Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Middlebury has 11 pts more first-gen students than Colby (22% vs. 11%)

    First-generation students
  2. 2

    Colby is 1.5× more selective than Middlebury

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    Colby costs about $4.2K less per year on average than Middlebury ($53,965 vs. $58,142, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Middlebury graduates 5 pts more of its students than Colby (93% vs. 88%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Colby's grants cover 37% of its full price on average, vs. 32% at Middlebury

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    Colby grads earn $4.2K more ten years out than Middlebury's ($80,490 vs. $76,310)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs

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%, Middlebury 11%; Colby's yield is higher, at 46%.

Acceptance rate
Colby7.1%
Middlebury11%
Quad's selectivity
  • ColbyHighly selective
  • MiddleburyHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Colby
1460–1550
Middlebury
1445–1550
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • ColbySchool record required
  • MiddleburyRigor, GPA, and rank very important

Who's on each campus

Middlebury is a bit larger than Colby (2,738 vs. 2,407 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Colby2.4K
Middlebury2.7K
Pell Grant share
Colby14%
Middlebury16%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at both; Middlebury has 8 students per faculty member to Colby's 9.

Students per faculty member
Colby9 to 1
Middlebury8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • ColbyEconometrics and Quantitative Economics17%
  • MiddleburyEconometrics and Quantitative Economics16%

What each costs

Colby costs about $4.2K less a year than Middlebury on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Colby$54K
Middlebury$58.1K
Aid generosity
Colby37%
Middlebury32%

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
Middlebury$76.3K
Graduation rate
Colby88%
Middlebury93%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • ColbyGrowing+273%
  • MiddleburyGrowing+53%
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

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