Carleton College vs Colby College

Carleton College and Colby College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carleton, located in Northfield, Minnesota, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (23.5% vs. 19.4%) and a smaller student body (2,100 vs. 2,000), fostering a close-knit community. Colby, situated in Waterville, Maine, excels in the sciences, with popular majors in biology, chemistry, and neuroscience, while Carleton emphasizes social sciences, with economics and political science among its most popular majors. Both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, with impressive graduation rates (94% and 93%, respectively) and strong alumni networks. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Carleton College	Colby College
Overview
Location	Northfield, Minnesota	Waterville, Maine
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.5%	8.9%
Application fees
SAT range	1408 - 1550	1400 - 1530
ACT range	31 - 35	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	40.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	28.0%
Total number of applicants	7,915	15,857
Total number of admissions given out	1,389	1,407
Admitted students who chose to enroll	555	667
Yield rate	40.0%	47.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,315	$68,825
Average net price	$31,718	$17,912
Tuition	$59,850	$58,640
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,115 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $45,715	39.0% Average amount $58,513
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $3,914	8.0% Average amount $5,140
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,334	1.0% Average amount $18,242

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,044 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	81.5%	N/A
International students	10.2%	9.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,854	2,242
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Minnesota California Illinois New York Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.4%	86.6%
Dropout rate	8.3%	5.7%
Transferred out	N/A	7.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,876 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,936 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,032 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $66,207 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,526 Year 2: $23,034 Year 3: $30,071 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,669 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,425 Year 2: $22,329 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,952 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,227 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,625 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,774 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,301 Year 2: $33,719 Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,540 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $83,980 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,972 Year 2: $47,118 Year 3: $55,529 International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,350 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $53,638 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,883 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,156 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,423 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,612 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,971 Year 3: N/A

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Carleton College vs Colby College

Carleton College

Colby College

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Outcome

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