Colby-Sawyer College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Hanover, New Hampshire · Private nonprofit · Most selective · CDS 2025-2026
Colby-Sawyer College is a private nonprofit university in Hanover, New Hampshire that admits about 6% of applicants, making it a most selective school. The average family pays about $28,619 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Economics, Political Science and Government and Computer Science, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 95% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 25.3 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Colby-Sawyer College is a private institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire and one of the most selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Colby-Sawyer College admits fewer than 10% of applicants, with an overall admission rate of 6%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1533 and an ACT composite around 34. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $28,619 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Colby-Sawyer 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 parents should know about Colby-Sawyer College right now
Dartmouth College accepted 1,702 students for the Class of 2029, an overall admit rate of 6%, slightly higher than the prior year's record-low 5.3%. Applications dropped about 11% to 28,230. Early Decision continues to be a substantial advantage in the funnel. Roughly 96% of admitted students rank in the top 10% of their high school class, and 15% live in rural areas. A record 22% of admitted U.S. citizens and permanent residents qualify for Pell Grants. Dartmouth offered more than $52.6 million in need-based scholarships to the class, with an average award of $70,607, and 27% will attend tuition-free. Parents should note Dartmouth's distinctive financial aid: the college meets 100% of demonstrated need need-blind for all admitted students, including international applicants, and a March 2024 estate gift of more than $150 million from Glenn Britt now enables middle-income students to attend tuition-free. Dartmouth was also the first Ivy League institution to reinstate standardized testing requirements after the pandemic, beginning with the Class of 2029 cycle. The college is the smallest Ivy at roughly 6,746 total students, with 4,447 undergraduates, and runs on the distinctive D-Plan quarter system that allows flexible study and off-campus terms. President Sian Beilock, the college's first female president, took office in June 2023, and in April 2024 Dartmouth committed $500 million toward carbon neutrality by 2050.
What GPA does my child need for Colby-Sawyer College?
Successful applicants to Colby-Sawyer College typically present unweighted GPAs at or near 4.0 with the most rigorous course load their school offers, including multiple AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses. 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.
What does Colby-Sawyer College weight in admissions?
Colby-Sawyer College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Talent/ability
- • Interview
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Colby-Sawyer College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 760–790, with an EBRW midpoint near 740. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | 1440 |
| 50th percentile | 1520 |
| 75th percentile | 1550 |
| % submitting SAT | 69% |
| 25th percentile | 32 |
| 50th percentile | 34 |
| 75th percentile | 35 |
| % submitting ACT | 33% |
- • Tests required: Standardized test scores are part of the standard application package.
- • Policy detail: Required
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 96% |
| Top 25% of class | 99% |
| Top 50% of class | 100% |
| % submitting class rank | 44% |
How much does Colby-Sawyer College actually cost?
Published tuition is $65,739 for in-state students and $65,739 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $19,009 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $28,619 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 15% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Out-of-state tuition | $69,207 |
| Room and board | $20,920 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $28,619 |
| Application fee | — (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Colby-Sawyer College
| Regular deadline | 1/3 |
| Notification date | Early April |
| Reply deadline | 1-May |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 22% |
Will my child graduate from Colby-Sawyer College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Colby-Sawyer College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Colby-Sawyer College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Economics, Political Science and Government and Computer Science. Across all programs, Colby-Sawyer College confers roughly 775 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Economics program report a median income of about $153,295 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) |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | 170 | $153,295 |
| Political Science and Government | 153 | $101,103 |
| Computer Science | 130 | $192,848 |
| Engineering Science | 94 | $99,468 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 71 | — |
| Applied Statistics | 57 | — |
| Biology, General | 55 | $75,571 |
| Mathematics | 45 | — |
Is Colby-Sawyer College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Colby-Sawyer College disclosed 115 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 25.3 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 16 violent offenses and 49 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.
What is campus life like at Colby-Sawyer College?
About 85% of undergraduates at Colby-Sawyer College live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 26% of men join a fraternity and 29% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in New Hampshire parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Colby-Sawyer College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Colby-Sawyer 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-Sawyer College
What GPA do I need for Colby-Sawyer College?
Successful applicants to Colby-Sawyer College typically present unweighted GPAs at or near 4.0 with the most rigorous course load their school offers, including multiple AP, IB, or dual-enrollment courses.
What SAT or ACT score does Colby-Sawyer College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 760–790, with an EBRW midpoint near 740. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35.
How much does Colby-Sawyer College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Colby-Sawyer College after grants and scholarships is $28,619 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-Sawyer 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-Sawyer 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-Sawyer College?
Colby-Sawyer College accepts about 6% of applicants out of roughly 28,230 who apply each year. That makes it a most selective school.
Is Colby-Sawyer College test-optional?
No. Colby-Sawyer College requires SAT or ACT scores as part of a standard application.
What is the graduation rate at Colby-Sawyer College?
About 95% of students at Colby-Sawyer College graduate within six years. 98% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Colby-Sawyer College?
Colby-Sawyer College's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 22%, compared with its overall rate of 6%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Colby-Sawyer College look for in applicants?
Colby-Sawyer College rates course rigor, class rank, GPA and test scores as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Colby-Sawyer College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Colby-Sawyer College is a private nonprofit institution located in Hanover, New Hampshire.
What are the most popular majors at Colby-Sawyer College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Colby-Sawyer College by annual graduates are Economics, Political Science and Government and Computer Science. The school awards about 775 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Colby-Sawyer College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Colby-Sawyer College reported 115 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 25.3 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Colby-Sawyer College?
At Colby-Sawyer College, 85% of undergraduates live on campus, 26% of men are in fraternities, 29% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Colby-Sawyer College, 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.