Washington and Lee vs Colby College

Washington and Lee University and Colby College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Washington and Lee, nestled in the historic town of Lexington, Virginia, boasts a lower acceptance rate (18%) compared to Colby's 19%. With a larger student body, Washington and Lee provides a diverse range of academic programs, with popular majors including business, economics, and political science. Colby, located in the vibrant town of Waterville, Maine, excels in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, attracting students with its strong pre-professional programs. While Washington and Lee's student body leans slightly more male, Colby's gender ratio is nearly equal. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Washington and Lee's at 91% and Colby's at 89%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colby College	Washington and Lee University
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Lexington, Virginia
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	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	18.8%
Application fees		$60
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1410 - 1530
ACT range	32 - 34	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	32.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	6,621
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	1,248
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	484
Yield rate	47.4%	38.8%
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	$80,300
Average net price	$17,912	$26,063
Tuition	$58,640	$58,260
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $8,600 Meal plan: $7,670
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	56.0% Average amount $51,537
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	13.0% Average amount $4,878
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	6.0% Average amount $25,474

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,857 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	N/A	381 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	81.2%
International students	9.5%	5.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,242	1,520
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia North Carolina Texas New York Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation	Legal Profession Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	93.6%
Dropout rate	5.7%	6.2%
Transferred out	7.5%	N/A
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,231 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $85,103 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $63,586 Year 2: $72,642 Year 3: $83,304 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,449 Year 3: $79,551 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $69,951 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,643 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $68,713 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $54,059 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,231 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $45,285 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,593 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,409 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