Whittier College vs Colby College

Whittier College and Colby College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Whittier College, nestled in the vibrant city of Whittier, California, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on community engagement. Colby College, located in the picturesque town of Waterville, Maine, is known for its rigorous academics and stunning natural surroundings. With acceptance rates of 68% and 13%, respectively, these colleges cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. While Whittier College excels in majors like Business, Psychology, and Biology, Colby College shines in fields such as Economics, Government, and English. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique offerings, including student demographics, graduation rates, and financial aid options, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colby College	Whittier College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Whittier, California
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	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	82.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1120 - 1340
ACT range	32 - 34	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	11.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	2,884
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	2,379
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	277
Yield rate	47.4%	11.6%
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	$61,014
Average net price	$17,912	$22,091
Tuition	$58,640	$48,924
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $8,216 Meal plan: $6,756
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	97.0% Average amount $32,645
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	65.0% Average amount $5,040
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	6.0% Average amount $17,379

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	1,325 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	N/A	62 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	9.5%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,242	849
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	Social Sciences Education Family and Consumer Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	63.6%
Dropout rate	5.7%	3.6%
Transferred out	7.5%	31.9%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $34,282 Year 2: $41,689 Year 3: $64,434 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,241 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $59,453 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,364 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $54,567 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,650 Year 2: $35,914 Year 3: $47,815 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,730 Year 2: $28,309 Year 3: $42,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,976 Year 2: $14,935 Year 3: $38,238 Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,267 Year 2: $26,715 Year 3: $37,247 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,562 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $35,879 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,185 Year 2: $16,015 Year 3: $34,329 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,103 Year 2: $27,765 Year 3: $30,273

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