Bowdoin College vs Sarah Lawrence College

Bowdoin College and Sarah Lawrence College, two esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bowdoin, nestled in Brunswick, Maine, boasts a lower acceptance rate (10%) and a larger student body (1,800 undergraduates) compared to Sarah Lawrence's 40% acceptance rate and 1,300 undergraduates in Bronxville, New York. While Bowdoin's popular majors include government and economics, Sarah Lawrence students often pursue creative arts and social sciences. Bowdoin's graduation rate stands at 94%, while Sarah Lawrence's is 84%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' differences in academics, campus life, and post-graduate outcomes, and make an informed decision that aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	Bowdoin College	Sarah Lawrence College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Bronxville, New York
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	58.5%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	1260 - 1470
ACT range	N/A	29 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		15.0%
Students submitting ACT score		9.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	4,452
Total number of admissions given out	822	2,603
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	438
Yield rate	62.9%	16.8%
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	$77,228
Average net price	$26,727	$34,091
Tuition	$57,776	$58,936
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $10,774 Meal plan: $5,584
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	90.0% Average amount $36,103
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	48.0% Average amount $5,321
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	5.0% Average amount $18,443

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	1,529 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
Graduate students	N/A	237 Men 16.5% Women 83.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,913	1,075
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	Liberal Arts Health Professions English Language and Literature Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	76.5%
Dropout rate	2.2%	14.2%
Transferred out	4.0%	9.1%
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	Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,795 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $79,341 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $34,995 Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $34,788 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,028 Year 2: $21,873 Year 3: $29,006 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $26,708 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,966 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A

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