College of the Atlantic
Bar Harbor, ME · Private
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
College of the Atlantic admitted 70.2% of applicants university-wide (334 of 476).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 70.2% | 334 | 476 |
| In-state | 90.0% | 36 | 40 |
| Out-of-state | 81.3% | 239 | 294 |
| International applicants | 39.4% | 54 | 137 |
| Early Decision (binding) | 64.0% | 16 | 25 |
| Men | 53.8% | 78 | 145 |
| Women | 77.6% | 253 | 326 |
Early Decision applicants were admitted at 64%, vs 70.2% overall — ED is a binding commitment.
Also offers Early Action (closes Dec 1) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.
Of 334 admitted students, 78 enrolled (23.4% yield).
College of the Atlantic U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C1–C2 · 2023 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- SAT (mid-50%)
- 1260–1410
- ACT (mid-50%)
- 28–32
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.50–3.99
Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)
College of the Atlantic U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C9–C12 · 2023 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $61,940/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $48,915 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $13,025 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $61,940/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $20,415 |
| $30k–48k | $13,942 |
| $48k–75k | $16,650 |
| $75k–110k | $26,266 |
| Over $110k | $34,684 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
- COA Grant — Varies (Need Based)
- College of the Atlantic Need-Based Grant — Up to full demonstrated need (Need Based)
International applicants
Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.
- COA Grant — Varies (Need Based)
- College of the Atlantic Need-Based Grant — Up to full demonstrated need (Need Based)
College of the Atlantic U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections G–H · 2023
Application requirements
US applicants
- Common Application (completed application form)
- One Teacher Recommendation
- Official Transcripts from all high schools or colleges attended
- School Report and Counselor Recommendation
- Personal Essay (Common App)
- Short-Answer Response: 'Why COA?'
- Creative Portfolio (art, writing, music, etc.) (optional)
International applicants
- Common Application (completed application form)
- One Teacher Recommendation
- Official Transcripts from all high schools or colleges attended
- School Report and Counselor Recommendation
- Personal Essay (Common App)
- Short-Answer Response: 'Why COA?'
- Creative Portfolio (art, writing, music, etc.) (optional)
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
College of the Atlantic · 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:
- Why COA? What are you looking for in a college, and how does our self-designed, interdisciplinary curriculum align with your goals?Required
Draft these in the free Essay Coach
Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $40,264
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 68.3%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 85%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $25,050
- At graduation
College of the Atlantic · 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: #126
- Forbes: #488
Deadlines
- 2026-11-15Early Decision — Binding early round
- 2026-12-01Early Action — Non-binding early round
- 2027-02-01Regular Decision — Standard deadline
College of the Atlantic U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C21–C22 · 2023
Academics and campus
Student–faculty ratio: 9:1 · 97% of class sections have under 20 students.
College of the Atlantic U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections E, F, I · 2023 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.