Washington and Lee vs Bowdoin College

Washington and Lee University and Bowdoin College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Washington and Lee, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a lower acceptance rate (18%) compared to Bowdoin's (11%). While Bowdoin's student body is slightly larger, both universities share a commitment to small class sizes, fostering close interactions between students and professors. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Washington and Lee University
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Lexington, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Distant
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%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	18.8%
Application fees	$65	$60
SAT range	N/A	1410 - 1530
ACT range	N/A	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		32.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	6,621
Total number of admissions given out	822	1,248
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	484
Yield rate	62.9%	38.8%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,310	$80,300
Average net price	$26,727	$26,063
Tuition	$57,776	$58,260
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $8,600 Meal plan: $7,670
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	56.0% Average amount $51,537
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	13.0% Average amount $4,878
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	6.0% Average amount $25,474

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	1,857 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	N/A	381 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	81.2%
International students	7.1%	5.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,913	1,520
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	Virginia North Carolina Texas New York Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Mathematics and Statistics	Legal Profession Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	93.6%
Dropout rate	2.2%	6.2%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,231 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $85,103 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $63,586 Year 2: $72,642 Year 3: $83,304 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,449 Year 3: $79,551 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $69,951 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,643 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $68,713 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $54,059 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,231 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $45,285 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,593 Year 3: N/A History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A

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