Admissions

In recent years, Bowdoin has offered admission to between 41 and 43 percent of its entering class through Early Decision. Candidates who are sure that Bowdoin is their first-choice college should consider this option.

Early Decision Agreement

Candidates for Early Decision must complete the Common Application Early Decision Agreement, stating that they will enroll if admitted. Early decision candidates may file regular applications at other colleges, but only with the understanding that these will be withdrawn and no new applications will be initiated if they are accepted on an early decision basis by Bowdoin. It is a violation of the regulations of this program to file an early decision application at two separate institutions at the same time.

The ED Agreement must be signed by the applicant, a parent, and a college advisor in order to affirm that they fully understand the provisions of the agreement. Responsibility for understanding and complying with the rules of early decision rests with the candidate. Should an early decision candidate violate the provisions of the program, the College may withdraw its offer of admission and financial aid from the candidate.

Financial Aid

Candidates admitted through early decision who have financial need will be notified of the amount of their awards when they receive their early decision acceptance, provided they have filed the College Scholarship Service PROFILE by November 15 for Option I candidates and January 1 for Option II candidates. Financial aid filing instructions for Early Decision applicants are posted on the Student Aid website.

Decisions

Candidates not accepted under the early decision program will either be deferred or refused admission. Students refused under the early decision program will not be reconsidered for admission in the spring. Deferred candidates will automatically be transferred to the regular applicant pool for further consideration and are no longer committed to attending Bowdoin if admitted.

Early Decision Option I versus Option II

The only difference between the two is the deadlines. The same selection criteria is used for ED 1 and EDII applications. Both programs are binding and assume that an applicant will attend if admitted, assuming that the financial aid is appropriate.