Lafayette College vs Bowdoin College

Lafayette College and Bowdoin College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Lafayette, situated in Easton, Pennsylvania, boasts a slightly larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Bowdoin, nestled in Brunswick, Maine. While Bowdoin students enjoy a more diverse campus environment, Lafayette's engineering programs attract a larger proportion of STEM-inclined students. Both colleges excel in preparing graduates for successful careers, with impressive graduation rates and strong alumni networks. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details and discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Lafayette College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Easton, Pennsylvania
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%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	40.7%
Application fees	$65	$65
SAT range	N/A	1300 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	30 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		28.0%
Students submitting ACT score		13.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	8,262
Total number of admissions given out	822	3,366
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	782
Yield rate	62.9%	23.2%
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	$75,934
Average net price	$26,727	$38,754
Tuition	$57,776	$55,874
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	61.0% Average amount $34,668
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	26.0% Average amount $4,491
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	7.0% Average amount $23,831

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	82.6%
International students	7.1%	7.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,913	2,510
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	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Mathematics and Statistics	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	87.9%
Dropout rate	2.2%	2.5%
Transferred out	4.0%	9.6%
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	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201

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