Non-Profit Private
Accredited · New England Commission on Higher Education
New London, New Hampshire
90% Acceptance Rate
Colby-Sawyer College — Admission Snapshot 2026
A complete at-a-glance picture of every metric that matters for your 2026 application
90%Acceptance Rate
$65,807Annual Cost
$46,474Grad Salary
23%Pell Grant
Acceptance Rate
90%
Selectivity
Inclusive
Institution Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Accredited By
New England Commission on Higher Education
SAT Middle 50%
-40–30
Need-Based Aid
23% receive Pell
Colby-Sawyer College is a private, liberal arts college in New Hampshire that focuses on personalized education and professional preparation. Admissions are holistic, evaluating students on their potential for academic success and their contribution to the campus community. The college values individuals who are looking for a supportive environment where faculty mentorship and experiential learning are central to the academic experience.
A standout application to Colby-Sawyer highlights a student's willingness to engage in small-group discussions and their desire to pursue leadership roles. Applicants should emphasize extracurricular achievements particularly in service organizations or student government as these demonstrate a capacity for teamwork and initiative. Showing a clear approach to one's future career plans and how a values-centered education will facilitate those goals is a strong strategy.
Colby-Sawyer College Acceptance Rate
Colby-Sawyer College (Colby-Sawyer) runs an open-access admission policy — with a 90% acceptance rate, the focus is on getting qualified students in, not filtering them out.
What to Expect
- Eligibility First: A high school diploma or GED typically clears the main bar.
- Plan Ahead for Placement: Placement tests can shape which courses you start in — worth preparing for.
Selectivity at a Glance
Inclusive
Selectivity scale: Inclusive — 90% acceptance rate
Most Selective (0%)Open Enrollment (100%)
Source: IPEDS & College Scorecard (Nov 2025).
Colby-Sawyer College Application Deadlines & Admission Dates 2026
The application deadline for Colby-Sawyer College is December 1 for Early Action applicants, with additional plans listed below.
Key Admission Dates
⏳ 121 days left — Early Action
Early Action
December 1
Regular
February 1
💡 The scholarship deadline (December 1, 2026) often falls before the regular admission deadline. Submit your application and FAFSA early to be considered for maximum aid.
Deadlines are verified from official institutional sources but may change each cycle. Always confirm final dates on the official website.
Check Your Admission Chances at Colby-Sawyer
Admission Chance Predictor
Real-Time Sensitive Analysis — based on Colby-Sawyer College's verified institutional data
--%
Calculating Profile...
Adjust the sliders to see how every decimal point affects your outcome.
Your SAT Score 1200
Your Unweighted GPA 3.00
⚠️ Note: Predicting based on regional averages as this institution does not publicly report full score datasets.
Calculated via College Portal's Human-Intelligence (HI) Methodology & Editorial Standards. Verified by Sohaib Ahmad Khan.
Colby-Sawyer College (Colby-Sawyer) Test Requirements
Standardized scores still matter here: aim for the middle 50% range of the 2026 admitted class below, and if Colby-Sawyer is test-optional, a high score submitted voluntarily still helps with merit scholarships.
Can I Get Into Colby-Sawyer Without SAT or ACT?
Colby-Sawyer neither requires nor recommends test scores. Submit yours only if it's above the state or national average — otherwise, leaving it off works in your favor.
Your 2026 Admissions Roadmap for Colby-Sawyer
Accessible Strategy: Academic Foundation
Colby-Sawyer is accessible to students who show core competency. Focus on proving readiness for college-level work and locking in financial aid.
Never conflate this with Colby College in Maine - it's litigated, not just similar
In 1974, Colby-Sawyer's predecessor tried renaming itself "Colby College-New Hampshire," and the unrelated Colby College in Waterville, Maine sued and won; when the school tried "Colby Women's College" instead, Colby of Maine sued again and won a second time. That history is exactly why the school ended up hyphenated as "Colby-Sawyer" - treat any transcript, recommendation, or legacy reference to plain "Colby College" in a New Hampshire context as almost certainly not this school.
