Bowdoin College
Brunswick, ME · Private
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
Bowdoin College admitted 6.8% of applicants university-wide (957 of 14,045).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 6.8% | 957 | 14,045 |
| In-state | 13.7% | 74 | 540 |
| Out-of-state | 10.8% | 807 | 7,464 |
| International applicants | 1.3% | 76 | 6,041 |
| Early Decision (binding) | 14.9% | 296 | 1,985 |
| Men | 6.6% | 440 | 6,690 |
| Women | 7.0% | 517 | 7,355 |
Early Decision applicants were admitted at 14.9%, vs 6.8% overall — ED is a binding commitment.
Of 957 admitted students, 515 enrolled (53.8% yield).
Bowdoin College Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C1–C2 · 2025 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- SAT (mid-50%)
- 1470–1540
- ACT (mid-50%)
- 33–35
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.25–4.00
Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)
Bowdoin College Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C9–C12 · 2025 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $93,800/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $71,070 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $22,730 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $93,800/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $3,145 |
| $30k–48k | $2,800 |
| $48k–75k | $9,007 |
| $75k–110k | $13,801 |
| Over $110k | $35,196 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
- Bowdoin College Grant — Varies (Need Based)
- Need-Based Financial Aid for International Students — Varies (meets full demonstrated need) (Need Based)
International applicants
Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.
- Bowdoin College Grant — Varies (Need Based)
- Need-Based Financial Aid for International Students — Varies (meets full demonstrated need) (Need Based)
Bowdoin College Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections G–H · 2025
Application requirements
US applicants
- Application (Common App, Coalition on Scoir, or QuestBridge)
- Bowdoin Supplement (includes Bowdoin-specific questions)
- Counselor Recommendation
- Teacher Recommendation
- Other Recommendation
- Secondary School Report (SSR)
- Official High School Transcript (grades 9-11)
- Mid-Year Transcript or Report
- Early Decision Agreement (3 signatures)
- Quarter 1 or Trimester 1 Grades
- Optional Essay: The Offer of the College (recommended)
- Optional Essay: Navigating through Differences (recommended)
- SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
- Video Response (optional)
- Interview (on-campus, virtual, or alumni) (optional)
- Arts Supplement (optional)
- Application fee
International applicants
- Application (Common App, Coalition on Scoir, or QuestBridge)
- Bowdoin Supplement (includes Bowdoin-specific questions)
- Counselor Recommendation
- Teacher Recommendation
- Other Recommendation
- Secondary School Report (SSR)
- Official High School Transcript (grades 9-11)
- Mid-Year Transcript or Report
- Early Decision Agreement (3 signatures)
- Quarter 1 or Trimester 1 Grades
- Optional Essay: The Offer of the College (recommended)
- Optional Essay: Navigating through Differences (recommended)
- SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
- Video Response (optional)
- Interview (on-campus, virtual, or alumni) (optional)
- Arts Supplement (optional)
- Application fee
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
Bowdoin College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025
Essay prompts
The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 1 college-specific supplement:
- In a 2-3 minute video or short written statement, please talk to us about the role the arts has played in your life, and how you plan to engage with the arts at the college level.Optional
Draft these in the free Essay Coach
Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $82,735
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 95.3%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 98%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $18,500
- At graduation
Bowdoin College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Published rankings
- U.S. News Liberal Arts: #5
- WSJ: #134
- Forbes: #39
- Niche: #32
Deadlines
- 2026-11-15Early Decision — Binding early round
- 2027-01-05Regular Decision — Standard deadline
Bowdoin College Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C21–C22 · 2025
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Social sciences (34%), Biological & life sciences (21%), Physical sciences (10%).
Student–faculty ratio: 8:1 · 67% of class sections have under 20 students.
Bowdoin College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.