City Town Info

Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College was established in 1794 and named in honor of James Bowdoin, the former governor of Massachusetts. His son, James Bowdoin III, was a benefactor of the college. This private, non-profit liberal arts college has a 215-acre campus in Brunswick, Maine. It also operates a 200-acre scientific field station on Kent Island, and a 118-acre coastal studies center on Orrs Island.

Bowdoin College offers a number of majors and minors in subjects which include African studies, art history, computer science, music, sciences, neuroscience, psychology, religion, gay and lesbian studies, gender and women's studies, teaching, and film studies. The college was given the 6th position in the U.S. News and World Report's 2009 edition of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States.

The sports teams of Bowdoin College, nicknamed the Polar Bears, participate in cross country, field hockey, golf, rugby, sailing, soccer, tennis, volleyball, football, basketball, ice hockey, squash, Nordic skiing, swimming and diving, baseball, track, lacrosse, and softball. The Bowdoin Polar Bears are members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference in the NCAA's Division III.

Overview of Bowdoin College

Bowdoin can be found in Brunswick, ME (a town not far from a more urbanized area). The school is a private, not-for-profit institution. The Bachelor's degree is the highest degree at Bowdoin.

Areas of Study

The school offers a wide range of choices in programs of study. The most common majors at Bowdoin are in science, fine arts, liberal arts, and conservation and resource management.

Bowdoin Selectivity

The school does not have an open admissions system. Not everyone who applies is accepted. Bowdoin turned down 81% of potential students in 2007. Only 25% of students scored 650 or lower in 2007 on the verbal SAT test. Math SAT scores at the school centered around 650 to 730, but ranged both higher and lower.

Faculty

Classes at Bowdoin are less crowded than at many schools. A tenure system is one way the school works to keep a high-quality staff. Instructors at Bowdoin are well-paid.

Student Body

In 2007, 1,716 students were enrolled in the school.

Student Life

Bowdoin has a residential or campus feel. Student dorms or apartments are common at the school. Bowdoin offers students meal plans. The school student athletes compete in New England Small College Athletic Conference competitions.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Bowdoin

Bowdoin College
5700 College Station - President's Office
Brunswick, ME 04011-8448
General Phone: (207) 725-3000
http://www.bowdoin.edu

Bowdoin Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts290political science, economics, English, history, sociology, anthropology, women's studies, French language, ...
Science63biology, geology, biochemistry, physics, chemistry, chemical physics, geochemistry, geophysics
Fine Arts29art history and criticism, fine arts
Medicine16neuroscience
Therapy And Counseling14psychology
Religion And Philosophy12religion, philosophy
Computer Science And Engineering9computer science
Music7music
Drama And Performing Arts6theater history and criticism
Mathematics5mathematics, mathematics and computer science
Engineering1archeology
Conservation And Resource Management0environmental studies

Number of programs and degrees for Bowdoin in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree45242

Bowdoin Student Body

In 2007, Bowdoin had a total enrollment of 1,716 students (1,712 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men47%
Women53%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White70%
Black5%
Hispanic7%
Asian12%
American Indian1%
Unknown2%
(Foreign Students)3%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 182%
18-1949%
20-2143%
22-246%
25-290%
40-490%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
Massachusetts17%
New York12%
Maine11%
Connecticut7%
California6%
New Jersey4%
(International Students)4%
Texas4%
Maryland3%
Pennsylvania3%
New Hampshire3%
Illinois2%
Virginia2%
Ohio2%
Florida2%
Minnesota1%
Michigan1%
Vermont1%
Tennessee1%
Wisconsin1%
Washington1%
Georgia1%
Missouri1%
Colorado1%
Washington, DC1%
North Carolina1%
Rhode Island1%
Mississippi1%
Nebraska1%
Hawaii1%

Bowdoin Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time96 %

Bowdoin Room and Board (2007)

Bowdoin offers campus housing for 1,637 of its 1,712 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

(Please refer to our profile of Brunswick, Maine for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other Maine Colleges).

The school offers students a meal plan with 19 meals per week.

