Hampshire College vs Colby College

Hampshire College and Colby College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Hampshire, known for its innovative approach, boasts a 45% acceptance rate, while Colby's selectivity is reflected in its 15% acceptance rate. Hampshire's student body is diverse, with 43% identifying as students of color, compared to Colby's 29%. While Colby's student body is predominantly female (58%), Hampshire's gender distribution is more balanced (49% female, 51% male). Both colleges excel in academics, with Colby's graduation rate slightly higher at 89% compared to Hampshire's 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' majors, costs, and other factors that may influence your decision.

	Colby College	Hampshire College
Overview
Location	Waterville, Maine	Amherst, 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%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.9%	75.1%
Application fees
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	1,340
Total number of admissions given out	1,407	1,007
Admitted students who chose to enroll	667	133
Yield rate	47.4%	13.2%
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	$66,658
Average net price	$17,912	$30,168
Tuition	$58,640	$51,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $7,595	Room/dormitory: $8,520 Meal plan: $5,912
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 $36,653
Students receiving federal student loan	8.0% Average amount $5,140	64.0% Average amount $4,793
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $18,242	1.0% Average amount $8,793

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,262 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	472 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	9.5%	6.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,242	1,180
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	Visual & Performing Arts English Language and Literature Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.6%	62.4%
Dropout rate	5.7%	37.3%
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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,720 Year 2: $19,829 Year 3: $23,704

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