Wellesley College vs Colby College

Wellesley College and Colby College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Wellesley, a women's college, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate compared to Colby. Its student body is predominantly female, while Colby's is more gender-balanced. In terms of academics, Wellesley excels in social sciences and biological sciences, while Colby is known for its strength in the humanities and social sciences. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, financial aid opportunities, and campus life, to determine which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Colby College	Wellesley College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Wellesley, 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
Students retention rate	95.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	16.2%
Application fees
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1400 - 1540
ACT range	32 - 34	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	36.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	7,663
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	1,240
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	606
Yield rate	47.4%	48.9%
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	$64,602
Average net price	$17,912	$21,862
Tuition	$58,640	$60,424
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $9,704 Meal plan: $8,584
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	60.0% Average amount $55,483
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	13.0% Average amount $3,993
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	13.0% Average amount $5,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,461 Men 1.2% Women 98.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	9.5%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,242	2,211
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	Ethnic Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	92.1%
Dropout rate	5.7%	7.8%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $110,380 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $124,973 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,781 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,094 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $62,505 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,749 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $47,043 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,693 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $46,471 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,849 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $45,061 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,002 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $39,658 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,587 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,490 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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