Bowdoin College
What Bowdoin says
Exact quotes from Bowdoin’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Students interested in taking a personal leave from the College must … meet with their dean, and complete the online Intent to Withdraw Form
— bowdoin.edu ↗Except in unusual circumstances, a personal leave of absence may not exceed two (total) semesters.
— bowdoin.edu ↗PLOAs most typically begin prior to the start of a regular semester and may not extend beyond two semesters.
— bowdoin.edu ↗Unless otherwise permitted by the Dean of Students, a student may engage in the life of the college, including a return to campus, at the start of the next semester following their leave.
— bowdoin.edu ↗Students wishing to take a personal leave from Bowdoin may, with the approval of a dean, … take a voluntary personal leave of absence to pursue other interests.
— bowdoin.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- Looks like a personal leave needs a dean's approval, a meeting, and an online Intent to Withdraw Form.
- Leaves seem to start before the semester and appear limited to two semesters total.
- No spring request deadline is stated; confirm timing with your dean before classes begin.
- Reasons accepted: any personal reason (Dean approves; must be in good academic and social standing before the leave).
- Time away allowed: Up to 2 semesters.
- Classes start Jan 25.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Hackathon
- Bowdoin Hackathon (Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanities) ↗Campus AI hackathon open to all majors; second annual edition held September 19, 2026.
Hard-tech team
- Bowdoin College Maker Space ↗Student maker space listed in Bowdoin's student organization directory; Bowdoin has no engineering school or teams.
CS club
- Bowdoin Women in Computer Science (BWiCS) ↗Technical workshops, alumni talks, interview prep and Grace Hopper Celebration trips.
- Students of Color in Computing (SCC) ↗Mentorship, whiteboarding sessions and alumni/industry events for CS and DCS students; Instagram @bowdoin_scc.
- Girls Who Code (Bowdoin) ↗Students teach Python fundamentals to girls at Brunswick High School.
Why 82
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Source pages look current for 2026–27. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.