Westmont College vs Bowdoin College

Westmont College and Bowdoin College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Westmont, a Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, California, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on integrating faith and learning. Bowdoin, a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine, is known for its rigorous academics, coastal location, and commitment to civic engagement. With acceptance rates of 34% and 11%, respectively, both colleges are highly selective. Westmont's student body is predominantly White (63%) and female (59%), while Bowdoin's is more diverse, with a larger proportion of international students (12%) and a more even gender distribution. Popular majors at Westmont include Business, Psychology, and Biology, while Bowdoin students often pursue majors in Government & Legal Studies, Economics, and English. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Westmont at 88% and Bowdoin at 94%. Explore

	Bowdoin College	Westmont College
Overview
Location	Brunswick, Maine	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Midsize
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%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	8.8%	79.0%
Application fees	$65
SAT range	N/A	1160 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		18.0%
Students submitting ACT score		12.0%
Total number of applicants	9,325	2,344
Total number of admissions given out	822	1,851
Admitted students who chose to enroll	517	333
Yield rate	62.9%	18.0%
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	$61,110
Average net price	$26,727	$33,554
Tuition	$57,776	$47,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,630 Meal plan: $8,268	Room/dormitory: $9,400 Meal plan: $5,970
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $45,153	99.0% Average amount $32,308
Students receiving federal student loan	11.0% Average amount $4,767	50.0% Average amount $5,052
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $20,700	25.0% Average amount $4,810

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,951 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%	1,238 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	31.1%
International students	7.1%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,913	1,207
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	California Washington Oregon Colorado Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Mathematics and Statistics	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Physical Science Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	93.8%	73.4%
Dropout rate	2.2%	26.6%
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/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,792 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,978 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,638 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $40,054 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,114 Year 2: $24,808 Year 3: $34,035 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,823 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,883 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,121 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,369 Year 2: $25,596 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A

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