Cost of Attendance

The Cost of Attendance is an estimated total cost that is calculated to help students and their families understand what they should expect to spend for the upcoming academic year. The Cost of Attendance includes the comprehensive fee that will be billed the student account and any out-of-pocket expenses (not billed) that the student may incur, including personal expenses, books, and travel/transportation.

For more information regarding charges and payment, see our Student Charges & Payment Schedule page.

The comprehensive fee previously combined tuition, housing and food and included an allocation for the Student Government Association and funding for use of college health services (not including student health insurance). The comprehensive fee has now been broken out to separate tuition, housing, food and the general fee. 

**Travel/transportation costs vary depending upon the U.S. or Canadian home address.

Incoming first-year students will be billed the Colby Outdoor Orientation Trips (COOT) fee of $500.

Colby requires all students, including students participating in Colby-billed programs (such as Colby at Bigelow Laboratory, Colby in Dijon, Colby in Salamanca, Dartmouth Engineering Dual- Degree Program, and Associated Kyoto in Japan), to certify proof of health insurance coverage on an annual basis. To meet this requirement, students must either demonstrate their own insurance coverage or enroll in the Colby Student Health Insurance Plan (“Colby SHIP”), administered by the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (and brokered by Varney Benefit Advisors).  

The Colby SHIP (also known as the “Anthem” plan) is a major medical insurance plan that utilizes the national Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield network of medical doctors and hospitals, and it is fully compliant with the Affordable Care Act. It is designed to align with the medical services available through the Colby student health center at MaineGeneral College Health. For more information, students can review the plan’s summary of benefits, provider network, and exclusions.

In July, all students (who will be enrolled in a Colby-billed program in the fall) will be charged for the $2,628 annual premium for Colby SHIP coverage beginning on August 1 and ending July 31 of the following year. For any students who will not be enrolled in a Colby-billed program in the fall, and will be returning to Colby for the spring semester only, the half-year premium of $1,527 will be charged for coverage beginning on January 1 and ending July 31. For students who already have comparable health insurance coverage with a U.S.-based provider, these charges will be removed upon successful completion of the online waiver form. 

Every year, all students must complete the online enrollment or waiver form in order to enroll in the Colby SHIP, or to waive coverage. The form is due by August 1 for full-year coverage, and by January 1 for spring-only coverage. Students electing to waive Colby’s insurance plan must provide proof of their own coverage comparable by submitting their current insurance information. The Colby SHIP premium charge will only be removed when a student’s waiver request has been approved. 

Some students receiving financial aid qualify for federal work-study. Federal work-study is a federal aid program that provides part-time employment while you are enrolled in school to help pay your educational expenses. Students interested in participating in the America Reads program MUST have a federal work-study award.

Income from a student’s work-study or employment can be used to pay for any out-of-pocket expenses that may be incurred. Students may also elect to use their work-study earnings toward any balances due on their Student Accounts.

For more information regarding student employment, visit the Student Employment General Information page.