Colby College

Colby College lists a published cost of attendance of $85,420, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $69,600 and room and board is $17,890.

For the average aid recipient, financial aid reduces that sticker price by $68,240, bringing the average net price down to $17,180. That average net price is $10,191 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #651 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The net price varies sharply by income, with the lowest band paying far less than the highest.

The spread between those two ends is $42,462, a sign of how much the aid formula shifts the cost across the income scale.

The published cost of attendance at Colby College is $85,420 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #651 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $4,049, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $3,666, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $46,511. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $42,462.

Aid covers about 80% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $17,180. That is $10,191 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $19,157 in federal student loans, $5,042 below the $24,199 peer median. 71.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $59,570. If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month. It estimates your cost and debt scenarios based on your family's finances.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $77,429. That figure sits at the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median is $9,179 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the return pillar at the 90th percentile.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $77,429. That figure sits $9,179 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions.

This places the college in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort for this measure is 210 completers.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical figure of $77,429, with a downside scenario of $48,903 and an upside scenario of $103,081. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

An estimated 40.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Among federally aided completers at Colby College who are working and not enrolled, median earnings four years after finishing are $77,429. That median sits at the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $68,250, and the university's median is $9,179 above that. Azimuth ranks Colby College #147 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The largest fields are Social Sciences and Biological Sciences, with smaller clusters in areas such as Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $48,903 on the downside to $103,081 on the upside. An estimated 40.9% continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The earnings scenarios show a wide spread: from $48,903 on the downside to $103,081 on the upside, with the typical scenario at $77,429. At the top of the range, Economics graduates earn $103,491 four years after completion, from 89 degrees awarded a year.

Political Science follows at $96,621, with 76 degrees awarded. The lower end includes Natural Resources Conservation and Research, where graduates earn $55,719.

Graduates of Colby College earn a median of $77,429 four years after completion, $9,179 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,157 in federal student loans, which is $5,042 below the peer median—that is, the median among comparable institutions—of $24,199.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $59,570 in Parent PLUS loans.

The published cost of attendance is $85,420 (an average across living arrangements), but aid covers about 80% of that for the average aid recipient. The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $17,180, which is $10,191 below the peer median.

Median earnings four years after completion are $77,429, and median federal student debt at completion is $19,157, which is $5,042 below the peer median.

Colby College admits 7.1% of applicants, a rate far below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The strongest return at Colby College comes from programs that are also among its largest. Economics awards 89 degrees a year, and graduates earn a median of $103,491 four years after completion.

Azimuth ranks the program #44 nationally in its field. Political Science is close behind, with 76 degrees awarded and median earnings of $96,621.

Its national rank of #5 is the highest of any program at the college. Further down the earnings scale, Natural Resources Conservation and Research awards 52 degrees and posts a median of $55,719.

Azimuth ranks it #35 nationally. The spread between this program and the top earners illustrates the variation by field.

Azimuth ranks 3 of the college's programs nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. The strongest of these is Political Science, which holds a national rank of #5 and is the top program in Maine.

The largest program is Economics, with 89 degrees awarded. Its graduates earn a median of $103,491 four years after completion, placing it #44 nationally.

Political Science is close behind in size at 76 degrees awarded, and its completers earn $96,621. The highest-earning program is also Economics, at $103,491.

Area Studies and Natural Resources Conservation and Research round out the programs with earnings data, with medians of $64,207 and $55,719 respectively.

Social Sciences accounts for 26.2% of bachelor's degrees awarded at Colby College, with Biological Sciences next at 10.9% and Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies at 8.1%. The college has 3 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 4 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest programs by degrees awarded are Economics at 89 degrees awarded, Political Science at 76, and Natural Resources Conservation and Research at 52. Economics is both the largest and the highest-earning program.

Graduates earn a median of $103,491 four years after completion, and Azimuth ranks the program #44 nationally within its field and #2 in Maine. Political Science is the highest-ranked program, and Azimuth ranks it #1 in Maine within its field.

Its median earnings of $96,621 represent a benchmark ratio of 1.53x against the national median for its field. Natural Resources Conservation and Research is another strong performer, ranking #35 nationally within its field and #1 in Maine.

The pattern is one of concentrated strength in a few social science and science programs. The largest programs include several with benchmark ratios above their national medians, and the earnings figures for those fields sit well above the national medians for their disciplines.