the degree.
Build foundation
Coursework establishes a direction.
Go deep
Use the dedicated month for one concentrated experience.
Connect it to later work
Bring that experience back into the remaining academic plan.
Can I get in?
6.8% admitted
Show the kind of project, research, work, or question the applicant would use to make Jan Plan consequential.
Recent applicant pool
17,786About 7 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 36% submitted an SAT, and 18% submitted an ACT. The ACT range comes from a small share of admitted students and does not describe the full class.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Colby, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Colby weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Jan Plan devotes January to one focused experience, while DavisConnects links advising with research, internships, fieldwork, and other experiential work.
Make the institutional fit specific
Show the kind of project, research, work, or question the applicant would use to make Jan Plan consequential.
Use the application route carefully
Colby is test-optional and does not offer admissions interviews.
Give commitments a clear through-line
Activities and recommendations should show sustained contribution, not a collection of disconnected credentials.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Colby is test-optional and does not offer admissions interviews.
Check eligibility for a fee waiver
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
Colby College publishes one merit award, the largest under $5,000 a year. No separate scholarship application is required; the college uses the admission application.
Open across the university · Merit · Guaranteed at a stated threshold
In the season card
This award, by name
What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.
- The name of each award
- What it pays
- The grades and scores it asks for
- How to be considered
- What to send, and where
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Colby
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read the outcomes panel alongside mayflower hill is a residential home base, while january creates an intentional window beyond an ordinary semester schedule. Completion, borrowing, and field mix matter more than one university-wide earnings figure.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Economics
Political Science and Government
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
Neurobiology and Neurosciences
Computer Science
What is campus life like?
Colby beyond the classroom
Mayflower Hill is a residential home base, while January creates an intentional window beyond an ordinary semester schedule.
Jan Plan
Jan Plan devotes January to one focused experience, while DavisConnects links advising with research, internships, fieldwork, and other experiential work.
The residential structure matters
Full-time students generally live in College-owned housing. First-year orientation includes COOT, a peer-led program of activity-based trips.
Dining follows the residential map
Campus dining is part of the daily social pattern; compare the meal-plan structure and nearby options against the routine you expect.
Experiential work through DavisConnects
Mayflower Hill is a residential home base, while January creates an intentional window beyond an ordinary semester schedule.
Use the institution beyond class
Student organizations, faculty programs, research, service, and campus events are most useful when they reinforce a clear academic or personal direction.
A four-year residential setting
The strongest social fit comes from understanding how housing, traditions, organizations, and the surrounding setting shape an ordinary week.