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Drawing of Bowdoin College Chapel

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, Maine · Private, a town near a city · 1,873 undergraduates

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Is it hard to get into Bowdoin?

The middle half of admitted students scored in these ranges: a quarter scored lower, a quarter higher. Fall 2024 admissions, from the College Scorecard.

Acceptance rate
7.1%
10,966 applied
SAT, middle half
1470 to 1550
Reading plus math, out of 1600
ACT, middle half
33 to 35
Composite, out of 36
Test scores this year
Optional: considered if sent
57% of admitted students enrolled
What they look at
  • High school GPAConsidered
  • Class rankConsidered
  • Courses takenRequired
  • College-prep programRequired
  • RecommendationsRequired
  • EssayRequired
  • PortfolioConsidered

How much does Bowdoin cost?

Sticker prices and what students actually paid after grants, by family income. A year means tuition, fees, room, board, books and other costs.

Tuition and fees
$71,740
A full year, sticker price
$88,820
Living on campus
Average price after grants
$15,595
Students who got federal aid

What a year cost, by family income

Family incomeAverage paid after grants
Under $30,000$3,318
$30,001 to $48,000$5,634
$48,001 to $75,000$8,694
$75,001 to $110,000$16,219
Over $110,000$40,929
Room and board on campus
$19,560 a year
Books and supplies
$840 a year
The school's own grants
52% of full-time first-years get one, averaging $54,801

Tuition over the years

Tuition and fees for a year, as reported to the federal government.

$0K$21K$42K$63K$84K201220142016201820202022Bowdoin

How much do Bowdoin students borrow?

Federal student loans only, for students who borrowed.

Typical debt at graduation
$15,000
About $170 a month over ten years
Students who borrow
8.5%
Get a Pell Grant
20.3%
Federal grant for lower-income families
Over 25 when they start
0.6%

What do Bowdoin graduates earn?

Typical yearly pay of everyone who started here with federal aid, whatever they studied and whether or not they finished.

Six years after starting
$68,053
Ten years after starting
$90,153
Middle half: $62,741 to $158,328
Best-paid program, five years out
$115,806
Economics
Lowest-paid program, five years out
$78,196
Area Studies

Do Bowdoin students finish?

Of the students who started full time, first time.

Back for second year
96.8%
Graduate in six years
92.8%
The four-year figure is for a later, smaller group, so it is not shown
After eight years
96% graduated
3% transferred, 0% still enrolled

Who goes to Bowdoin?

Women
52.1%
First in their family at college
18.8%
Part-time
0.1%
Students per teacher
9
Background
White 53%, Hispanic 15%, Black 5%, Asian 11%, Two or more 9%, International 7%
Housing
Campus housing, 1,877 beds

What do Bowdoin graduates earn, by program?

Every bachelor's program the school awards, with what its graduates earn and owe. The government hides pay for small programs, so some rows have no figure.

Computer science

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Computer Science68$103,268HiddenHidden

Life sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology46HiddenHiddenHidden
Biology, General90$38,860HiddenHidden
Natural Resources Conservation and Research43HiddenHiddenHidden
Neurobiology and Neurosciences65HiddenHiddenHidden

Math and physical sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Chemistry23HiddenHiddenHidden
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences32HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics92$73,412HiddenHidden
Physics43HiddenHiddenHidden

Social sciences

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Anthropology26HiddenHiddenHidden
Archeology0HiddenHiddenHidden
Area Studies89$52,347$78,196$15,500
Economics160$83,500$115,806$18,925
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies13HiddenHiddenHidden
Political Science and Government150$68,542$109,743$12,776
Research and Experimental Psychology53HiddenHiddenHidden
Sociology35$50,091HiddenHidden

Arts and humanities

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics16HiddenHiddenHidden
English Language and Literature, General64$56,516HiddenHidden
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics12HiddenHiddenHidden
History53HiddenHiddenHidden
Philosophy11HiddenHiddenHidden
Religion/Religious Studies10HiddenHiddenHidden
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics3HiddenHiddenHidden
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics8HiddenHiddenHidden

Education (teaching)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Education, General37HiddenHiddenHidden
Education, Other0HiddenHiddenHidden
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas2HiddenHiddenHidden

Fine and performing arts

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft2HiddenHiddenHidden
Fine and Studio Arts36HiddenHiddenHidden
Music9HiddenHiddenHidden
Visual and Performing Arts, General10HiddenHiddenHidden

General arts and science (major chosen later)

ProgramGraduatesPay, one year outPay, five years outDebt
Human Computer Interaction24HiddenHiddenHidden
Mathematics and Computer Science7HiddenHiddenHidden
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other1HiddenHiddenHidden

Compare Bowdoin with other universities

Side by side: acceptance rates, scores, costs and pay.

Where these numbers come from

College Scorecard release 10152026, Most Recent Cohorts files, fetched 2026-10-20. Test policy: the school's page (opens in a new tab). Tuition history, housing and the school's own grants: the federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) survey.

How every figure in this part of the site is sourced, and the check of every link.

Careerhelp is not affiliated with Bowdoin College. Figures describe past students; check the school's own pages before you apply.

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