Bowdoin Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total5,9611,13019%47642%
Men2,65959122%22638%
Women3,30253916%25046%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal650740
SAT Math650730
SAT Writing650730
ACT Verbal2934
ACT Math2833
ACT Composite2933

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArecommended
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrecommended
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)not required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT74%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT20%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Bowdoin Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 36,370
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 36,370
Room and board$ 9,890
Room charge$ 4,620
Board (meal plan) charge$ 5,270
Books and supplies$ 800
Other expenses$ 1,200

Financial Aid:
Bowdoin participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 203800)

Bowdoin Faculty

Bowdoin has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured6348
Non-tenured, but on tenure track1922
Non-tenured and not on tenure track2211

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year36$125,79422$118,399
Associate professoracademic year30$85,85926$86,260
Assistant professoracademic year28$68,19726$68,348
Instructoracademic year4$58,7501*
Lectureracademic year6$40,1666$56,945
All faculty totalacademic year104$91,24881$86,731

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Bowdoin Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
FootballNew England Small College Athletic Conference
BasketballNew England Small College Athletic Conference
BaseballNew England Small College Athletic Conference
TrackNew England Small College Athletic Conference

Bowdoin Degree Programs (2007)

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Theatre Literature, History and Criticism

ENGINEERING
Archeology

FINE ARTS
Art History, Criticism and Conservation
Fine/Studio Arts, General

LIBERAL ARTS
African Studies
Ancient Studies/Civilization
Anthropology
Asian Studies/Civilization
Central/Middle and Eastern European Studies
Classical/Ancient Mediterranean/Near Eastern Studies & Archaeology
Classics/Classical Languages, Lit & Linguistics, General
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
German Language and Literature
History, General
Latin American Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
Russian Language and Literature
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics and Computer Science
Mathematics, General

MEDICINE
Neuroscience

MUSIC
Music, General

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemical Physics
Chemistry, General
Geochemistry
Geology/Earth Science, General
Geophysics and Seismology
Physics, General

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

Bowdoin Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Bowdoin Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Bowdoin Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%Bowdoin Student SAT scores
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%Bowdoin Dorm rooms per full-time student
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Bowdoin Salaries of full-time faculty
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Bowdoin Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
% of degrees in liberal arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Bowdoin % of degrees in liberal arts
% of degrees in conservation and resource management
(vs. all colleges)
Top 6%Bowdoin % of degrees in conservation and resource management
% of degrees in fine arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 10%Bowdoin % of degrees in fine arts
% of degrees in science
(vs. all colleges)
Top 12%Bowdoin % of degrees in science
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 14%Bowdoin Number of degree programs
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Offers a board (meal) plan
Tenure system for quality teaching
NCAA athletic conference member

Online Degree Alternatives

Schools Most Similar to Bowdoin

Try our unique CollegeMatch™ tool to find schools similar to Bowdoin.

Career and College Resources on CityTownInfo

Real-World Career Reports

Career Stories from workers: daily activities, job tips, best/worst job aspects, training, etc.

Career Videos. Professional videos on 800+ jobs, featuring actual employees.

Daily Career & Education News from our staff. We're an approved Google News provider!

Career Reference and Data

Resource Center. A starting point for all CityTownInfo career and college resources.

Career Overviews of hundreds of careers: descriptions, salaries, forecasts, schools, more.

Top Cities for each career. Lists and maps; salaries by city.

Top Industries. Lists of major hiring industries by career, with salaries.

City Comparisons, showing most common jobs, highest paying, etc.

Original Career Articles and Studies

Best Careers Not Requiring Degrees: Good pay, job growth, low need for degrees.

Helpful Articles, many in "how-to" format; e.g., "How to Become a Chef".

Interactive College Search Tools

College Search Scout™. Search by degree, location, major, athletics, etc.

CollegeMatch™. Find school most similar to one of interest.

College Directories and Lists

These lists link to thousands of detailed school profiles.

Colleges by State. Nearly every college and trade school in the country.

Colleges Listed Alphabetically. About 7,000 colleges & trade schools, including online schools.

Exceptional Schools. Lists of the "best/most/highest/lowest" schools.

Link to This Resource Page

Information is not guaranteed to be correct. Please check with individual schools for the most accurate and recent information.

Copyright © 2004-2009, Moving Traffic, Inc. All Rights Reserved.