• Organize and track the schools that YOU are interested in.
  • Get matched up with schools that fit your personality.
  • Determine your chances at each school CP covers.
  • Calculate your costs at any school.

Campus Housing:

A

(explain this grade)

Comparable Schools'
Campus Housing Grades:

Quick Stats

Undergrads Living on Campus

92 %

Best Dorms

  • Appleton Hall
  • Stowe Inn

Number of Dormitories

21

Number of Campus Owned Apartments

6

Worst Dorms

  • Alumni House
  • Chamberlain Doubles

College Prowler Take

Bowdoin is one of the few schools in the country that guarantees housing to all students for all four years. First-years at Bowdoin get to live in rooms nicer than many upperclassmen get at competing schools. There are six freshman dorms, commonly referred to as “The Bricks,” all of which have been beautifully renovated within the last two years. All of these dorms are now equipped with laundry and spacious quads, each room with its own common room. The Bricks are also all coed by room now, so you can expect guys and girls all to be living on the same floor.

Residential Life is always doing its best to look out for new property to buy and renovate into housing; they kind of have to in order to keep up with the aforementioned four-year-housing guarantee. In the likelihood that nothing satiates your needs, you can always try to live off-campus if you are a junior or a senior. Usually the only people to venture off-campus will be seniors looking for a break from campus, not to mention a little independence. Overall, students at Bowdoin love the options, and the biggest complaints come in terms of the housing lottery, which can be a very long-winded and frustrating process, especially for underclassmen because the whole system is based on seniority. Those who feel responsible enough can apply to be a proctor in the first-year dorms or a resident advisor in upperclassman dorms. Those who get hired by the Residential Life directors get a single, a stipend, and more responsibilities.

Free Profile Tools

Do I Stand A Chance?

Calculate YOUR chances of admission at every school CP covers!

__%

Personality Match

Calculate YOUR personality match with every school CP covers!

__%

What'll It Cost Me?

Estimate your out-of-pocket costs at every school CP covers!

$__,___

Students Speak Out

Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:

Anonymous says:

Dorms vary in quality from...

Dorms vary in quality from mediocre to excellent. I’m not a fan of Brunswick because of the noise. Howell is a very pretty house (it is chemical- and substance-free), and Stowe Inn is also nice.

Campus Housing
Report

Anonymous says:

A lot of people complain about...

A lot of people complain about walking from Brunswick Apartments or Stowe Inn to campus, but compared to any other school, every housing option is so close to the center of campus.

Campus Housing
Report

cuddlepancake says:

Bowdoin College 2010

Math and Statistics

Freshman Year Couldn't Be Better...

A

Freshman year you get spoiled--big time! It's really great to have so much space and not feel overwhelmed by tons of roommates. Sophomore year is a little rougher, but in reality the housing at Bowdoin is great. There's a reason so few people live off-campus.

Campus Housing: November 19, 2009
Report

Anonymous says:

Most dorms aren’t exactly...

Most dorms aren’t exactly grand, but they do have their own flair. Many upperclassman dorms almost guarantee a single- or double-room arrangement, like Howard, Chamberlain, and the Tower. In the quality of life category, though, it’s fair to warn you that the Tower vaguely resembles a parking garage made for people.

Campus Housing
Report

Anonymous says:

The housing lottery really sucks,...

The housing lottery really sucks, especially for a sophomore.

Campus Housing
Report

Facts

What You Get

  • Bed
  • Cable TV and phone jacks
  • Chair
  • Couch (suites)
  • Desk and chair
  • Dresser
  • Ethernet connection
  • Mirror

Room Types

  • Apartments
  • Doubles
  • Quads
  • Singles
  • Triples

Available for Rent

The Residential Life Office does not rent out anything along the lines of refrigerators, microwaves, toasters, or computers. However, Rent-A-Centers are available in Auburn, Lewiston, and Portland.

