


Colby-Sawyer College is a private college in New London, New Hampshire, whose history begins with the founding of New London Academy in 1837. It later became a women's institution before developing into the coeducational college it is today.
Its subsequent names included Colby Academy and Colby Junior College for Women. The present name reflects the Colby and Sawyer families' connections to the institution. That history helps explain a college that retains a small-campus setting while offering undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional preparation in health-related fields.
Colby-Sawyer offers a mix of liberal arts and professionally oriented programs rather than a large university's range of separate colleges. Its academic offerings include nursing and other health fields, business, education, the sciences, and the arts and humanities.
Examples of fields represented in its program offerings include biology, psychology, public health, business administration, and teacher preparation. Students comparing majors should check the current academic catalog for the exact degree, required courses, clinical or fieldwork components, and whether a program accepts new students in their intended term. These details matter particularly in nursing and other programs with sequenced requirements.
The reported student-to-faculty ratio is 10 to 1. That institution-wide measure describes enrollment relative to instructional faculty; it does not mean every class has ten students or that every course is taught by a full-time professor.
Colby-Sawyer College is in New London, a small town in central New Hampshire. Its setting is more residential and rural than urban, which can affect how students plan transportation, shopping, employment, and off-campus activities.
Students can walk between campus facilities, but a car may be useful for some trips beyond New London. First-year students are permitted to register or park a car on campus, subject to the college's current parking rules. Manchester-Boston Regional Airport is a regional air-travel option; students flying to campus should plan separately for the ground journey to New London.
Colby-Sawyer presents its educational purpose as combining liberal learning with practical experience and preparation for work and civic life. Its emphasis on applying classroom learning is relevant to students considering clinical training, fieldwork, internships, or other hands-on components of a degree.
A mission statement describes institutional priorities, not an independently measured outcome for every student. Applicants should compare that stated approach with the requirements and opportunities in their particular major. Colby-Sawyer is a private college, not a religiously affiliated institution.
Name of the institution
Colby-Sawyer CollegeLevel of institution
Four or more yearsControl of institution
PrivateSetting type
Rural: RemoteInstitutional Category
Degree - granting, primarily baccalaureate or aboveInstitution size category
Under 1,000School type
Comprehensive higher education institutionMain student body
CoeducationalCalendar system
SemestersFoundation year
1837Colby-Sawyer College is institutionally accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education, an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation confirms that the school meets quality standards and is required for students to receive federal financial aid.
Certificate of less than 1 year
Associate's degree
Bachelor's degree
Master's degree
Doctor's degree - otherData last updated on November 5, 2026
Data sources: IPEDS 2024-25, Peterson 2026, College Scorecard 10/2026, Clery 2024 (2023-24), OpenAlex 2026
Figures on this profile come from federal and third-party datasets in the editions listed above and are refreshed periodically, so they may differ from what the institution currently reports. Confirm costs, deadlines and requirements with the school before making decisions.