Harvey Mudd College vs Bowdoin College

Harvey Mudd College and Bowdoin College, both highly regarded liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Harvey Mudd, a STEM-focused college in Claremont, California, boasts a 13% acceptance rate and is renowned for its rigorous engineering, science, and mathematics programs. Bowdoin, a traditional liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine, has a slightly higher acceptance rate of 15% and is known for its strong humanities, social sciences, and arts programs. While both colleges offer a well-rounded education, Harvey Mudd's emphasis on STEM fields attracts students passionate about pursuing careers in science and technology, while Bowdoin's diverse curriculum appeals to those seeking a broad liberal arts education. Explore the comparison table below to delve deeper into the differences between these two exceptional institutions and find the best fit for your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Harvey Mudd College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Claremont, California
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
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%	98.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	10.0%
Application fees	$65	$70
SAT range	N/A	1480 - 1560
ACT range	N/A	34 - 36
Students submitting SAT score		40.0%
Students submitting ACT score		20.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	4,737
Total number of admissions given out	822	473
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	225
Yield rate	62.9%	47.6%
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	$82,236
Average net price	$26,727	$33,838
Tuition	$57,776	$60,402
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $10,592 Meal plan: $8,741
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	63.0% Average amount $32,188
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	38.0% Average amount $4,821
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	4.0% Average amount $9,820

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	905 Men 50.3% Women 49.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	8.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,913	926
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Mathematics and Statistics	Engineering Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Physical Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	94.4%
Dropout rate	2.2%	0.5%
Transferred out	4.0%	4.7%
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	Mathematics and Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,973 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $166,134 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $123,339 Year 2: $142,581 Year 3: $159,657 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,948 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $90,517

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