Bed Types

  • Bunkable beds
  • Lofts
  • Twin extra-long

Also Available

  • Chemical/Substance Free Housing (Howard, Howell, Hyde, and Mayflower Apartments)

Dormitories

Appleton Hall
Floors: 4 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 82
Bathrooms: Single sex hall bathrooms (4 showers/4 stalls/4 sinks/2 urinal spaces)
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Two-room triples
Common room (tables, chairs, couches, TV, VCR), laundry, vending

Baxter House
Floors: 3 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 26
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, and triples
Basement, laundry, TV room, bike room

Burnett House
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 26
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, and triples
Family room, laundry, kitchen

Chamberlain Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 127
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, and suite style
Grand piano, elevator, study lounges, located near Thorne Hall

Coleman Hall
Floors: 4 plus basement floor (students live in basement)
Number of Occupants: 82
Bathrooms: One per floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Two-room triples
Common room (includes couches, television, VCR), vending machines

Coles Tower
Floors: 16
Number of Occupants: 197
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Four singles with living room and private bath
24-hour computer lab, attached to Thorne Hall

Helmrich House
Floors: 3 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 23
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, and triples
Formerly the Alpha Rho Upsilon fraternity house; can live with your friends

Howard Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 56
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Suite with two rooms (doubles) with a living area in between and a private bathroom
TV room, laundry, bathroom in-room, chemical and substance free

Howell House
Floors: 4 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 24
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
TV room, kitchen, game room, basement, laundry, dance room, dining room, chemical and substance free

Hyde Hall
Floors: 4 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 82
Bathrooms: Two on each floor (one per gender)
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Two or three- room triples
Common room (includes couches, television, VCR, DVD player), laundry, vending machines, bike room, chemical and substance free

Ladd House
Floors: 3 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 22
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles
Kitchen, dining room, fireplace, TV room, billiards room, deck, laundry, basement, bike room

MacMillan House
Floors: 3 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 23
Bathrooms: Shared by floor (MacMillan House, continued)
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, and triples
Laundry, kitchen, dining room, TV room, sun room, bike room, basement

Maine Hall
Floors: 4
Number of Occupants: 82
Bathrooms: Single sex hall bathrooms (4 showers/4 stalls/4 sinks/2 urinal spaces)
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Two-room triples
Common room, laundry, bike/athletic equipment room, vending

Moore Hall
Floors: 4 (basement serves as the Textbook Annex)
Number of Occupants: 82
Bathrooms: One bathroom on each floor (usually coed)
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Two-room triples
Common room, Textbook Annex, close proximity to dining hall, vending machines

Osher Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100
Bathrooms: Two on each floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Doubles and triples
Opened in 2005, chemical free and sustainable living

Quinby House
Floors: 3 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 23
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, and triples
TV room, piano, laundry, bike room

Reed House
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 28
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles, doubles, and triples
Chemical and substance free

Smith House
Floors: 3
Number of Occupants: 7
Bathrooms: Shared by floor
Coed: No
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles and doubles
Small kitchens, lounge areas

Stowe Hall
Floors: 4 Total
Number of Occupants: 44
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Suite with two rooms, living area, bathroom
TV Room, laundry, private bathroom shared by two connected rooms

West Hall
Floors: 5
Number of Occupants: 100
Bathrooms: 2 on each floor
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples
Sustainable living; built in 2005

Winthrop Hall
Floors: 4 plus basement
Number of Occupants: 82
Bathrooms: Single sex hall bathrooms (4 showers/4 stalls/4 sinks/2 urinal spaces)
Coed: Yes
Residents: Freshmen
Room Types: Two-room triples
Common room, bike room, vending

Campus Owned Apartments

Brunswick Apartments
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 186
Bathrooms: One per apartment
Coed: By apartment
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Apartment style
Two apartments per floor each with two rooms, living area, bathroom, and kitchen

Cleveland Street Apartments
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 13
Bathrooms: One per apartment
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Singles
Kitchen, living area, parking, close proximity to academic buildings

Harpswell Apartments
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 48
Bathrooms: One per apartment
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Apartment style
Kitchen and off-campus feel

Mayflower Apartments
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 32
Bathrooms: Coed
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles, triples
Live in a real neighborhood; all amenities of off-campus living

Pine Street Apartments
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 47
Bathrooms: One shared by each apartment
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Two apartments per floor with two bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, and living area
Ample parking lot spaces

Stowe Inn
Floors: 2
Number of Units: 50
Bathrooms: In-room
Coed: Yes
Residents: Upperclassmen
Room Types: Doubles
Private bathrooms, off-campus feel (this is a campus-owned inn)

Did You Know?

Coles Tower, when first built, stood as the tallest building in Maine. Now it’s ranked third.

Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin in her husband’s study while he was living in Appleton Hall.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne lived on the third floor of Winthrop Hall.

Write for Us!

College Prowler Internship

College Prowler is actively seeking talented students to be "Contributing Authors," and assist with updating the College Prowler guide to their school. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain internship experience, be a part of a nationally recognized company, gain tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college. Read more >