More selective than 94% of Maine colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $85,100. College Scorecard.
Higher than 100% of Maine colleges we cover and 98% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 94% of Maine colleges we cover and 94% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Bowdoin College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 10,966 applicants, Bowdoin College admitted 879 and 504 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1470–1550 on the SAT or 33–35 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Bowdoin College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Bowdoin College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Bowdoin College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Maine. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $3,145 | $13,052 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $2,800 | $11,620 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $9,007 | $37,379 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $13,801 | $57,274 | 1.2 years |
| $110k+ | $35,196 | $146,063 | 3.2 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (82% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($82,735) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in ME (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $46,074 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Bowdoin College majors, earnings & careers
Bowdoin College offers 36 bachelor's majors across 7 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 11
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Arts & Design · 4
- Education · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Business & Finance · 1
Highest-earning majors at Bowdoin College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $137,611 | — |
| Economics | $121,983 | $19,500 |
| Political Science | $89,253 | $19,634 |
| Area Studies | $75,966 | $24,000 |
Quick list of all 36 majors
- Anthropology—
- Archeology—
- Area Studies$75,966
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Computer Science$137,611
- Economics$121,983
- Education—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Education, Other—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History—
- Human Computer Interaction—
- Mathematics—
- Mathematics and Computer Science—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$89,253
- Psychology—
- Psychology (Research)—
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Portland
Overall prices in the Portland-South Portland, ME area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,941. Housing costs 5% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, 67 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Cumberland County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Cumberland County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Bowdoin College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Maine by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowdoin College | 7% | $14,398 | 95% | $82,735 | This school |
| Colby College | 7% | $17,180 | 89% | $80,490 | |
| Bates College | 13% | $29,351 | 90% | $69,498 | |
| College of the Atlantic | 70% | $25,184 | 68% | $40,264 | |
| Maine College of Health Professions | 71% | $26,312 | 67% | $79,840 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Bowdoin College would cost you $2,782 less per year than Colby College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Bowdoin College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$1,768).
- Bowdoin College gives aided families $2,462 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Maine resident | Bowdoin College | Colby College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $67,832 | $69,600 | −$1,768 |
| Books & supplies | $840 | $850 | −$10 |
| Housing & meals | $17,690 | $17,120 | +$570 |
| Personal & travel | $1,660 | $850 | +$810 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,922 | −$3,000 | +$78 |
| Sticker price | $85,100 | $85,420 | −$320 |
| Average grants | −$70,702 | −$68,240 | −$2,462 |
| You pay | $14,398 | $17,180 | −$2,782 |
“+” means Bowdoin College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Bowdoin College
What is the Bowdoin College acceptance rate?
Bowdoin College accepts 7% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 879 of 10,966 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1470–1550 on the SAT or 33–35 on the ACT.
How much does Bowdoin College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $85,100 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $14,398 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $3,145 and families earning $110k+ pay $35,196.
How much do Bowdoin College graduates earn?
Former Bowdoin College students earn a median $82,735 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Bowdoin College graduation rate?
95% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for their second year.
How long does a Bowdoin College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Bowdoin College costs about $37,379 after grants ($9,007 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $82,735 ten years after starting, $46,074 more than high school graduates in Maine ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Bowdoin College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/bowdoin-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).