Union College vs Colby College

Union College and Colby College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Union, located in Schenectady, New York, boasts a slightly larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Colby, nestled in Waterville, Maine. While Union's student body is more diverse, Colby's student-to-faculty ratio is more favorable. Both colleges excel in academics, with popular majors ranging from the humanities to the sciences. However, Union has a slightly higher graduation rate. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions. Explore the table to discover which college better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colby College	Union College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Barbourville, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
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%	60.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	56.4%
Application fees
SAT range	1400 - 1530	955 - 1148
ACT range	32 - 34	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	84.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	723
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	408
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	140
Yield rate	47.4%	34.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$68,825	$41,789
Average net price	$17,912	$15,690
Tuition	$58,640	$27,119
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $2,800 Meal plan: $3,900
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	98.0% Average amount $22,966
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	71.0% Average amount $5,976
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	10.0% Average amount $5,676

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	789 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%
Graduate students	N/A	235 Men 45.1% Women 54.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	9.5%	11.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,242	437
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	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	37.1%
Dropout rate	5.7%	27.2%
Transferred out	7.5%	35.7%
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	Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,564 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,490 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,154 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,226 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,123 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Colby College

Colorado College