Quad

Head-to-head

Colby
Vassar

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Colby's yield is 16 pts higher than Vassar's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Colby is 3.0× more selective than Vassar

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    Colby grads earn $9.1K more ten years out than Vassar's ($80,490 vs. $71,366)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Vassar has 5 pts more Pell recipients than Colby (19% vs. 14%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    Vassar graduates 5 pts more of its students than Colby (92% vs. 88%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Vassar has 3 pts more first-gen students than Colby (14% vs. 11%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Colby admits 7.1%, Vassar 21%; Colby's yield is higher, at 46%.

Acceptance rate
Colby7.1%
Vassar21%
Quad's selectivity
  • ColbyHighly selective
  • VassarHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1400–1600
Colby
1460–1550
Vassar
1460–1520
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ColbySchool record required
  • VassarRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

Colby and Vassar are about the same size; Vassar has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Colby2.4K
Vassar2.4K
Pell Grant share
Colby14%
Vassar19%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at Colby, and Research and Experimental Psychology at Vassar; Vassar has 7 students per faculty member to Colby's 9.

Students per faculty member
Colby9 to 1
Vassar7 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ColbyEconometrics and Quantitative Economics17%
  • VassarResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other7%

What each costs

Colby costs about $2K less a year than Vassar on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Colby$54K
Vassar$56K
Aid generosity
Colby37%
Vassar36%

What each pays off

Colby's former students earn more, a median $80.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Colby$80.5K
Vassar$71.4K
Graduation rate
Colby88%
Vassar92%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ColbyGrowing+273%
  • VassarGrowing+60%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Vassar College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why