If your child is passionate about Arctic research, marine biology, or if they just know they want to be at a premier liberal arts college, then chances are that Bowdoin College is on their list. As they have their head up in the clouds (or their eyes down on the ocean floor), you’re probably worrying about whether they have what it takes to get into Bowdoin. Never fear: we’re here to help you with your troubles. But first let’s learn a bit more about what makes Bowdoin unique. 

About Bowdoin College

Bowdoin is located in Brunswick, Maine, a small coastal town just thirty minutes north of the city of Portland. Bowdoin is perhaps best known for its “Common Good” ethos, which began in 1802 when Bowdoin President Joseph McKeen committed the college to a special charge. “It ought always to be remembered, that literary institutions are founded and endowed for the common good, and not for the private advantage of those who resort to them for education,” McKeen said. “It is not that they may be enabled to pass through life in an easy or reputable manner, but that their mental powers may be cultivated and improved for the benefit of society.”  This commitment lives on through the McKeen Center for the Common Good, and through how students are encouraged to approach their studies, whether they’re in a field that leads directly to public service or not. 

Bowdoin is home to a rare Arctic Studies major, which works in collaboration with the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum. Bowdoin also houses the Schiller Coastal Studies Center, which is located on 2.5 miles of rocky shoreline and 118 acres of coastal spruce-pine forest and fields. This means budding marine biologists at Bowdoin have access to resources that other undergraduates (and many grad students!) can only dream of. 

There are around 1,800 undergraduates at Bowdoin, and almost all students live on campus all four years, so during cold Maine winters, your child will surely be surrounded by the coziness of community. Bowdoin’s dining halls are consistently ranked among the top in the nation, and there’s a strong outdoor culture, from swimming to skiing to hiking. All in all, Bowdoin has a little something for everyone. 

Bowdoin admitted only 6.5% of applicants to the Class of 2030, an acceptance rate on par with Ivy League institutions. That means getting in will require strategic planning (and the help of Ivy Coach’s college admissions experts certainly wouldn’t hurt). 

Bowdoin Admissions Requirements 

Unfortunately, there’s no formula for getting into Bowdoin, just as there’s no formula for getting into any selective school. (Trust us: our jobs would be so much easier if there were.) Obviously, a high GPA, great test scores, and stand-out extracurricular achievements are the bread and butter (and jam) of all successful applications. But even still, these three factors are considered within their context. If a student has a 4.0 but never took an AP class, they’re not necessarily going to fare better than a student with a 3.8 who took 6 AP classes. If a student wants to be a marine biologist but never got involved with a coastal studies center, that means one thing if they’re from California or Rhode Island where there are coastal research centers galore, and another thing if they hail from a landlocked state. 

What Kind of GPA Is Necessary To Get Into Bowdoin?

The following is the class rank breakdown of Bowdoin’s Class of 2028, as reported in Bowdoin’s 2024-25 Common Data Set. Because GPA data is not available for recent classes, class rank is the closest information for gauging Bowdoin’s admission standards.

Assessment	Percentage of Bowdoin College Class of 2028
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	85.14%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	93.92%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	99.32%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	0.68%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	29.19%

What Kind of SAT or ACT Scores Are Needed To Get Into Bowdoin College?  

The average SAT score for the Bowdoin Class of 2028 was 1510, and the average ACT score was 34. Even though Bowdoin is test-optional, 48% of applicants submitted test scores that year. At Ivy Coach, we believe that not submitting test scores can only ever hurt an applicant’s chances, even to supposedly test-optional schools. 

What Classes Do Students Need to Take to Get Into Bowdoin College?

Bowdoin does not explicitly state any minimum high school course preparation for applicants. However, we at Ivy Coach know that colleges want to see students excelling in each core subject (English, history, math, science, and foreign language) all four years of high school. Additionally, they expect students to take advantage of any AP or other advanced courses on offer to them. 

What Kinds of Extracurriculars Does Bowdoin College Like To See?

You’ve probably heard the urban legend of the “well-rounded” student and how they’re the most sought-after applicant to highly selective colleges. We’re going to break it to you: this is purely just an urban legend, a myth, a mirage. 

What are schools looking for? Not a well-rounded student, but a well-rounded student body. These student bodies are comprised of uniquely talented students, each contributing a different achievement to the greater whole. So, rather than shuttling your kid from soccer practice to Russian Math lessons to cello lessons to West Side Story rehearsal to robotics club, save on all that gas money and encourage your child to zero in on their own unique talents. 

Bowdoin Application Requirements

Bowdoin College accepts The Common Application and The Coalition Application. They ask for one letter of recommendation from a counselor and two letters from teachers. They provide students the option to write two different supplemental essays. 

Who Should Students Ask For Letters of Recommendation For Bowdoin College? 

Bowdoin applicants should ask two junior year teachers in core subjects with whom they’ve had good relationships and in whose classes they excelled. In addition, at least one of the recommender’s subject areas should fold in neatly with the rest of the student’s application: if an applicant wants to be Bowdoin’s next great marine biologist, they should probably ask their AP Bio teacher to be one of their recommenders. 

Does Bowdoin Require an Interview? 

They don’t require one, but they offer one! Pro tip: take them up on that offer.

What Are Bowdoin College’s Application Deadlines? 

Early Decision I applications to Bowdoin are due November 15th. Regular Decision and Early Decision II applications are due January 5th.  

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Get Into Bowdoin

If you’re interested in discerning if your child has a shot of getting into Bowdoin College, we recommend setting up Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child has a chance of getting into Bowdoin College, but you’ll receive a game plan of how your child can optimize their admission to the best school possible.