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NESCAC. MAYFLOWER HILL, WATERVILLE, MAINE.

Colby College

Colby is a college of about 2,350 students on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine, an hour from Sugarloaf, where the alpine team trains on Narrow Gauge, the only trail in the region homologated for all four alpine disciplines, out of its own space in the Alfond Competition Center. A one-course January term frees the month the carnival season begins. Aid meets full need without loans, admission is need-aware, and the 8 percent admit rate is the tightest in Maine.

Waterville, ME

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ColbyMules · Ski team

Photo: Colby Mariam, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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NCAA divisionEISA · NCAA skiing
D3
Students (all undergraduate)Fall 2025
2,354
AdmittedClass of 2030
8%
Estimated cost of attendance (low)2026-27
$97,020
Home hillCarrabassett Valley, ME
Sugarloaf
Drive to SugarloafPublished by Colby Athletics
1 hour
Roster athletes2026-27
16
NCAA power rankscore 42.04
#11

Why Colby?

Why racerslook at Colby

The strongest alpine results of the Maine NESCAC schools, a mountain built for speed events, and a January that belongs to the athlete.

  • Sugarloaf ski resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, the Colby alpine team's training mountain

    Narrow Gauge and the Alfond Competition Center

    Sugarloaf's Narrow Gauge is homologated for slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill, has hosted the U.S. Alpine Championships eight times, and the Alfond Competition Center gives Colby tuning space and a coaches' video room.(colbyathletics.com)

  • Sugarloaf Mountain rising above Carrabassett Valley in early autumn

    Jan Plan

    Colby's January term is a single exploratory course, which the program describes as focused training time during the dedicated one-month term.(colbyathletics.com)

  • Sugarloaf's snow-covered summit and trails seen from the Whiffletree lift area

    All-American results in 2026

    Townsend Mikell took 4th in giant slalom and First Team All-American at the 2026 NCAA Championships, and Carissa Cassidy repeated as a slalom All-American in 5th.(colbyathletics.com)

  • The Colby College Museum of Art entrance with new signage during a summer event

    No loans, and $0 under $75,000

    Colby meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans; parents earning $75,000 or less with typical assets pay nothing, and contributions are capped at $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000 up to $200,000.(afa.colby.edu)

About the school

The honest version.

What the school is, what it is known for, and what a family should weigh before committing.

Colby is a private liberal arts college of about 2,350 students on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, a small city in central Maine about an hour north of Portland. Founded in 1813, it has been building aggressively: a large new athletics center, a performing arts center, the first AI institute at a liberal arts college, and a science complex due in 2030. Jan Plan, a one-course January term, is the academic feature that matters most to a racer, because it frees the whole month for NorAm, Eastern Cup and carnival starts. The ski program went varsity in 1987 and races at the NCAA level on the EISA circuit even though the college itself is NESCAC Division III. The alpine team trains at Sugarloaf, an hour from campus, on Narrow Gauge, the only trail in the East homologated for all four disciplines, and has its own space in the Alfond Competition Center at the base. Aid meets full need without loans, and families earning under $75,000 pay nothing. Admission, at 8 percent, is the tightest of the Maine schools.

Know before you commit

  • Very selective and need-aware: 8% of applicants were admitted to the Class of 2030, and Colby considers financial need in admission decisions.(afa.colby.edu)
  • High sticker price with no merit or athletic scholarships: estimated cost of attendance is $97,020-$98,270 for 2026-27 and all aid is need-based.(afa.colby.edu)
  • Remote: Waterville is a small central Maine city, and the training hill at Sugarloaf is an hour's drive each way.(colbyathletics.com)
  • Thin women's depth in 2026: at the UVM Carnival giant slalom the women's team had one finisher and placed 10th of 13.(colbyathletics.com)

Feel the campus

From first tracks to final exams.

Credited archive photographs of the campus, the town and the hill; not current team photography.

4 of 4 photos shown

Ski team experience

Mule alpineon the EISA circuit

Colby alpine went varsity in 1987 and races the EISA carnival circuit and the NCAA single-division championship, hosting the Colby Carnival at Sugarloaf. Head coach Eric Harlow, in charge since 2020, runs a fall of five off-snow workouts a week, a November move on snow at Sugarloaf, a Thanksgiving camp, December Eastern Cup FIS races and a January of training inside Jan Plan. In 2026 the program sent a record eight skiers (four alpine, four nordic) to the NCAA Championships.

View official roster
Team athletes
16
Men / women
9 / 7
International athletes
2
Varsity since
1987
Conference
EISA
Alpine disciplines
SL + GS

Where Christina fits today

Not a selection or admission prediction.

  • SLScorer
    34.63 · 1st of 7

    Scoring line 49.43.

  • GSScorer
    48.80 · 2nd of 8

    Scoring line 52.53.

  • SGScorer
    109.11 · 1st of 7

    Scoring line 188.14.

  • DHScorer
    200.61 · 1st of 5

    Scoring line 640.83.

