Kenyon College vs Bowdoin College

Kenyon College and Bowdoin College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Kenyon, nestled in Gambier, Ohio, boasts a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. Bowdoin, located in Brunswick, Maine, has a larger student population, providing a more diverse and vibrant campus life. While Kenyon's acceptance rate is slightly higher, Bowdoin's graduation rate is marginally better. Both colleges excel in the humanities and social sciences, but Kenyon has a stronger focus on the arts, while Bowdoin emphasizes the natural sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Kenyon College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Gambier, Ohio
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
Students retention rate	97.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	36.5%
Application fees	$65
SAT range	N/A	1340 - 1500
ACT range	N/A	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		25.0%
Students submitting ACT score		28.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	7,601
Total number of admissions given out	822	2,778
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	508
Yield rate	62.9%	18.3%
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	$80,270
Average net price	$26,727	$38,927
Tuition	$57,776	$63,060
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	$13,310
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	79.0% Average amount $32,553
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	26.0% Average amount $3,119
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	13.0% Average amount $3,894

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	1,875 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	10.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,913	1,868
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	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Visual & Performing Arts History
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	86.5%
Dropout rate	2.2%	6.5%
Transferred out	4.0%	6.9%
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: $50,959 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $69,651 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,994 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $32,958 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,057 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: $28,026 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: N/A International/Global Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,334 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,841 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,181 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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