Getting in
For Fall 2025, 9,660 first-year students applied to Bates, 1,433 were admitted and 493 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 14.8%.
Source: Bates Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025
| Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state | 356 | 95 | 26.7% |
| Out-of-state | 4,262 | 1,178 | 27.6% |
| International | 5,039 | 160 | 3.2% |
Source: Bates Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table (3 applicants of unknown residency are in the total only). Read Oct 1, 2026.
By school or major. Bates admits students to the college, not to a major, and its Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate.
Source: Bates Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early Decision. The Common Data Set gives one count for Early Decision I and II together. Bates has no early action plan.
Early Decision, Fall 2025
| Plan | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I and II | 949 | 318 | 33.5% |
Source: Bates Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Programs with extra requirements
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
You apply to Bates, not to a major. One thing is optional:
- Arts portfolio. Optional, for any applicant, arts major or not, who wants to show their interest in the creative community on campus. You upload it in the Bates application portal after you apply; it is due November 20 for Early Decision I and January 15 for Early Decision II and Regular Decision.
Source: Bates Admission, Frequently Asked Questions (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Majors
38 majors across 2 schools. Every major in Bates's official 2026-2027 Catalog. Bates has no separate colleges, so the list is one group of departmental and interdisciplinary majors, plus the two majors the catalog describes on their own. Minors and concentrations are left out.
Departmental and interdisciplinary majors36
Every Bates student is assigned the Bachelor of Arts on entering, whatever the major; a student may instead complete the Bachelor of Science by adding the catalog's chemistry, calculus and physics courses and declaring it by the end of the first semester of senior year.
- Africana
- American Studies
- Anthropology
- Asian Studies
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Classical and Medieval Studies
- Dance
- Digital and Computational Studies
- Earth and Climate Sciences
- Economics
- English
- Environmental Studies
- European Studies
- French and Francophone Studies
- Gender and Sexuality Studies
- German
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- History and Criticism of Art and Visual Culture
- Japanese
- Latin American and Latinx Studies
- Mathematics
- Music
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Politics
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
- Sociology
- Studio Art
- Theater
Source: Bates College 2026-2027 Catalog, The Bates Degree (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Other majors2
- Interdisciplinary StudiesAn individual interdisciplinary major you propose, drawing on at least two departments or programs, approved by the Curriculum Review Committee by March 1 of sophomore year.
- EngineeringThrough the Dual Degree Engineering Program: three or four years at Bates, then two at an affiliated engineering school. You finish with a Bates undergraduate degree in Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the affiliate.
Source: Bates College 2026-2027 Catalog, The Bates Degree (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I | November 15 | By December 20 | Yes |
| Early Decision II | January 10 | By February 15 | Yes |
| Regular Decision | January 10 | By April 1 | No |
Bates takes the Common Application and the Coalition Application, Powered by Scoir. QuestBridge Match applicants apply by October 1. Admitted students reply by January 8 (Early Decision I), February 19 (Early Decision II) or May 1 (Regular Decision). Bates has no mid-year or rolling admission.
Source: Bates Admission, Application Rounds and Timeline (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early Decision is binding: if admitted, you withdraw every application to other colleges, and you may not apply to another binding Early Decision program. You can switch a Regular Decision or Early Decision II application to Early Decision I by filing the Early Decision agreement by December 1, or a Regular Decision application to Early Decision II by February 1.
Source: Bates Admission, Application Rounds and Timeline (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
The SAT and ACT are optional for everyone applying to Bates, as they have been since 1984. If you want your scores considered, Bates superscores both tests and accepts official scores or unofficial scores you enter on your application; official scores are then required if you enroll.
Source: Bates Admission, Optional and Required Testing (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as not required for fall 2027 applicants, but considered if submitted, with scores due by January 10.
Source: Bates Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
Not announced yet. When we checked Bates's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: Bates Admission, Apply (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at Bates, 2026-2027:
| Tuition | $73,760 |
|---|---|
| Required fees (first year) | $475 |
| Food and housing (on campus) | $20,800 |
| Books and supplies | $900 |
| Transportation | $250 |
| Other expenses | $1,000 |
| Total | $97,185 |
For a first-year student living on campus. The $475 required fee is charged in the first year only; the Common Data Set lists $0 for other undergraduates.
Source: Bates Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections G1 and G5. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $2,397 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $8,958 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $11,336 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $19,468 |
| Over $110,000 | $45,886 |
| All incomes | $29,351 |
What first-year, full-time students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from Bates's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to Bates College on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
Wellesley CollegeWellesley, MA · Private14.8% admitted$25,496 average net price
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · Private13.9% admitted$41,704 average net price
Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, CT · Private16.4% admitted$30,177 average net price
Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, VT · Private12.8% admitted$31,483 average net price
Hamilton CollegeClinton, NY · Private13.6% admitted$28,985 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.