Bowdoin College vs Notre Dame

Bowdoin College and the University of Notre Dame stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and vibrant campus life. Bowdoin, a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 10.5%, while Notre Dame, a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 20.8%. Both institutions are renowned for their strong academic programs, with Bowdoin excelling in the social sciences and humanities, and Notre Dame excelling in engineering, business, and the sciences. While Bowdoin's student body is predominantly white and affluent, Notre Dame's student body is more diverse, with a significant population of Hispanic and international students. With graduation rates of 94% and 92% respectively, both institutions ensure that their students are well-prepared for successful careers and postgraduate studies. To help you make an informed
Bowdoin College logo

Bowdoin College

University of Notre Dame logo

University of Notre Dame

Overview

Location Brunswick, Maine Notre Dame, Indiana
Campus setting Town: Fringe Suburb: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 97.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 8.8% 15.1%
Application fees $65
Undergraduate: $75

Graduate: $75
SAT range N/A 1410 - 1550
ACT range N/A 32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 33.0%
Students submitting ACT score 36.0%
Total number of applicants 9,325 23,642
Total number of admissions given out 822 3,562
Admitted students who chose to enroll 517 2,059
Yield rate 62.9% 57.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Not required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $76,310 $78,347
Average net price $26,727 $30,513
Tuition $57,776 $58,336
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,630

Meal plan: $8,268
$16,304
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

54.0%
Average amount $45,153
57.0%
Average amount $46,306
Students receiving federal student loan 11.0%
Average amount $4,767
30.0%
Average amount $4,134
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $20,700
12.0%
Average amount $8,564

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,951
Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
8,973
Men 51.6% Women 48.4%
Graduate students N/A 4,166
Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 91.5% 93.1%
International students 7.1% 12.1%
Campus local/setting Town: Fringe Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,913 6,919
First year students are required to live on campus? Yes No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California Maine Connecticut New Jersey Illinois California Texas Indiana New York

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Social Sciences
  • Ethnic Studies
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Natural Resources and Conservation
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 93.8% 95.9%
Dropout rate 2.2% 3.9%
Transferred out 4.0% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $122,292
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $67,101
  • Year 3: $83,803
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,127
  • Year 2: $71,015
  • Year 3: $77,719
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,934
  • Year 2: $50,231
  • Year 3: $60,473
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $25,194
  • Year 3: N/A
Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,244
  • Year 2: $42,123
  • Year 3: N/A
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $32,925
  • Year 3: N/A
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $22,771
  • Year 3: N/A
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $44,658
  • Year 2: $39,009
  • Year 3: N/A
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,454
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A
Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $124,439
  • Year 2: $123,601
  • Year 3: $135,572
Finance and Financial Management Services (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,269
  • Year 2: $89,674
  • Year 3: $126,773
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $120,074
  • Year 2: $108,092
  • Year 3: $123,182
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,638
  • Year 2: $85,243
  • Year 3: $110,135
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,593
  • Year 2: $89,968
  • Year 3: $105,831
Mathematics and Statistics, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,224
  • Year 2: $80,273
  • Year 3: $99,815
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,618
  • Year 2: $86,375
  • Year 3: $95,904
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,178
  • Year 2: $74,307
  • Year 3: $92,866
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,118
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $87,393
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,070
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $85,821

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