Colby College vs Wesleyan University

Colby College and Wesleyan University, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Colby, nestled in the picturesque town of Waterville, Maine, boasts a lower acceptance rate (13.4%) compared to Wesleyan's (17.6%) in Middletown, Connecticut. While Colby's student body is slightly larger, both universities share a vibrant and diverse community. Explore their contrasting popular majors, from Colby's strength in Economics and Government to Wesleyan's focus on Neuroscience and Psychology. Discover the nuances in their graduation rates, job placement statistics, and average alumni salaries. Delve into the comparison table to uncover further insights and determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colby College	Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Middletown, Connecticut
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
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%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	19.4%
Application fees		$55
SAT range	1400 - 1530	1300 - 1510
ACT range	32 - 34	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	27.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	13,067
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	2,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	910
Yield rate	47.4%	35.8%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$68,825	$82,245
Average net price	$17,912	$20,535
Tuition	$58,640	$61,449
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	$17,531
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	40.0% Average amount $58,925
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	18.0% Average amount $3,834
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	2.0% Average amount $27,881

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	3,385 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	196 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	90.3%
International students	9.5%	11.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,242	3,063
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation	Social Sciences Psychology Ethnic Studies Visual & Performing Arts 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%	91.0%
Dropout rate	5.7%	3.6%
Transferred out	7.5%	5.3%
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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $53,847 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $36,334 Year 3: $45,541

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