Colgate University vs Bowdoin College

Colgate University and Bowdoin College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Colgate, nestled in the picturesque village of Hamilton, New York, boasts a slightly larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Bowdoin, situated in the vibrant town of Brunswick, Maine. While both colleges excel in the sciences, Colgate emphasizes the natural sciences, while Bowdoin leans towards the social sciences. Colgate's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while Bowdoin's student body is predominantly white. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Colgate's slightly higher. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions and determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Colgate University
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Hamilton, New York
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Distant
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%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	17.2%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1350 - 1500
ACT range	N/A	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score		21.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	17,540
Total number of admissions given out	822	3,015
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	887
Yield rate	62.9%	29.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$80,160
Average net price	$26,727	$24,500
Tuition	$57,776	$61,594
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $7,496 Meal plan: $8,028
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	41.0% Average amount $53,718
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	11.0% Average amount $4,253
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	3.0% Average amount $34,492

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	3,164 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%
Graduate students	N/A	12 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	75.2%
International students	7.1%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,913	2,972
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 New Jersey Connecticut California Pennsylvania

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	90.3%
Dropout rate	2.2%	2.8%
Transferred out	4.0%	6.7%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,196 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $86,742 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $67,401 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,813 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $60,399 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,179 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $57,947 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,895 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $51,701 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $50,739 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,610 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $43,419 Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,641 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $40,037 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,181 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $21,648 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: N/A

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