Hamilton College vs Colby College

Hamilton College and Colby College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions in the Northeast, offer distinct educational experiences. Hamilton, located in Clinton, New York, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (22%) compared to Colby's 18%. While Hamilton's student body is predominantly white (68%), Colby's student body is more diverse, with 54% white students. Both colleges offer a wide range of majors, with popular choices at Hamilton including Economics, Government, and English, while Colby students often pursue majors in Biology, Economics, and Psychology. With graduation rates of 94% for Hamilton and 92% for Colby, both institutions ensure that their students are well-prepared for their post-graduate endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colby College	Hamilton College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Clinton, New York
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
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
Students retention rate	95.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	14.1%
Application fees		$60
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1410 - 1540
ACT range	32 - 34	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	9,380
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	1,320
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	533
Yield rate	47.4%	40.4%
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)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$68,825	$76,700
Average net price	$17,912	$26,803
Tuition	$58,640	$59,380
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $6,910
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	55.0% Average amount $47,867
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	35.0% Average amount $4,331
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	4.0% Average amount $25,195

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,055 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	9.5%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,242	2,057
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
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	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	91.5%
Dropout rate	5.7%	0.8%
Transferred out	7.5%	6.8%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,571 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $84,359 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,593 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $74,628 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,577 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,960 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,273 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,772 Year 3: N/A International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,978 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A

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