More than 48% of last year’s entering class received Bowdoin Grant. Financial aid students enjoy all the same privileges and responsibilities as other students at Bowdoin. No special rules or limitations apply. No one pays much attention to who receives financial aid at Bowdoin. Nearly 75% of all students take advantage of some kind of financial aid program to pay college costs.
No - your family’s calculated "need," determines the amount of aid you will receive, not grade point average.
Students can have a car on campus after their first year of college. For more information on policies governing student parking and transportation, see the Student Affairs section of the Bowdoin web site.
ATM machines are located in dining halls and Smith Union. There are also several local banks within walking distance of campus. Many students open personal checking accounts in Brunswick. If you work on campus, you may choose to have your paycheck electronically deposited to your savings or checking account.
No. Our admissions process is "need-blind," which means that Bowdoin admissions does not use “ability to pay” in their selection criteria. The Admission Office makes their decision solely on your merits as a student while financial aid eligibility relies on financial circumstances to determine aid eligibility.
International, waitlist, and transfer students need to review specific information related to their admission and student aid eligibility – see Need Blind and Full Need.
Please see "How to Apply".
We work hard to understand each family’s circumstances and offer aid that will supplement the family share for a full academic year. If, however, circumstances have changed significantly or you would like to have the aid offer explained or reconsidered, there is a process to initiate an aid review. Please refer to the “forms” tab of your personal portal “MyAid” site.
Probably not; financial aid can go up or down based on many factors in your family. We re-calculate "need" each year, based on changes in Bowdoin's costs and changes in parents' income and net worth.
If a brother or sister goes to college, financial aid will probably increase. Conversely, if a brother or sister graduates from college, aid will go down. If parents receive a bonus, an inheritance, or a parent decides to work full-time, financial aid is likely to change.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used to determine your eligibility for federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and Stafford loans. The FAFSA does not determine a family’s eligibility for Bowdoin Grant; rather information from the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE determines eligibility for institutional grant resources.
Meeting published deadlines for the colleges to which you apply is the most important consideration for first year applicants. Discrepancies in information you provide may result in changes to your eligibility for federal , state and College programs.
In most cases, students receiving financial aid have the same educational opportunities as non-aided students. Savings from summer employment and campus employment can pay for books and supplies (estimated at $800), personal expenses (estimates at $1,250) and travel ($100-$1,500). Travel costs vary depending on distance, weekend travel, advance planning, and other factors. What you choose to spend above these standard costs is really up to you.
In most cases, the answer is yes. Bowdoin has a very generous outside scholarship policy. Most Bowdoin Grant awards will not change when students receive outside scholarship resources, unless the amount of “outside” money you receive is substantial. The student’s need and total resources received shape final adjustments from outside awards. For additional clarification on the treatment of outside awards, please contact the Student Aid Office.
Please note that Bowdoin reviews a student’s outside awards when scholarship agencies send the money to the College. Bowdoin students receive nearly $1.3 million in private merit money from non-Bowdoin sources.
Note: Tuition benefits are a dollar-for-dollar reduction of the student’s Bowdoin Grant.
We advise students to use summer savings to pay for books in the fall. Parents, of course, can help you with this expense. Depending on your course of study, textbooks can be very expensive. You should expect to spend about $500 for first-semester books and supplies. Paying with check or credit card is fine. Many upper-class students advertise and sell books at discounted prices. You may also defray costs by renting or purchasing used textbooks.
No, you and your parents will have to pay for this expense, but you can work with Bowdoin's computer staff to buy a computer through the College.
The Bowdoin trustees increased grant offers and eliminated student loans from financial aid packages for all Bowdoin students beginning in September 2008. This means that many Bowdoin students will graduate loan free or with reduced debt. Students may now attend graduate school or work in lower paying job sectors without the financial pressure of monthly loan payments. Students may still borrow money if they wish to help parents pay the bill. Additional information regarding student and parent loans is in “MyAid”.
Yes, you can use Bowdoin financial aid to pay for costs associated with studying abroad at an approved program. Costs of the specific program and your financial need determine the amount of aid received.
You may feel some pressure to work and earn, and like most students, you will have to spend wisely within a monthly budget. You will also need to monitor your email carefully and keep up with financial aid paper work. In addition, we will ask you to attend a group luncheon in the spring with Bowdoin alumni or scholarship donors, whose generosity is supporting your Bowdoin education.
The Student Employment Office (SEO) at Bowdoin is part of the Student Aid Office. Through the First-Year Job Placement Program, you have the opportunity to apply for job placement before you arrive on campus. You can also search online for on-campus employment opportunities through the SEO website: www.bowdoin.edu/seo. There are more than 1,000 on-campus jobs available in most departments and offices. You can work up to 20-hours-per week on campus during the academic year and up to 40-hours-per week on campus during the summer and earn as much as you need, regardless of your aid status.
Varsity sports take a lot of time. It is really up to you, your organizational skills, and your class schedule. Many athletes decide to work during the off-season and earn more during the summer. Others work fewer hours during the season. Campus employers often adjust their hours to meet students' athletic schedules.
No, but you will need money to pay for books and personal expenses. Most Bowdoin students work and save during the summer. Your calculated family contribution for aid purposes will include about $2,300 in expected contribution whether from summer savings or other sources.
To receive National Merit Scholarship support from Bowdoin, Finalists must name Bowdoin College as their first choice institution. Finalists can report their college choice using the Online Scholarship Application.
No. Any National Merit scholarship you receive is offered in addition to need-based grants already awarded by the College.
All National Merit Foundation Scholars are offered a one-time $2,500 award. If they are eligible for Bowdoin grant aid, they will also receive a $2,000 merit scholarship from the College in their remaining three years, if demonstrated financial need persists. National Merit Foundation Scholars who do not qualify for Bowdoin grant aid will receive a $1,000 merit scholarship in their remaining three years.
Corporate-sponsored awards are of varying amounts and may or may not be renewable. The renewal of these awards and award amounts are determined annually by the corporation sponsoring the award and may vary from year to year.
All official notification regarding any of the National Merit scholarship programs will be sent to you directly from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Scholars will receive detailed instructions for scholarship renewal from NMSC in the spring.
IDOC is one of the many programs sponsored by the College Board to help students, and institutions like Bowdoin, efficiently process application material. Bowdoin has contracted with the College Board to collect and process your financial aid application material. Sending the requested information to the College Board will help us process your financial aid application more quickly and efficiently.
To find out what documents you need to send to the College Board:
IDOC processing starts in February after you completed your CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. All applicants applying for financial aid are asked to send their tax documents (and other related material) to Bowdoin through the IDOC service.
The confidentiality of your information is very important to the College Board and to Bowdoin. To ensure the highest level of data integrity, privacy, and security, the College Board has implemented systems that include multiple firewalls with unique security zones, data encryption, intrusion detection systems, data and system backups, and data integrity checks.
Once the processing cycle is complete, the College Board destroys your original documents.
Please see Finaid Online for more IDOC FAQs, documents, and resources. You may also contact Bowdoin Student Aid Office
While individual or family tax liability vary according to circumstances, you should be aware the IRS considers grant awards in excess of qualified educational expenses to be taxable income. Room and board, for example, are not qualified educational expenses. We recommend contacting a personal tax advisor for specific guidance and using IRS publication 970 as a reference.
To receive more information about educational tax credit benefits, please visit the Bursar web page.
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