Shihab Moral

Last Friday, the Office of Admissions released decisions for its regular decision round, marking the end of the Class of 2030’s admissions cycle. A total of 962 students out of 14,727 applicants across all rounds were offered admission for a 6.5 percent acceptance rate.

The Class of 2030’s acceptance rate is the lowest in College history, continuing a trend of falling acceptance rates over the past five years. Last year, 6.8 percent of applicants were admitted to the Class of 2029.

Senior Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Student Aid Claudia Marroquin ’06 noted in an email to the Orient that while there were no large-scale factors affecting this particular admissions cycle, the College worked to help applicants navigate their individual circumstances throughout the application process.

“This year, the admissions cycle was generally fairly stable—thankfully, there were no major glitches with application platforms or the [Free Application for Federal Student Aid]. That isn’t to say that applicants didn’t experience challenges that might be specific to their individual circumstances and contexts,” Marroquin wrote. “For the Admissions and Student Aid teams, we provide flexibility when and where possible and always aim to meet the student where they are while upholding the integrity of our processes.”

The admitted class includes 301 students who were offered admission during the two early decision rounds, 28 students admitted through the Questbridge National College Match program and 633 students offered admission via regular decision, including those deferred from the early decision rounds.

“Words I’d use to describe the admitted class include: fearless, curious, eager, committed, bridge builders, personable, humble, kind and vulnerable,” Marroquin wrote. “Importantly, the admitted students are also human. They care for siblings, are representatives on school boards, are linguists, make mistakes and learn from those experiences and each would make meaningful contributions on Bowdoin’s campus.”

With the admissions cycle complete, the Office of Admissions is now turning its attention to yield programming, which began on March 24. The schedule involves nine virtual events over the next few weeks, including opportunities for admitted students to connect with current students, faculty, staff and alumni. The flagship on-campus event for admitted students, Bearings in Brunswick, will take place from April 16 to 17, with an additional Polar Preview day on April 6 for those unable to attend Bearings.

“Yield programming is always a campus effort, and I continue to be appreciative of the remarkable ways in which the Bowdoin community is giving of its time during the month of April,” Marroquin wrote. “Thorne might be a bit crowded on April 16 and 17, but it is a wonderful opportunity to share a meal and a lovely conversation with a prospective student.”

The deadline for admitted students to enroll in the Class of 2030 is May 1. In the meantime, the Office of Admissions is planning to release admissions decisions for transfer applicants in the coming weeks.

“Bowdoin is special because of the people who study and work at the College. I’m sure next year’s Bowdoin community will continue to reflect what has made this College a place I’m honored to represent,” Marroquin wrote.