Bowdoin College vs Wesleyan University

Bowdoin College and Wesleyan University, two esteemed liberal arts institutions in the United States, offer distinct educational experiences. Bowdoin, nestled in Brunswick, Maine, boasts a lower acceptance rate (9%) and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Wesleyan, located in Middletown, Connecticut, has a slightly higher acceptance rate (13%) and a larger student body, providing a more diverse and vibrant campus life. Both institutions excel in academics, with Bowdoin known for its strengths in the social sciences and Wesleyan renowned for its programs in the arts and humanities. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these two exceptional colleges, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Bowdoin College	Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Middletown, Connecticut
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	City: Small
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%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	19.4%
Application fees	$65	$55
SAT range	N/A	1300 - 1510
ACT range	N/A	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		51.0%
Students submitting ACT score		27.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	13,067
Total number of admissions given out	822	2,540
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	910
Yield rate	62.9%	35.8%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,310	$82,245
Average net price	$26,727	$20,535
Tuition	$57,776	$61,449
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	$17,531
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	40.0% Average amount $58,925
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	18.0% Average amount $3,834
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	2.0% Average amount $27,881

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	3,385 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	196 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	90.3%
International students	7.1%	11.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,913	3,063
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California Maine Connecticut New Jersey	New York California Connecticut New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Mathematics and Statistics	Social Sciences Psychology Ethnic Studies Visual & Performing Arts Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	91.0%
Dropout rate	2.2%	3.6%
Transferred out	4.0%	5.3%
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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $53,847 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $36,334 Year 3: $45,541

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Bowdoin College vs Wesleyan University

Bowdoin College

Wesleyan University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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