Bowdoin College vs Oberlin College

Bowdoin College and Oberlin College, two esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bowdoin, nestled in Brunswick, Maine, boasts a lower acceptance rate (9%) and a higher graduation rate (94%) compared to Oberlin's 32% acceptance rate and 86% graduation rate. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, their student bodies differ in terms of demographics: Bowdoin's student body is predominantly white (68%) and female (53%), while Oberlin's student body is more diverse, with a larger proportion of students of color (44%) and a more balanced gender ratio (51% female, 49% male). Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these colleges, including popular majors, financial aid opportunities, and campus life, to determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Oberlin College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Oberlin, Ohio
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	34.3%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $100 Graduate: $100
SAT range	N/A	1338 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		34.0%
Students submitting ACT score		22.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	10,597
Total number of admissions given out	822	3,639
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	864
Yield rate	62.9%	23.7%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,310	$73,914
Average net price	$26,727	$44,689
Tuition	$57,776	$59,384
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $8,858 Meal plan: $8,996
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	93.0% Average amount $34,607
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	34.0% Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	4.0% Average amount $4,519

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	2,942 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	N/A	11 Men 72.7% Women 27.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,913	2,694
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	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	82.3%
Dropout rate	2.2%	17.3%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,028 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,858 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,721 Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $56,067 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,275 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $32,173 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,045 Year 3: $28,960 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,436 Year 2: $16,345 Year 3: $26,082 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: $22,024 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,910 Year 2: $19,531 Year 3: $19,799 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,902 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,622 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,992 Year 3: N/A

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