Hope College vs Bowdoin College

Hope College and Bowdoin College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Hope College, a private liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, boasts a tight-knit community with a strong emphasis on undergraduate teaching. Bowdoin College, a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine, is renowned for its rigorous academics and vibrant campus life. While both colleges share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowdoin College	Hope College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Holland, Michigan
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	97.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	92.4%
Application fees	$65
SAT range	N/A	1100 - 1330
ACT range	N/A	24 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		45.0%
Students submitting ACT score		19.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	4,172
Total number of admissions given out	822	3,854
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	793
Yield rate	62.9%	20.6%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,310	$46,800
Average net price	$26,727	$28,688
Tuition	$57,776	$36,300
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $5,020 Meal plan: $6,380
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 $21,987
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	48.0% Average amount $5,148
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	8.0% Average amount $15,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	3,132 Men 38.5% Women 61.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	N/A
International students	7.1%	2.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,913	2,472
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	Education Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	80.6%
Dropout rate	2.2%	19.2%
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	Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,322 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $72,313 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $71,669 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,426 Year 2: $58,777 Year 3: $65,929 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,978 Year 2: $58,108 Year 3: $59,160 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,084 Year 2: $44,418 Year 3: $54,157 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,887 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $43,511 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,462 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $43,135 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,998 Year 2: $38,621 Year 3: $41,964 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,013 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $40,600 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,918 Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $36,728

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