Saint Mary's College of California vs Colby College

Saint Mary's College of California and Colby College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Mary's, a private Catholic college in Moraga, California, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on the liberal arts. Colby, a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, is known for its rigorous academics and stunning campus. With acceptance rates of 75% and 14%, respectively, these colleges cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. While Saint Mary's excels in majors like business and psychology, Colby's strengths lie in the social sciences and humanities. 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	Saint Mary's College of California
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Moraga, 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%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	70.1%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1400 - 1530	N/A
ACT range	32 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%
Total number of applicants	15,857	3,523
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	2,469
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	421
Yield rate	47.4%	17.1%
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	$71,116
Average net price	$17,912	$25,022
Tuition	$58,640	$51,568
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	$16,300
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $58,513	100.0% Average amount $37,096
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	75.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	3.0% Average amount $19,233

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	2,199 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	N/A	966 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	13.9%
International students	9.5%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,242	1,522
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 Colorado Oregon Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Psychology Multidisciplinary Studies Mathematics and Statistics Natural Resources and Conservation	Education Business Psychology Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	73.1%
Dropout rate	5.7%	26.3%
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 (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,339 Year 2: $108,331 Year 3: $119,946 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,181 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $87,697 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $86,536 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,207 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $72,426 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,833 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $68,615 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,015 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $67,476 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,013 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $61,957 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,519 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $60,193 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,458 Year 2: $52,562 Year 3: $54,948 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,425 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,097

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