The Future of Colby-Sawyer College

No. Colby-Sawyer College is financially strong, and we will continue our recent growth in programs by adding an online MBA, Master of Exercise Science, Master of Social Work and Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in 2023. Students can expect the same outstanding classroom, field experience, internship, student life and athletics experiences that they have come to expect from a Colby-Sawyer education. In recent years, the college has significantly increased funding for internships and research opportunities in addition to grant programs funded by the National Science Foundation and the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network.

We will break ground on two new buildings in 2023-24: the Charger Athletics Pavilion on Kelsey Athletic Campus and a new home for health sciences in the center of campus; maintain the growth of the campus Wi-Fi network; and continue to invest over $1 million per year in capital improvements to existing facilities.

No. Colby-Sawyer College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. An accredited college or university is one that has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

A student’s commitment to leadership, engagement and scholastic achievement can qualify them for a variety of recognitions from Colby-Sawyer College. Need-based aid is awarded based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Additionally, the college offers competitive awards for which new students may apply.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, students at Colby-Sawyer currently graduate with the same median total debt and the same typical monthly loan payment (based on a standard 10-year loan) as students who graduate from New Hampshire state universities. We have worked diligently for years to keep costs low for students, and we are committed to continuing to work with families to do whatever we can to alleviate the need for increased borrowing.

No. The college is financially sound and its programs are robust. In fiscal year 2022, the college raised $11.7 million, marking the second-highest single-year fundraising total in its 184-year history, and our endowment has nearly doubled in recent years. Our partnership with Dartmouth Health supports not only our undergraduate nursing, master’s level nursing and associate level professional programs, but also provides internships in other fields, such as biology, business and graphic design. The new health sciences facility, currently under construction and slated to open in Spring 2024, will be an asset to students in all programs at the college.

We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary generosity of our alumni and donors, and it is because of them that we are now able to guarantee all students will start with a $17,500 tuition and continue to offer further aid. We received an unprecedented level of giving in the past two years, including the largest gift in our 184-year history, ensuring the financial stability of the college and gifting the possibility of a Colby-Sawyer education to generations of students.

Our alumni and donors contribute to Colby-Sawyer College because they believe in our transformative education; they want to join us in discovering our potential to build a better world. Their support is an investment in the future of Colby-Sawyer College and helps shape the direction of the college for years to come. Even at the lower tuition price, endowed scholarships represent only 22 percent of the total institutional aid given to our students in order for them to enroll. Additional support to our annual fund and endowment will allow us to expand on our commitment to creating opportunities for students to explore, connect and make a difference in the world.