Admission

Colby requires official results of either the College Board SAT Reasoning Test, the American College Test (ACT), or the SAT Subject Tests in three different subject areas of the applicant's choice. A foreign language Subject Test is recommended for students seeking to fulfill the College’s language requirement in this manner. All required tests must be taken no later than January of the senior year. Early-decision candidates must take these tests earlier in their senior year or in their junior year. Applicants must request that test results be sent to Colby directly from the appropriate testing agency. Information for students taking the College Board tests is available online at www.collegeboard.com/testing. Students taking ACT tests can find information online at www.actstudent.org. The Colby College institutional codes are 3280 for the SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests and 1638 for the ACT. Candidates planning to submit only ACT results are encouraged to take the ACT with the optional writing test component.

Colby participates in the Advanced Placement Program of the College Board. Credits will be recorded on the Colby transcript for official AP scores of 4 or 5, and, where appropriate, advanced course placement will be granted. These credits may also be applied to certain academic areas of the College’s distribution requirement (See Academic Requirements section), but AP credits may not be counted toward the 128 credits required for graduation. 

Colby also recognizes the International Baccalaureate and offers advanced placement and credit based on individual Higher Level examination results, as well as performance on the full IB Diploma program. At the discretion of individual academic departments, advanced placement may be earned for scores of 6 and 7 on Higher Level examinations. A full year of credit toward the 128 credits required for graduation and up to two full semesters toward residency requirement may be earned for an IB Diploma point total of 36 or better, assuming all examination scores are 5 or better.

Finally, students who receive an A or B (superior level) on A-levels or comparable scores on the Leaving Certificate (Ireland), the Abitur (Germany), or the Baccalaureate (France) may be eligible for credit and advanced placement.