Union College vs Bowdoin College

Union College and Bowdoin College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Union, located in Schenectady, New York, boasts a higher acceptance rate (32%) compared to Bowdoin's selective admissions (11%). Union's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population and a higher percentage of students receiving financial aid. Bowdoin, situated in Brunswick, Maine, excels in graduation rates, with 94% of students completing their degrees within four years, compared to Union's 88%. While Bowdoin's student body is predominantly White, Union's is more racially and ethnically diverse. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional colleges and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Union College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Schenectady, New York
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	47.0%
Application fees	$65	$60
SAT range	N/A	1270 - 1450
ACT range	N/A	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		37.0%
Students submitting ACT score		16.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	7,470
Total number of admissions given out	822	3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	565
Yield rate	62.9%	16.1%
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	$77,385
Average net price	$26,727	$39,101
Tuition	$57,776	$61,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $8,370 Meal plan: $6,828
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	87.0% Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	48.0% Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	14.0% Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	2,096 Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,913	2,049
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Mathematics and Statistics	Social Sciences Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Liberal 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%	84.5%
Dropout rate	2.2%	14.6%
Transferred out	4.0%	0.2%
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	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,637 Year 2: $67,812 Year 3: $76,098 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,348 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $74,456 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,171 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $54,902 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,157 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $47,142 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,375 Year 2: $34,081 Year 3: $44,570 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,903 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $41,845 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: N/A Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: N/A Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,392 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A

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