Clear · Back to Christina's profile

Academics

What you can study.

Colby runs two semesters around Jan Plan, a January term in which students take one exploratory course, so the month the EISA season opens is lighter than a normal semester. The college lists 46 majors and 37 minors, including new programs in public health, marine science and data science, with a science complex due in 2030.

  • 2,354
    Students (all undergraduate)
  • 46
    Majors

8 featured fields · full catalog

  • Computer ScienceQuantitative
    One of 46 majors listed on the Colby majors page.
  • EconomicsSocial science
    A STEM-designated major (CIP 45.0603, Econometrics and Quantitative Economics).
  • GovernmentSocial science
    Colby's political science department, with fellowships and student research programs.
  • Biology: NeuroscienceScience
    A neuroscience track within the biology major, alongside Cell and Molecular Biology and Ecology and Evolution.
  • Computational BiologyScience
    A standalone major in the biology department.
  • Environmental StudiesEnvironment
    A department with its own program page and the Perkins Arboretum on campus.
  • Public HealthHealth
    One of the new programs Colby cites in its Class of 2030 announcement.
  • Data ScienceQuantitative
    A new program named alongside public health and marine science.
Explore majors

Source: colby.edu

Admissions

Your path here.

Testing
test-optional(afa.colby.edu)
Application deadline
January 4 (regular decision and ED II); November 15 (ED I)(afa.colby.edu)
  1. Apply free through the Common App, Coalition Application or QuestBridge; no writing supplement is required
  2. Have your school send the transcript, secondary school report, one counselor recommendation and two teacher recommendations
  3. Submit test scores (self-reported is fine) or notify admissions that you are not submitting
  4. Early decision applicants add the Early Decision Agreement; aid applicants file the CSS Profile and FAFSA by the same deadline
Admissions details

Test scores

What admitted students scored.

Test-optional · admitted submitters, Class of 2030

  • SAT total1430 – 1520
  • ACT composite33 – 34

Middle 50%: a quarter scored below the low figure and a quarter above the high one. Source: news.colby.edu

Acceptance rate

How selective it is.

8%Class of 2030 (21,065 applicants)
  • Admitted
  • Not admitted

Colby admitted 8 percent of 21,065 applicants to the Class of 2030, is test-optional, and is need-aware. NESCAC coaches can advocate for a recruit but cannot offer, promise or guarantee admission.

Source: news.colby.edu

Cost & financial aid

What a year costs.

2026-27 published figures.

Published costs
Tuition and fees$75,790
Food and housing$19,480
Personal and books (estimate)$1,700
COOT orientation fee (first-years)$500
Estimated cost of attendance (low)$97,020
Estimated cost of attendance (high)$98,270

Travel is estimated at $50 to $1,300 depending on home address; health insurance is billed unless waived. Colby meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans, guarantees a $0 parent contribution under $75,000 with typical assets, and caps contributions at $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000 for incomes up to $100,000, $150,000 and $200,000. Admission is need-aware, there are no merit or athletic scholarships, and students who skip the aid application at admission wait two years for institutional aid.(afa.colby.edu)

Financial aid information

Location

Campus, hill, airport.

Colby College, Mayflower Hill

The campus sits on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, a small city in central Maine; Colby also runs an Island Campus on the coast.

Open in Maps · source

Student life

Beyond the hill.

  • COOT before classes

    Every first-year starts with a Colby Outdoor Orientation Trip over Labor Day weekend, from Appalachian Trail backpacking and sea kayaking to yoga on campus; the fee is $500.(life.colby.edu)

  • Outing Club and Aidan's Wall

    The Colby Outing Club is the largest club on campus with more than 300 members a year and trips every weekend, and Aidan's Climbing Wall sits inside the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center.(life.colby.edu)

  • DavisConnects

    Since 2017 DavisConnects has provided more than $11 million for internships, research and global experiences, guaranteed regardless of ability to pay.(news.colby.edu)

Athlete voices

Real stories.

  • “For Townsend to ski the way he did in his home state, in front of his family and friends was truly something special.”
    Eric Harlow, head alpine coach · source
  • “Outside of the amazing academics, I was drawn to the ways students are able to serve and lead, particularly through programs like Colby Cares about Kids and Colby EMS.”
    Stella Nehro '30, early-decision admit · source

Alumni & outcomes

What came next.

Alpine All-American honors since 2003 (through 2025)(colbyathletics.com)
29
Alpine All-Americans at the 2026 NCAA Championships(colbyathletics.com)
2
All-American awards across Colby athletics in 2025-26, a school record(colbyathletics.com)
30
DavisConnects funding for internships, research and travel since 2017(news.colby.edu)
$11M+

Related programs

You might also look at.

Sources, rights and updates

Where this comes from.

Every figure carries its reporting period and a link. Rosters and points come from official rosters and FIS or USCSA results. Photographs are Wikimedia Commons archive images under open licences, credited on each image.

27 source pages across 7 sites

Your future in skiing starts here

Ready to learn more about Colby?

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