About College of the Atlantic

Founded in 1969, College of the Atlantic. is a college. Located in Maine, which is a city setting in Maine, the campus itself is Town. The campus is home to 337 full time undergraduate students, and 7 full time graduate students.

The College of the Atlantic Academic calendar runs on a Trimester basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 10:1. There are 25 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at College of the Atlantic include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.

Quick Facts

Acceptance Rate64%
Application Deadline1-Dec
Application Fee50
SAT Range
ACT Range

Admissions at COA are considered Selective, with ,0% of all applicants being admitted.

In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 16 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.

93% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 70% were in the top quarter, and 52% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.

STUDENT LIFE

We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at College of the Atlantic.

20%
“We”re apathetic”
0%
“We know about current events and vote”
40%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
40%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
0%
“We save it for the classroom”
0%
“Sometimes, but not often”
40%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
60%
“All the time, including weekends”
0%
“I”m always terrified”
20%
“I only go out in groups”
0%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
80%
“I feel extremely safe”
100%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
0%
“We bought the gear”
0%
“We live for the big game”
0%
“It”s not really our thing”
20%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
80%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
0%
“We”re a very artistic group”
0%
“Haven”t met them”
0%
“Available in class”
60%
“They keep regular office hours”
40%
“They”re always available”
100%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
0%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
0%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
0%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
0%
“We”re not into drinking at all”
40%
“Maybe a little, but it”s not a big thing”
40%
“We only party on weekends”
20%
“There”s some drinking happening every night”
0%
“Never, we”re here to learn”
60%
“There might be people who do”
40%
“People are known to partake on weekends”
0%
“There”s a huge drug scene”
20%
“We”re apathetic”
0%
“We know about current events and vote”
40%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
40%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
0%
“We save it for the classroom”
0%
“Sometimes, but not often”
40%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
60%
“All the time, including weekends”
0%
“I”m always terrified”
20%
“I only go out in groups”
0%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
80%
“I feel extremely safe”
100%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
0%
“We bought the gear”
0%
“We live for the big game”
0%
“It”s not really our thing”
20%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
80%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
0%
“We”re a very artistic group”
0%
“Haven”t met them”
0%
“Available in class”
60%
“They keep regular office hours”
40%
“They”re always available”
100%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
0%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
0%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
0%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
0%
“We”re not into drinking at all”
40%
“Maybe a little, but it”s not a big thing”
40%
“We only party on weekends”
20%
“There”s some drinking happening every night”
0%
“Never, we”re here to learn”
60%
“There might be people who do”
40%
“People are known to partake on weekends”
0%
“There”s a huge drug scene”

College of the Atlantic REVIEWS

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  • How would you rate on-campus housing?

    3 Students rated on-campus housing 4.7 stars. 67 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate off-campus housing?

    2 Students rated off-campus housing 3 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate campus food?

    3 Students rated campus food 5 stars. 100 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate campus facilities?

    3 Students rated campus facilities 4.7 stars. 67 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate class size?

    3 Students rated class size 5 stars. 100 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate school activities?

    3 Students rated school activities 3.7 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate local services?

    3 Students rated local services 3.7 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.

  • How would you rate academics?

    3 Students rated academics 4 stars. 67 % gave the school a 5.0.

What's your overall opinion of College of the Atlantic?

2 Students rated College of the Atlantic

Jack

College of the Atlantic is a very unique community in a great part of the world. It is home to passionate and opinionated people who are always up for a discussion. The academics can be challenging if you make them challenging and there are many opportunities to those who seek them. It was not the right fit for me, but many love it.

Connor

College of the Atlantic is a small school that has big part to play in teaching the next generation. It promotes acceptance and creates leaders in fields like science with the degree of Human Ecology that can be applied in any number of ways. It has a close knit community who supports the growth of everyone involved.

College of the Atlantic FAQS

  1. What is the Acceptance Rate at College of the Atlantic?

    The fall 2020 acceptance rate for College of the Atlantic is 64%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020 , _____ students were offered admission. The number of males who applied was _____ vs the number of females which was _____.

