Colby is guided by the principle that the most-talented students from every background should have access to the best possible education regardless of their families’ financial circumstances. Colby’s financial aid program has been recognized nationally as among the most generous for the students with greatest financial need. Since 2014, Colby has increased its financial aid budget by 157 percent, and its Pell-eligible population has increased by 172 percent.
Through the Colby Commitment, the College meets 100 percent of each admitted student’s demonstrated financial need with grants instead of student loans in financial aid packages. Families with a total income of $75,000 or less can expect a parent or guardian contribution of $0. For families earning up to $200,000, Colby’s Fair Shot Fund ensures the parent or guardian contribution will not exceed $20,000.
Premier facilities are essential to the College’s commitment to excellence in all endeavors. Over the past decade, the College has invested heavily in state-of-the-art spaces that advance learning, creativity, and wellness. The 350,000-square-foot Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center is the most advanced and comprehensive NCAA D-III facility in the country and has become a center for training, competition, and recreation for the community. The 74,000-square-foot Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts is the largest academic building in Colby’s history and provides innovative performance and teaching space for theater, dance, music, and cinema studies.
These investments build on other major projects that have redefined the campus environment, including new residence halls along Johnson Pond designed to foster community among first- and second-year students; a suite-style residence hall on Mayflower Hill Drive to be completed in 2026; the renovated and expanded Grossman Hall, home to the DavisConnects program, which supports research, internships, global experiences, and postgraduate planning in an entirely new way; and a 500-acre island campus on Allen and Benner Islands in Maine’s Muscongus Bay, which provides unparalleled opportunities for research, teaching, and creative exploration across disciplines.
Colby students have access to centers of thought and action that provide mentoring, resources, networks, and funding to extend learning beyond the classroom. Among these, the Colby Labs bring together multidisciplinary approaches and partnerships to test solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges: the Buck Lab for Climate and Environment drives collaborations to address urgent, evolving environmental issues; the Halloran Lab for Entrepreneurship equips students with the education and practical opportunities to launch and strengthen ventures; the Linde Packman Lab for Biosciences Innovation prepares students to become leaders in science and medicine through direct engagement with top labs in Maine and across the nation conducting advanced research and life-saving discovery; the Lyons Arts Lab empowers students to experiment, refine, and realize bold creative projects; and the Public Policy Lab, Colby’s newest, engages students directly in policy research, analysis, and implementation.
Alongside these labs, the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence—the first interdisciplinary AI institute at a liberal arts college—facilitates interdisciplinary, human-centered scholarship using rich datasets with real-world consequences and prepares students for a future where AI is transforming industries, careers, and modes of discovery, creativity, and scholarship.
Colby College has made the arts central to its mission of educating talented, civically minded young people who ask hard questions, discover new perspectives, and make important contributions. That commitment has created a dynamic arts ecosystem that extends from campus into the heart of downtown Waterville, ensuring that students, staff, faculty, and community members alike have access to exceptional spaces, programs, and opportunities. The Paul J. Schupf Art Center—developed in partnership with Waterville Creates—brings together the Maine Film Center, Ticonic Gallery + Studios, the historic Waterville Opera House, and the Colby College Museum of Art’s Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art. One block south, Greene Block + Studios fosters artistic creation, collaboration, and community engagement, supporting the work of students, scholars, educators, and artists from Maine and beyond. Anchoring this ecosystem is the Colby College Museum of Art—widely regarded as the finest college art museum in the nation—and the Lunder Institute for American Art, which together advance scholarship and creative practice while positioning Colby as a nationally and internationally recognized center for the arts.
Through meaningful partnerships, Colby has been advancing a rejuvenation strategy to establish Waterville as a destination for the arts, shopping, and recreation since 2015. To date, the College has invested over $85 million in downtown projects, catalyzing more than $160 million in additional public, private, and philanthropic investment.
Beyond the financial investment, Colby’s projects have reactivated Main Street by drawing new businesses, cultural organizations, and residents to the city center. The addition of spaces such as the Lockwood Hotel and the Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons has created a vibrant mix of commercial, residential, and cultural activity that attracts visitors year-round. These developments not only strengthen Waterville’s economic vitality but also foster a welcoming downtown that connects students, residents, and visitors in a shared community hub.