Mount Holyoke College vs Colby College

Mount Holyoke College and Colby College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Mount Holyoke, a women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on empowering women leaders. Colby, a coeducational college in Waterville, Maine, emphasizes experiential learning and global engagement. With acceptance rates of 33% and 14%, respectively, these colleges attract academically accomplished students. Mount Holyoke's popular majors include psychology, English, and biology, while Colby's strengths lie in government, economics, and biology. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, such as student body demographics, graduation rates, and financial aid opportunities, to determine which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.
Colby College logo

Colby College

Mount Holyoke College logo

Mount Holyoke College

Overview

Location Waterville, Maine South Hadley, Massachusetts
Campus setting Town: Remote Suburb: Large
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% 91.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 8.9% 52.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $60

Graduate: $50
SAT range 1400 - 1530 1300 - 1510
ACT range 32 - 34 31 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 40.0% 24.0%
Students submitting ACT score 28.0% 11.0%
Total number of applicants 15,857 3,971
Total number of admissions given out 1,407 2,077
Admitted students who chose to enroll 667 608
Yield rate 47.4% 29.3%
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 Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $68,825 $73,438
Average net price $17,912 $29,218
Tuition $58,640 $56,300
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $8,150

Meal plan: $7,595
Room/dormitory: $8,320

Meal plan: $8,260
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 $30,351
Students receiving federal student loan 8.0%
Average amount $5,140
42.0%
Average amount $4,906
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $18,242
7.0%
Average amount $4,982

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 2,262
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
2,220
Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students N/A 122
Men 13.1% Women 86.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 9.5% 23.1%
Campus local/setting Town: Remote Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 2,242 2,171
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Mississippi New York California Connecticut Florida

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Natural Resources and Conservation
  • Social Sciences
  • Education
  • Foreign Languages and Literatures
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Visual & Performing Arts
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 86.6% 85.0%
Dropout rate 5.7% 2.9%
Transferred out 7.5% 11.9%
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
International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,377
  • Year 2: $45,696
  • Year 3: $46,206
Education, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,986
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $46,152
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,150
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: $44,038
Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $32,925
  • Year 3: $37,403
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,356
  • Year 2: $36,852
  • Year 3: $35,497
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $26,353
  • Year 3: $34,113
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $31,168
  • Year 2: $30,409
  • Year 3: $33,868
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $28,960
  • Year 3: $30,295
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $24,035
  • Year 3: $30,137
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,160
  • Year 2: $28,598
  • Year 3: $29,034

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