Bowdoin College vs Grinnell College

Bowdoin College and Grinnell College, both highly selective liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bowdoin, located in Brunswick, Maine, boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (11%) compared to Grinnell's 10%. With a larger student body, Bowdoin offers a wider range of majors, including popular choices like Economics, Government & Legal Studies, and Biology. Grinnell, situated in Grinnell, Iowa, excels in the social sciences, with majors like Sociology, Political Science, and Psychology being highly sought after. Both colleges foster diverse student communities, with Bowdoin having a slightly larger international student population. While Bowdoin boasts a slightly higher graduation rate (94%), Grinnell's graduates have a strong record of securing employment or pursuing higher education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and determine which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Grinnell College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Grinnell, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	93.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	10.5%
Application fees	$65
SAT range	N/A	1370 - 1530
ACT range	N/A	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score		33.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	10,513
Total number of admissions given out	822	1,108
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	471
Yield rate	62.9%	42.5%
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	$76,098
Average net price	$26,727	$37,423
Tuition	$57,776	$58,156
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	100.0% Average amount $35,821
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	36.0% Average amount $3,952
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	12.0% Average amount $5,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	91.5%
International students	7.1%	19.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,913	1,450
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	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas

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 Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	86.9%
Dropout rate	2.2%	12.9%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,661 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $55,487 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,893 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $49,481 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,499 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $41,882 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,517 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,572 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $37,882 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $37,613 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,718 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $28,680 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,658 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,239 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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