Use the optional short-response essay precisely because it's easy to skip
Colby-Sawyer's supplemental writing prompt (recently an optional roughly 250-word response naming up to three formative interests) is not required, so most applicants skip it. A student who writes it anyway - especially tying those interests to a specific Colby-Sawyer program - stands out simply by making an effort most peers won't; confirm the exact current-cycle wording directly, since it can change year to year.
Name the Dartmouth Health partnership specifically for nursing applicants
Colby-Sawyer's nursing program has a long-standing clinical partnership with Dartmouth Health/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center - the state's largest and only academic health system - which has historically extended employment offers to 100% of Colby-Sawyer's graduating nurses. A nursing-track applicant should reference this partnership directly in application materials as concrete, verifiable outcomes evidence.
Treat the equestrian and ski programs as genuine recruiting pathways
Colby-Sawyer fields real, actively recruited teams in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association and Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association alongside standard NCAA Division III GNAC sports - not informal clubs. A student with an equestrian or ski racing background should reach out to those coaches directly during the application process, since recruiting outreach at this level often runs coach-to-family rather than through general admissions.
Expert Insight:
Because the school has changed its name and mission repeatedly (New London Academy ? Colby Academy ? Colby School for Girls ? Colby Junior College ? briefly "Colby College-New Hampshire" and "Colby Women's College" ? Colby-Sawyer College), inherited family knowledge or outdated web content about "Colby" in New London can easily misdescribe the school's current coed, four-year liberal arts identity - verify any assumptions against the school's current programs rather than relying on legacy reputation.
Colby-Sawyer Profile
Full Name
Colby-Sawyer College (Colby-Sawyer)
City
New London
State
New Hampshire
ZIP Code
03257-7835
Type
Non-Profit Private
Campus
Main Campus
Official Website
Accredited By
New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE)
Is a Colby-Sawyer Degree Worth It?
Whether Colby-Sawyer is worth it depends less on its reputation and more on your program choice, financial aid package, and career goals — here's the data to weigh it against.
The average household income among admitted students is $75,800, with a graduate unemployment rate of 2.61%.
How much does a degree from Colby-Sawyer Cost?
The sticker price is $65,807/year, but the average net price students actually pay — after Pell and federal grants — is typically much lower.
23% of students receive a Pell Grant and 68.6% take federal loans at Colby-Sawyer — file your FAFSA early and list Colby-Sawyer as a choice to be considered for both.
How much does a Colby-Sawyer Graduate earn?
Median earnings 10 years after enrollment (roughly 4–6 years post-graduation) are $46,474 — about 14% above the U.S. median graduate income.
Degree Programs at Colby-Sawyer
Bachelor Degree Programs
Masters Degree Programs
Associate Degree Programs
Frequently Asked Questions About Colby-Sawyer Admissions
Median earnings for Colby-Sawyer College graduates sit around $46,474 a year.
At about $65,807 a year, Colby-Sawyer College's cost is on the higher end; look closely at aid options.
Colby-Sawyer College's Pell Grant rate of 23.0% sits below the national average — merit-based aid is worth checking regardless of income.
At 90%, Colby-Sawyer College's acceptance rate is on the more attainable end compared to top-tier selective schools.
The application deadline for Colby-Sawyer College is December 1 for Early Action applicants.
The scholarship/financial aid priority deadline is December 1, 2026. Submit FAFSA before then for maximum consideration.
Yes — transfers are common. Have transcripts, recommendation letters, and a solid personal statement ready to make your case.
Strong academics, a focused extracurricular profile, and standout essays move the needle most — along with a competitive SAT/ACT score where relevant.
Explore Other Options
Acceptance Rate of all New Hampshire Colleges
Average SAT Score of New Hampshire Colleges
Average ACT Score
Admissions deadlines of Colleges in New Hampshire
Bachelor Programs in New Hampshire
Test Optional Colleges in New Hampshire
SAT Score Wise Best Colleges
ACT Score Wise Best Colleges
Rolling Admissions Colleges in New Hampshire