  2. What should every freshman at your school know before they start?

    Before you leave, make sure you have packed the essentials - plenty of clothes, snacks (because you will be hungry at odd times and often you won't have the energy to cook), and most importantly, quarters! Quarters are essential for doing laundry at college, so bring extra in case you need to loan your roommate some. If she doesn’t pay you back, well, you know where she sleeps... Also, you can't live on instant oatmeal and ramen during the weekend. Bring ingredients for pizza, pancakes, bread, cookies – you get the idea. Be prepared to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. They might be expensive, but they are good for you. Oh, and keep a stash of dark chocolate for emergencies. Once you are at college, remember to get plenty of sleep so you won't doze off in class. Take notes and ask your professor for help if you don’t understand something. Have other people read your essays and papers before submitting them - you will always miss some tiny but embarrassing error. When you are studying, take breaks occasionally, but don’t procrastinate, and NEVER leave things until the last minute. All-nighters are bad for your health.

    Read all  6 answers
  3. Describe the students at your school.

    Friendly, kind hearted, helpful, passionate, unique, beautiful souls from all walks of life.

    Read all  5 answers
  4. Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!

    Cheers.

    Read all  3 answers
  5. What are the academics like at your school?

    Terms are 10-weeks long, which is not as long as you think it is. Classes meet 2-3 times a week and reading assignments are light. Most classes have a term-project requirement, which is typically a variation on a presentation or term-paper. Professors make room for students to delve deeply into subjects that interest them and relate it to class material, but as far as resources go, don't contribute much. The library at the school is small and does not keep a high standard of journal subscriptions. Research projects are challenging if students don't have a connection to a larger university with better resources. It's possible to be engaged and learn a great deal here, and it's just as easy to float by. That doesn't make COA special... what's special is that you can get a B here either way.

    Read all  3 answers
  6. What are the most popular student activities/groups?

    There are really too few students for student groups to be effective. There's a water-polo team that is not officially affiliated with the college that seems quite popular. I think the most popular student activity is engaging in annual (at least... maybe biennial) email wars.

    Read all  3 answers
  7. Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

    Stereotypes always have a nugget of truth. Our marine biology program is very strong, mainly due to our facilities (2 research boats and islands, oceanside campus, Allied Whale (private organization affiliated with the college that is on campus and which responds to marine mammal strandings, photo-identifies whales and does marine mammal research), and strong marine biology/policy professors. As someone who has served on the admissions committee and who is a marine mammalogist, I can say that coming to COA solely for marine biology is looked down upon. We are a liberal arts institution, and a special one at that, where you are expected to marry a variety of interests to tackle larger societal and environmental problems. We have a small population of strict marine biologists (I admit to being one of them) who immediately focus in on the hard science and never really break out of that. It's great to focus on something, but pursuing marine science so unilaterally defeats the purpose of Human Ecology. My advice, if you are applying to COA and love marine biology (or think you do, it's often romanticized by high school seniors who love the idea of playing with dolphins and living on a boat), is to showcase your diversity of interests and the level of passion you have for the field, but also your desire to have an interdisciplinary and well-rounded education. You're going to have friends doing wildly different things. My best friend studies agriculture, history and anthropology, while I have other friends who study film theory, politics, food systems and herpetology. This is a great thing. When I come home from a day of seal necropsies, the last thing I want to hear about is whale diving physiology. There's a lot to learn in other areas of study, and typical COA students are curious about them. To address the hippie issue, yes, there are some hippies. Everyone who goes to a liberal college adds the disclaimer that hippies are just a small minority of the population. Why would they do that? Because let's face it, hippies are slightly annoying. Theres a social stigmitization towards being a hippie because it is associated with hypocritical free-will but also judgement (what do you mean you don't eat cage-free, free-range, organic, anti-Monsanto local eggs?!!!), a perceived attitude of indifference and laziness, substance use (sometimes abuse) and anti-establishment mentality that ranges from indifferent complaining (dreadlocks) to annoying activism (canvassing). These things are true for some hippies, but for the most part, not ours. All students at COA actively try to seek better things for the world, and so you have genuine, hard-working people who are actually passionate about their views and interests, and who "do things." There are some slackers, but they do not have a prominent position in the community.

