Brunswick, ME · Private · 1,873 undergraduates · town
Bowdoin College
Extremely selective
Bowdoin combines a structured liberal-arts curriculum with a deliberately designed College House system. The social model is not ordinary residence-hall life: houses replaced fraternities and organize events, meals, trips, and campus affiliation.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in academic standing, and strong in affordability.- Admission
- 8% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 94.1%
10,966 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$82,735 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Bowdoin apart
A structured liberal-arts foundation
Students complete a First-Year Writing Seminar, five distribution areas, three curricular divisions, and a major.
College Houses as social infrastructure
Each incoming first-year affiliates with one of eight College Houses. Houses connect first-years, upperclass students, faculty programming, and campus events.
A compact Brunswick campus
Brunswick is compact and residential, so the campus rather than a city commute shapes the everyday undergraduate experience.
The Bowdoin model
A deliberately built social center
College Houses give a structured academic college a social system that reaches beyond one dorm.
Join a House
First-year affiliation creates an early community.
Use the house system
Meals, talks, trips, and events create shared activity.
Build a campus role
Academic and extracurricular commitments gain a stable social base.
Can I get in?
8% admitted
The file should show readiness for a broad curriculum and interest in contributing to a house-based residential community.
Recent applicant pool
10,966About 8 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 37% submitted an SAT, and 22% submitted an ACT. Submission rates alone do not settle the choice. Submit a score if it strengthens the application.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Bowdoin, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Bowdoin weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Students complete a First-Year Writing Seminar, five distribution areas, three curricular divisions, and a major.
Make the institutional fit specific
The file should show readiness for a broad curriculum and interest in contributing to a house-based residential community.
Use the application route carefully
Bowdoin is test-optional and offers Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision.
Give commitments a clear through-line
Activities and recommendations should show sustained contribution, not a collection of disconnected credentials.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Bowdoin is test-optional and offers Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision.
Fee waiver: accepted
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Bowdoin
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read the outcomes panel alongside brunswick is compact and residential, so the campus rather than a city commute shapes the everyday undergraduate experience. Completion, borrowing, and field mix matter more than one university-wide earnings figure.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Economics
Political Science and Government
Biology, General
Mathematics
Area Studies
What is campus life like?
Bowdoin beyond the classroom
Brunswick is compact and residential, so the campus rather than a city commute shapes the everyday undergraduate experience.
A structured liberal-arts foundation
Students complete a First-Year Writing Seminar, five distribution areas, three curricular divisions, and a major.
The residential structure matters
Each incoming first-year affiliates with one of eight College Houses. Houses connect first-years, upperclass students, faculty programming, and campus events.
Dining follows the residential map
Campus dining is part of the daily social pattern; compare the meal-plan structure and nearby options against the routine you expect.
College Houses as social infrastructure
Brunswick is compact and residential, so the campus rather than a city commute shapes the everyday undergraduate experience.
Use the institution beyond class
Student organizations, faculty programs, research, service, and campus events are most useful when they reinforce a clear academic or personal direction.
A compact Brunswick campus
The strongest social fit comes from understanding how housing, traditions, organizations, and the surrounding setting shape an ordinary week.