Colby College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Farmington, Maine · Public · Open access
Colby College is a public university in Farmington, Maine that admits about 98% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $14,873 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Psychology, General and Business/Managerial Economics, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 4.4 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Colby College is a public institution located in Farmington, Maine. For the most recent reporting cycle, Colby College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 98%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1040. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $14,873 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Colby College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Colby College?
Colby College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Colby College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 405–595, with an EBRW midpoint near —. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
How much does Colby College actually cost?
Published tuition is $10,989 for in-state students and $23,079 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $10,970 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $14,873 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 32% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
Most popular majors at Colby College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Colby College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Psychology, General and Business/Managerial Economics. Across all programs, Colby College confers roughly 194 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods program report a median income of about $42,890 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 69 | $42,890 |
| Psychology, General | 38 | $43,138 |
| Business/Managerial Economics | 19 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 15 | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 14 | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 13 | $45,235 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 13 | $39,979 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 13 | — |
Is Colby College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Colby College disclosed 5 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 4.4 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 3 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in Maine parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Colby College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Colby College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Colby College
What GPA do I need for Colby College?
Colby College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Colby College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 405–595, with an EBRW midpoint near —.
How much does Colby College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Colby College after grants and scholarships is $14,873 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Colby College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Colby College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Colby College?
Colby College accepts about 98% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Colby College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Colby College is a public institution located in Farmington, Maine.
What are the most popular majors at Colby College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Colby College by annual graduates are Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Psychology, General and Business/Managerial Economics. The school awards about 194 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Colby College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Colby College reported 5 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 4.4 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.