Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Bowdoin College Featured Rankings
- #1 Best Private Colleges in Maine
- #1 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Maine 2026
- #1 Best Small Colleges in Maine
- #1 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #2 Best Colleges in Maine
- #3 Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees
- #7 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #8 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #8 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #11 Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges
- #11 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #14 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #14 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #15 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #15 Computer Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #15 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #15 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #15 Philosophy Liberal Arts Colleges
- #15 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #16 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 English Liberal Arts Colleges
- #24 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #27 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
- #45 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
- #47 Best Undergrad Colleges 2026
About Bowdoin College
According to Wikipedia, Bowdoin College is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 35 majors and 40 minors, as well as several joint engineering programs with Columbia, Caltech, Dartmouth College, and the University of Maine.
Bowdoin College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,966 | 7% | 97% | 93% | 1510 | 34 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Bowdoin College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $71,740 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $3,318 |
| 30K - 48K | $5,634 |
| 48K - 75K | $8,694 |
| 75K - 110K | $16,219 |
| 110K+ | $40,929 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Bowdoin College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Bowdoin College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $90,153 a year, and 91% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Bowdoin College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 2,018 | 2,018 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Bowdoin College?
Bowdoin College is located at 255 Maine Street, Brunswick, ME 04011.
How Safe is Bowdoin College?
Relative to its enrollment, Bowdoin College has a violent crime rate of 0.21% and a property crime rate of 0.05%. Brunswick has a violent crime rate of 0.08% and a property crime rate of 1.19%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Bowdoin College Known For?
Bowdoin College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Literature
- Economics
- History
- Biology
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Education
- Mathematics
- Sociology
- Earth Sciences
- Physics
- Religious Studies
- Anthropology
- Philosophy
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
Bowdoin College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Bowdoin College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Bowdoin College ranks #85 in the U.S. and #219 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesBowdoin College ranks #128 in the U.S. and #542 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesBowdoin College ranks #148 in the U.S. and #405 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesBowdoin College ranks #151 in the U.S. and #512 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesBowdoin College ranks #153 in the U.S. and #357 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesBowdoin College ranks #154 in the U.S. and #618 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesBowdoin College ranks #157 in the U.S. and #585 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesBowdoin College ranks #162 in the U.S. and #622 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesBowdoin College ranks #169 in the U.S. and #610 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesBowdoin College ranks #171 in the U.S. and #700 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesBowdoin College ranks #174 in the U.S. and #724 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesBowdoin College ranks #199 in the U.S. and #884 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesBowdoin College ranks #214 in the U.S. and #668 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesBowdoin College ranks #220 in the U.S. and #726 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesBowdoin College ranks #222 in the U.S. and #1052 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesBowdoin College ranks #392 in the U.S. and #1800 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesWho Are Bowdoin College's Most Influential Alumni?
Bowdoin College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Literature, Psychology, and History. Here are some of Bowdoin College's most famous alumni:
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- An American poet and educator .
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
- An American novelist and short story writer.
- Stephen A. Douglas
- An American politician .
- William Easterly
- An American development economist.
- Robert Peary
- An Explorer from the United States.
- Arnold Rampersad
- An American academic.
- Edwin Hall
- An American physicist .
- Oliver Otis Howard
- A United States Army Medal of Honor recipient and Union Army general.
- Edward J. McCluskey
- An American engineer.
- Melville Fuller
- A Chief justice of the United States from 1888 to 1910.
- Charles Otis Whitman
- An American zoologist.
- Alfred Kinsey
- An American sexologist .
Who Are Bowdoin College's Most Influential Faculty?
Bowdoin College's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Literature, Psychology, and History. Here are some of Bowdoin College's most famous faculty:
