Bowdoin College: Cost, Graduate Salary, Acceptance Rate and Return on Investment
Bowdoin College is a private nonprofit college in Brunswick, ME. Students pay about $14,398 a year in net price, and the median graduate earns $82,735 ten years after enrolling. By our Degree-ROI measure the degree pays back in about 2.1 years and adds $284,258 over a decade, ranking it #46 of 918 (top 6%) by value added.
What is Bowdoin College's acceptance rate?
Bowdoin College has an acceptance rate of 7.1%, which makes it highly selective. It is a private nonprofit institution in Brunswick, ME enrolling about 1,873 students, with a 95.4% graduation rate.
How much does Bowdoin College cost?
Bowdoin College costs about $14,398 per year in average net price, what a typical student actually pays after grants and scholarships. Over four years, including typical borrowing, that totals roughly $76,092. Published sticker cost of attendance is $85,100 per year.
How much do Bowdoin College graduates earn?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Bowdoin College student earns $82,735 per year. That is $36,035 more than the $46,700 that the typical worker with only a high-school diploma earns.
Is Bowdoin College worth it? Degree ROI and payback period
Bowdoin College pays back its roughly $76,092 cost in about 2.1 years, then keeps returning the earnings premium. Over the first decade the degree adds about $284,258 net of cost, a 4.74x return on the money invested. That ranks it #46 of 918 (top 6%) by value added. Its top-tier value is driven mainly by a low net price and strong graduate earnings.
Top 10% value
Bowdoin College graduation rate and student debt
95.4% of Bowdoin College students complete their degree, and the median graduate leaves with $18,500 in federal student debt. That debt is about 22% of one year of median graduate earnings.
Bowdoin College by the numbers (vs the typical college)
How Bowdoin College compares to the median four-year college in our snapshot. Percentile is its rank among the 918 colleges that report both earnings and cost (higher is better).
| Metric | This school | Median college | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg net price / yr | $14,398 | $20,299 | cheaper than 77% |
| Median earnings (10 yrs) | $82,735 | $54,768 | 92th |
| Graduation rate | 95.4% | 57.0% | 99th |
| Acceptance rate | 7.1% | 75.7% | more selective than 99% |
| 10-yr value added | $284,258 | -$28,192 | 95th |
| ROI multiple (per $1) | 4.74x | 0.73x | 97th |
| Payback period | 2.1 yrs | 8.8 yrs | faster than 96% |
Frequently asked
Is Bowdoin College worth the cost compared to other colleges?
By value added net of cost, Bowdoin College ranks #46 of 918 (top 6%) of the 918 four-year colleges we rank, and returns about 4.74x the money invested over a decade.
Is Bowdoin College expensive compared to other colleges?
Its $14,398 average net price is below the $20,299 median for the colleges in this snapshot, making it cheaper than 77% of them.
Do Bowdoin College graduates earn more than average?
Median earnings of $82,735 ten years out are above the $54,768 median, higher than 92% of the colleges here.
How hard is it to get into Bowdoin College compared to other colleges?
Its 7.1% acceptance rate is below the 75.7% median, making it more selective than 99% of the colleges in the snapshot.
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Federal data behind this page
What a programme costs, what its graduates earn, and what aid is available are published by federal statistical agencies rather than by any provider's marketing page, and the sources below are the primary ones. They are linked so a reader can check a figure here directly.
- College Scorecard publishes the federal cost, completion and post-enrolment earnings data used to compare programmes.
- National Center for Education Statistics is the federal statistical agency for education and the source most published figures trace back to.
- IPEDS holds the institution-level survey data behind enrolment, price and completion comparisons.
- Federal Student Aid states what aid exists, who qualifies, and what repayment actually obligates a borrower to.
- CFPB paying for college documents how education financing works and where its common traps are.
- US Department of Education sets the policy framework the accreditation and aid systems operate under.
- Department of Education laws and policy carries the rules that decide whether a provider or credential is recognised.
This page compares programmes on published data. Outcomes vary by student, and a reader's own aid package and circumstances decide what a programme actually costs them.