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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Colby College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/colby-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/colby-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/colby-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/colby-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/colby-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Colby College cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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.

Aid recipients at Colby College pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—the cost of attendance minus grants and scholarships—of $17,180, $10,191 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the affordability pillar is in the 54th percentile.

Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $19,157 in federal loans, $5,042 below the peer median. For the lowest income band, the average net price is $4,049; for the highest, it is $46,511. Those band figures are averages; individual aid packages differ.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band, under $30,000, average $4,049. 14.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

The next band, $30,001–$48,000, averages $1,251; the middle band, $48,001–$75,000, averages $3,666; the next-highest band, $75,001–$110,000, averages $12,106; and the highest band, over $110,000, averages $46,511. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $42,462.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$4,049

**$30–48K**
$1,251

**$48–75K**
$3,666

**$75–110K**
$12,106

**$110K+**
$46,511

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$17,180**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$59,570

**Estimated parent payment**
$757/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=colby-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.