Cost & financial aid brief
Colby College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Colby College cost after financial aid?
At Colby College, the average aid recipient sees 80% of the published cost covered by aid, a reduction of $68,240 from the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is steeply progressive.
The lowest-income band averages $4,049, while the highest band averages $46,511, a spread of $42,462 between the two ends. The middle bands fill in the curve: families earning $30,001–$48,000 average $1,251, those earning $48,001–$75,000 average $3,666, and those earning $75,001–$110,000 average $12,106.
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.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete a degree at Colby College leave with a median of $19,157 in federal student loans. 71.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
That median is $5,042 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $59,570.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $77,429. That figure sits in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The earnings picture varies with the program mix. The typical earnings scenario is $77,429, while the downside scenario is $48,903 and the upside scenario reaches $103,081.
On the debt side, the median federal student loan balance of $19,157 is $5,042 below the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $59,570. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $59,570
- Estimated parent payment
- $757/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Caution |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,157
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $59,570
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $218/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $757/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $975/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $77,429, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.8% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.