Union College vs Bowdoin College

Union College and Bowdoin College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Union, located in Schenectady, New York, boasts a higher acceptance rate (32%) compared to Bowdoin's selective admissions (11%). Union's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population and a higher percentage of students receiving financial aid. Bowdoin, situated in Brunswick, Maine, excels in graduation rates, with 94% of students completing their degrees within four years, compared to Union's 88%. While Bowdoin's student body is predominantly White, Union's is more racially and ethnically diverse. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional colleges and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Union College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Barbourville, Kentucky
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	60.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	56.4%
Application fees	$65
SAT range	N/A	955 - 1148
ACT range	N/A	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score		6.0%
Students submitting ACT score		84.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	723
Total number of admissions given out	822	408
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	140
Yield rate	62.9%	34.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,310	$41,789
Average net price	$26,727	$15,690
Tuition	$57,776	$27,119
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $2,800 Meal plan: $3,900
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	98.0% Average amount $22,966
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	71.0% Average amount $5,976
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	10.0% Average amount $5,676

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	789 Men 53.0% Women 47.0%
Graduate students	N/A	235 Men 45.1% Women 54.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	11.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,913	437
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	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	37.1%
Dropout rate	2.2%	27.2%
Transferred out	4.0%	35.7%
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	Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,564 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,490 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,154 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,226 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,123 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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