    Read all  2 answers
  8. What is the stereotype of students at your school?

    COA has the aura of a science school with an emphasis on sustainability. While this is true to an extent not all of us here are focused on environmentally friendly alternatives. We are not pot smoking, tree hugging hippies. All students study marine biology because we are on the ocean and we all love the outdoors because we live across from a national park.

    Read all  2 answers
  9. What is your overall opinion of this school?

    We're extremely small, there's no getting around that. You either love it or hate it (and sometimes both), but most students tend to enjoy such an intimate community (why would you be here if you didn't). The campus is small, but beautiful, and Bar Harbor is a nice town, albeit dead and lonely in the winter.

    Read all  2 answers
  10. What's the most frustrating thing about your school?

    College of the Atlantic is a unique campus environment. One of the aspects that make COA so "COA" is the relaxing way we go about our lives. Everyone is very passionate about their work and interests, and sometimes we forget a little that the rest of the world runs by a clock. We still have deadlines and such, but a few minutes here and a couple days there...the students and the professors aren't always timely.

    Read all  2 answers
  11. Describe how your school looks to someone who's never seen it.

    College of the Atlantic is a life changing experience.

    Read all  1 answers
  12. Describe your favorite campus traditions.

    My school is best known for being the greenest college in the USA!

    Read all  1 answers
  13. What's unique about your campus?

    College of the Atlantic is a graduate school for undergrads. Every student majors in Human Ecology with classes that focus in an area of your interest. I have the freedom to choose classes I am interested in and not worry about filling petty requirements. The classes are challenging and the work is fascinating! With each class, my mind makes new connections to previous knowledge and my eyes open a little wider with the capability to analyze from different perspectives and see the interconnectedness in every aspect of human life.

    Read all  1 answers
  14. What is the stereotype of students at your school? Is this stereotype accurate?

    Within COA there are two stereotypes -- Seafox-dwelling substance free do-gooders, and Blair-Tyson-resident substance abusing party animals. I think for the most part, that's not how people really identify.

    Read all  1 answers
  15. What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

    I would have liked to have known that the Thorndike Library uses the Library of Congress cataloguing system. The library I volunteer at back home uses the Dewey Decimal system, so I was a bit confused by Thorndike’s layout at first.

    Read all  1 answers
  16. What kind of person should attend this school?

    Someone who is environmentaly conscious and socially engaged. This school is for students who love to be challenged and are self sufficent. It fits the mold for those who are creative thinkers who constanly question the world around them and want more than the conventional answers we are given.

    Read all  1 answers

Student Body

Students

73%

female

27%

male

337

Total Undergrad Enrollment

7

Total Grad Students

58%

Out-Of-State

16%

In-State

26%

International

Organizations

14

Student Organizations

N/A

Fraternities

N/A

Sororities

Housing

Yes

On-Campus Housing

41%

of students living on campus

Student Diversity

% American Indian/Alaskan Native
N/A
% Asian/Pacific Islander
3%
% Black or African-American
1%
% Hispanic/Latino
5%
% White or Caucasian
66%

TUITION & AID

All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA. Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.

99% of students attending College of the Atlantic receive some sort of financial aid. 28% were awarded federal grants. While 64% received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.

Cost Out of State

$43,542

Tuition and fees(Out of state)

$600

Books and Supplies

$9,747

Room and Board

53,889

Total On Campus

Actual Cost By Income Level(W/Financial Aid)

Family Income
Cost
$0 - $30K
$13,597
$30 - $48K
$16,528
$48 - $75K
$21,808
$75 - $110K
$20,847
$110K & UP
$31,657

We use student reviews and the most current publicly available data on our school pages. As such, we don't typically remove or edit college information. Sources for school statistics and data include the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Portions of college data include copyrighted material, which is reproduced on this website by permission of Wintergreen Orchard House, a division of Carnegie Communications. © 2009-2016 by Wintergreen Orchard House. All rights reserved.

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