If your child wants to be on a tight-knit campus and is game to brave the Maine winter, then they’re probably hoping they’ll get into Colby College. And while they’re hoping, you’re probably wondering: Will they actually be able to get in? Well, dear reader, you’ve come to the right place. We at Ivy Coach are the college admissions experts, and we’re going to help answer your question from every possible angle. 

About Colby College

New England is home, of course, to four Ivy League schools, but it’s also home to the lion’s share of the “Little Ivies.” And Maine is home to three of them: Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby. Colby is the furthest north of the three, located in Watersville. In keeping with its location, it has an outdoorsy reputation. When they’re not studying, Colby students have a more wholesome time than other college kids and skip the keg stand for skiing, hiking, canoeing, climbing, and taking trips into the Maine wilderness. 

But what lies inside Colby’s building is pretty amazing, too. Though it’s a small school, Colby is home to a major art museum that boasts more than ten thousand artworks representing the full breadth of American art. They also have a sizeable collection of works by international artists from antiquity to the present. And if the arts are up your kid’s alley but they prefer the pen to the paintbrush, Colby has a unique creative writing program. 

Have more of a STEM student on your hands? Colby is a close collaborator with the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, one of the major players in studying ocean health. And Colby’s Earth Sciences students spend a significant amount of their study time doing field work in the inland Maine lakes region and the Appalachian region. 

If your child is hoping to try something new in college, one of the standout features of Colby is Jan Plan, an exploratory term during the month of January, encouraging students to look at the world through a new lens. 

This all sounds wonderful, right? Well, here’s the kicker: the acceptance rate for Colby College has plummeted in recent years, down to 8% for this year’s incoming freshman class. Prospective applicants should be aware that Colby has seen one of the most significant declines in acceptance rates among all elite schools.

Colby College Admissions Requirements

Fortunately or unfortunately, there’s no recipe for getting into college. Colby is no exception. The admissions officers at Colby practice a holistic review, “meaning there’s no set formula that guides our decisions,” they say. Though they consider each applicant in his or her own specific context, they evaluate every applicant’s academic performance, test scores, and extracurricular achievements. Let’s look more closely at each of these components. 

What Kind of GPA Is Necessary To Get Into Colby?

To evaluate Colby College’s GPA requirements, we simply need to examine the data. Easier said than done. Here’s the issue: Colby College isn’t transparent about the academic profile of admitted students. This data can usually be obtained from a quick scan of Colby’s entries for The Common Data Set Initiative.

The Common Data Set Initiative is a voluntary effort among colleges and universities to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education. Whereas most schools maintain an online database of Common Data Sets for public perusal, Colby is one of the few schools that actually does not participate in this initiative, making it somewhat of a challenge to obtain accurate admission information.

Based on Colby’s low acceptance rates, however, it’s safe to say that your kid should have a high GPA, ideally with the unweighted 4.0 territory. 

What Kind of SAT or ACT Scores Are Needed To Get Into Colby College? 

Of applicants who submitted test scores and were offered admission to the Colby College Class of 2029, the median SAT score was 1520 and the median ACT score was 34. Though Colby is officially test-optional, we recommend that you get your kid to study up on those tests and submit their scores, since not submitting test scores can only ever hurt an applicant’s chances. Yes, even to supposedly test-optional schools.

What Classes Do Students Need to Take to Get Into Colby College?

Colby does not explicitly state any minimum high school course preparation for applicants. However, we at Ivy Coach know that colleges want to see students excelling in each core subject (English, history, math, science, and foreign language) all four years of high school. Additionally, they expect students to take advantage of any AP or other advanced courses on offer to them. 

What Kinds of Extracurriculars Does Colby College Like To See?

Imagine, for a brief moment, that you have a major surgery coming up. You’re given the choice between two doctors. Dr. Smith knows a little bit about every single section of the human body and has performed every type of surgery exactly one time. Dr. Lewis knows everything there is to know about the area of the body you’re having operated on and has performed the surgery you’re going in for over 500 times. Are you picking Dr. Smith or Dr. Lewis? 

We’re going to assume that you’re sane and picked Dr. Lewis. Colleges, including Colby, are always looking for Dr. Lewis types of students: ones who have an area of excellence, are dedicated to it, and are going to come onto campus ready to further pursue it. 

The moral of the story? Depth over breadth! 

Colby College Application Requirements

Colby College accepts the Common App and Coalition App. They ask for one letter of recommendation from a counselor and two from teachers. They do not ask a supplemental question. 

Who Should Students Ask For Letters of Recommendation For Colby? 

Colby applicants should ask two junior year teachers in core subjects with whom they’ve had a good relationship and in whose classes they excelled. In addition, at least one of the recommender’s subject areas should fold in neatly with the rest of the student’s application: if an applicant wants to be Colby’s next great Shakespeare scholar, they should probably ask their AP Lit and Drama teachers to be their recommenders. 

Does Colby College Require an Interview? 

You can cross this off your list: they don’t even offer one. 

What Are Colby College’s Application Deadlines? 

Early Decision I applications to Colby are due November 15th. Regular Decision and Early Decision II applications are due January 5th.  

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Get Into Colby College

If you’re interested in discerning if your child has a shot of getting into Colby College, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into Colby College, but you’ll receive a game plan of how your child can optimize their admission to the best school possible.