Colby College vs Hillsdale College

Colby College and Hillsdale College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Colby, a liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on experiential learning, with an acceptance rate of 13%. Hillsdale, a private liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, is known for its conservative curriculum and commitment to classical education, with an acceptance rate of 48%. While both colleges offer a rigorous academic environment, they differ in their popular majors, with Colby emphasizing social sciences and Hillsdale focusing on humanities. Additionally, Colby's student body is more diverse, with 48% female and 52% male students, while Hillsdale's student body is predominantly male, with 42% female and 58% male students. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more, including graduation rates,

	Colby College	Hillsdale College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Hillsdale, Michigan
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Undenominational

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	23.7%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $25
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1340 - 1510
ACT range	32 - 34	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	22.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	38.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	2,994
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	709
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	397
Yield rate	47.4%	56.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$68,825	$45,382
Average net price	$17,912	$24,057
Tuition	$58,640	$28,730
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $6,020 Meal plan: $6,120
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	100.0% Average amount $20,535
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	0.0% Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	34.0% Average amount $10,497

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,515 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
Graduate students	N/A	87 Men 67.8% Women 32.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	N/A
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	9.5%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,242	1,124
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation	Business Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	87.6%
Dropout rate	5.7%	8.3%
Transferred out	7.5%	3.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	N/A

Colby College

Hillsdale College

Overview

Location

Waterville, Maine

Hillsdale, Michigan

Campus setting

Town: Remote

Town: Distant

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Private (Non Profit)

Calendar system

4-1-4

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Undergraduate and Graduate

Students retention rate

95.0%

94.0%

Common app member

Yes

Religious affiliation

Undenominational

Admission

Acceptance rate

8.9%

23.7%

Application fees

Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $25

SAT range

1400 - 1530

1340 - 1510

ACT range

32 - 34

30 - 34

Students submitting SAT score

40.0%

22.0%

Students submitting ACT score

28.0%

38.0%

Total number of applicants

15,857

2,994

Total number of admissions given out

1,407

709

Admitted students who chose to enroll

667

397

Yield rate

47.4%

56.0%

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

N/A

High school GPA

Not required

Required

Recommendation letters

Required

High school transcript

Not required

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

$68,825

$45,382

Average net price

$17,912

$24,057

Tuition

$58,640

$28,730

Room & board

Room/dormitory: $8,150

Meal plan: $7,595

Room/dormitory: $6,020

Meal plan: $6,120

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

39.0%

Average amount $58,513

100.0%

Average amount $20,535

Students receiving federal student loan

8.0%

Average amount $5,140

0.0%

Average amount $0

Students taking out private loans

1.0%

Average amount $18,242

34.0%

Average amount $10,497

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

2,262

Men 47.1% Women 52.9%

1,515

Men 50.6% Women 49.4%

Graduate students

N/A

Men 67.8% Women 32.2%

Racial/ethnic diversity

Low

N/A

Out-of-state students

N/A

International students

9.5%

N/A

Campus local/setting

Town: Remote

Town: Distant

Dormitory capacity

2,242

1,124

First year students are required to live on campus?

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

N/A

Academics

Popular study areas

Social Sciences
Psychology
Multidisciplinary Studies
Mathematics and Statistics
Natural Resources and Conservation

Business
Social Sciences
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Foreign Languages and Literatures
Kinesiology & Leisure Studies

Students to faculty ratio

10:1

8:1

Institutional accreditation

New England Commission on Higher Education

Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate

86.6%

87.6%

Dropout rate

5.7%

8.3%

Transferred out

7.5%

3.9%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

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

N/A

Colby College vs Hillsdale College

Colby College

Hillsdale College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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