Colby College vs Bates College

Colby College and Bates College, two esteemed liberal arts institutions in Maine, offer distinct educational experiences. Colby, with an acceptance rate of 13%, boasts a larger student body and a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like Economics, Government, and Biology. Bates, with an acceptance rate of 15%, fosters a close-knit community and excels in fields such as Psychology, English, and Environmental Studies. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Colby at 94% and Bates at 93%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bates College	Colby College
Overview
Location	Lewiston, Maine	Waterville, Maine
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.3%	8.9%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	N/A	1400 - 1530
ACT range	N/A	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		40.0%
Students submitting ACT score		28.0%
Total number of applicants	7,319	15,857
Total number of admissions given out	1,267	1,407
Admitted students who chose to enroll	553	667
Yield rate	43.6%	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	$77,870	$68,825
Average net price	$26,231	$17,912
Tuition	$59,062	$58,640
Room & board	$16,658	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)	36.0% Average amount $50,509	39.0% Average amount $58,513
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,182	8.0% Average amount $5,140
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $23,825	1.0% Average amount $18,242

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,821 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.7%	9.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,816	2,242
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Physical Science Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Psychology	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.7%	86.6%
Dropout rate	2.3%	5.7%
Transferred out	5.8%	7.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,768 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,497 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: $55,661 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,568 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $53,638 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,883 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $35,020 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,170 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,112 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,657 Year 2: $25,194 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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Colby College vs Bates College

Bates College

Colby College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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