Westmont College vs Colby College

Westmont College and Colby College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Westmont, a Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, California, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on integrating faith and learning. Colby, a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, emphasizes experiential learning and global engagement. With acceptance rates of 38% and 13%, respectively, both colleges are highly selective. Westmont's student body is predominantly White (64%) and female (59%), while Colby's is more diverse, with a larger international student population (12%). Popular majors at Westmont include Business, Psychology, and Biology, while Colby students often pursue majors in Government, Economics, and Biology. With graduation rates of 88% and 93%, both colleges ensure that their students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. Explore the comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best

	Colby College	Westmont College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Santa Barbara, California
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%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	79.0%
Application fees
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1160 - 1460
ACT range	32 - 34	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	2,344
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	1,851
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	333
Yield rate	47.4%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$61,110
Average net price	$17,912	$33,554
Tuition	$58,640	$47,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $9,400 Meal plan: $5,970
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	99.0% Average amount $32,308
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	50.0% Average amount $5,052
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	25.0% Average amount $4,810

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,238 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	31.1%
International students	9.5%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,242	1,207
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Oregon Colorado Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Physical Science Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	73.4%
Dropout rate	5.7%	26.6%
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/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,792 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,978 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,638 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $40,054 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,114 Year 2: $24,808 Year 3: $34,035 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,823 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,883 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,121 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,369 Year 2: $25,596 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A

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