Colby Admissions and Financial Aid

Connecting with Waterville and Maine

A tradition of partnership.
A spirit of community exchange.

We’ve been working together since 1931, when the city of Waterville helped Colby raise funds to purchase our 714-acre campus on Mayflower Hill. These historic ties between the College and the city it calls home foster reciprocity and a civic partnership that benefits both communities — and grows stronger each day.

The Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons

The Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons is a living and learning community that offers apartment-style residences in the heart of downtown Waterville. It is home to 200 Colby students, faculty, and staff who are deeply engaged in our city, while also serving and supporting a variety of business, civic, and community organizations.

Watch the Video
Exterior view of Bill & Joan Alfond Main Street Commons building with sunlight reflecting off windows

Volunteering and Civic Engagement

Compassion is a lifelong virtue that is strengthened through experience. At Colby you’ll combine energy, heart, and smarts to make positive and lasting contributions to local and far-flung communities. Colby students invest thousands of hours each year — mentoring kids, building community, addressing inequities, and launching bold new ideas for productive, cooperative engagement. In short: you’ll grow as a person while improving the world around you.

Office of Civic Engagement
A man and woman exit a cafe together smiling with a decorative sign promoting lemonade in the entrance

Colby Cares About Kids

Colby Cares About Kids (CCAK) is a mentoring program for local children facilitated by Colby student volunteers. CCAK began with an English course that integrated classroom learning with community engagement — now it’s one of the largest student groups on campus.

CCAK Celebrates 20 Years
Two smiling girls sit at a table with red checkered tablecloths holding a drink with a straw in a lively setting

Downtown Waterville

Students enjoy Waterville’s restaurants, walk with friends along the RiverWalk, and engage with artistic performances.

Read about our partnership in the Boston Globe
The RiverWalk at Head of Falls is a park along the Kennebec River in one of Waterville’s most important historic districts.
Many displays throughout downtown provide unique narratives about the history of the Kennebec Valley.
Waterville is home to restaurants and cafés featuring cuisine from around the world.
The Colby Shuttle provides free and convenient transportation between Main Street and the Mayflower Hill campus.
Urban street view featuring modern buildings a clear sky and traffic on Appleton Street

Explore Waterville
Collaborations on Main Street

Collaborative partnerships and strong investments have contributed much toward the revitalization of Waterville’s downtown—including the transformation of historic buildings.

The Paul J. Schupf Art Center, opened in 2022, includes a contemporary gallery of the Colby College Museum of Art, Railroad Square Cinema, Common Street Arts gallery, and multidisciplinary educational spaces.

Opened in September 2021, Greene Block + Studios provides vibrant programming and artist studios for Colby students, faculty, and the greater Waterville community.

The Lockwood is a 53-room hotel that acknowledges Waterville’s rich heritage of innovation and industry. The hotel’s restaurant, Front & Main, focuses on ingredients from Maine farmers and harvesters.