Private Nonprofit Graduate Fair 53/100

Colby-Sawyer College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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New London, New Hampshire

About Colby-Sawyer College

Thinking about Colby-Sawyer College, a college in New Hampshire where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Colby-Sawyer College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in New London, New Hampshire. It enrolls 771 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
80.1%
Graduation
58.6%
Net Price
$27,431
Median Earnings (10yr)
$46,474
Enrollment
771
Student : Faculty
10:1

Accreditor New England Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Fair
53/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 55
Value 10
Affordability 23
Selectivity 42

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Colby-Sawyer College admits 80.1% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
80.1%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Colby-Sawyer College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Stable ↑ 0.4 pts since 2019
89.6%201991%202093.1%202178%202290%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $27,431 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$27,431
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
23%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
66%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$19,125
Room & Board (on-campus)
$17,364
Room & Board (off-campus)
$16,840
Books & Supplies
$2,000
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,450
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$3,500
Total Cost of Attendance
$38,527

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $22,456
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $19,687
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $24,437
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $27,412
  • Over $110,000
    $29,679

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$5,500
10% percentile
$12,000
25% percentile
$27,000
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$31,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $19,500 ↓ $7,500
No Pell $18,825 ↓ $8,175
Dependent students $19,500 ↓ $7,500
Independent students $12,500 ↓ $14,500
Female students $15,750 ↓ $11,250
Male students $23,750 ↓ $3,250
Pell recipients: 17.8% (4,794 students)No Pell: 17.1% (4,628 students)Dependent students: 17.8% (4,794 students)Independent students: 11.4% (3,073 students)Female students: 14.3% (3,872 students)Male students: 21.6% (5,839 students)Overall Median$27,000
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, less than completers ($27,000), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

59% of students who start here finish within six years, and 79% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
59%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
79%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $46,474 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$46,474
Earning > $25K
80%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$37,000$39,000$42,000$45,000$48,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$45,700

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$52,200

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$47,000

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$46,100

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$48,600

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $6,500, about 12% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 12.5 pts across 6 years
82.6%1yr84.5%3yr95.1%7yr
What this signals: Excellent. 95% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 771 students, a small, close-knit community.

Total Enrolled
771
Part-Time
7%
First-Generation
24%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 77.8% 600
Black 3.8% 29
Hispanic 2.7% 21
International 1.8% 14
Asian 1.2% 9
Other 0.8% 6
White: 77.8% (600 students)Black: 3.8% (29 students)Hispanic: 2.7% (21 students)International: 1.8% (14 students)Asian: 1.2% (9 students)Other: 0.8% (6 students)Total771

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Colby-Sawyer College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Rural: Remote New London, New Hampshire
Housing
Strongly residential 884 beds for 771 students
Adult Learners
15% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Business graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Colby-Sawyer College offers a varied set of programs: 24 distinct programs across 16 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

6 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program
1 Program
2 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$104M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$69,482
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

54 instructional faculty across 3 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 15 28% $86,001
Associate Professors 6 11% $69,753
Assistant Professors 33 61% $61,924

Pros & Cons of Colby-Sawyer College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Colby-Sawyer College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
  • Most students take on federal loans
Best for: Based on the data, Colby-Sawyer College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Colby-Sawyer College

The questions families ask most about Colby-Sawyer College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Colby-Sawyer College hard to get into?
Not especially. Colby-Sawyer College admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 80.1%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Colby-Sawyer College?
80.1% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Colby-Sawyer College cost?
Budget around $27,431 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Colby-Sawyer College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $46,474 a year against a net price of $27,431, about 1.7 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Colby-Sawyer College known for?
Mostly Nursing, Kinesiology, Business Administration. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Colby-Sawyer College graduates earn?
About $46,474 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Colby-Sawyer College accredited?
Yes. Colby-Sawyer College is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend Colby-Sawyer College?
771 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Colby-Sawyer College?
59% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Colby-Sawyer College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Colby-Sawyer College located?
Colby-Sawyer College is located in New London, New Hampshire.
What programs does Colby-Sawyer College offer?
24 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Kinesiology, Business Administration. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Colby-Sawyer College?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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