Bates College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 13%, Bates College is a highly selective private college in Maine. Because it turns away most applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Bates College weighs, where it ranks among Maine schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1470, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Bates College?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Bates College admitted 33.5% of Early Decision applicants (318 of 949), against about 12.8% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 14.8%.
Source: Bates College Common Data Set 2025-26, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 30, 2026.
What do students study at Bates College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Bates College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Bates College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Bates College?
Bates College admits about 13% of applicants, but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Bates College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Bates College hard to get into?
Bates College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 13% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Bates College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Bates College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Bates College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Bates College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Bates College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Bates College with a 3.9 GPA and a 1480 SAT?
About 24% (Reach), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1480 SAT, the middle of Bates College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1530 SAT comes out near 28%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/bates-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Bates College
From Bates College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set (fall 2025 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Bates College?
33.5%. Bates College admitted 318 of 949 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, against 14.8% of all 9,660 first-year applicants (Bates College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Bates College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 33.5% versus about 12.8% for everyone who applied another way, 2.6x the rate, and Early Decision filled 22.2% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Bates College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Bates College?
39 for fall 2025. Bates College offered 2,103 applicants a waitlist spot, 795 accepted one, and 39 were admitted from it: 4.9% of those who stayed on (Bates College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Bates College?
20.6%: 34 of 165 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (Bates College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: Bates College Common Data Set 2025-26. Read from the document twice independently; only matching figures are shown. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Bates College
Built from Bates College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into Bates College, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Bates College carries about a 3.86 core GPA and a 1480 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
The admitted middle 50% is 1420 to 1530 SAT (31 to 34 ACT). Submit a score at 1475 or higher; below 1420, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Bates College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Bates College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Bates College's exact dates at www.bates.edu.
How many students apply to Bates College, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Bates College received 8,937 applications and admitted 1,164, an acceptance rate of 13%. 505 enrolled. Roughly 43% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. Bates College enrolls about 1,760 undergraduates in total, 52% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Bates College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Bates College scored between 1420 and 1530 on the SAT (average 1468). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 31 to 34. A score above 1530 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1420 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Bates College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Bates College looks for
What Bates College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Bates College leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Bates College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Bates College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Bates College cost after financial aid?
Bates College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $83,532 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $66,590. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $29,351 a year, and it ranges from $2,397 for families earning under $30,000 to $45,886 for families earning over $110,000. 12% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Bates College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Bates College student who received federal aid earns $69,498 a year, up from $59,202 at six years. 90% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $14,275; 14% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Bates College compares in Maine
Bates College ranks #3 most selective of 4 schools in Maine in our database.
Among the 4 Maine schools we track, Bates College ranks #3 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Bowdoin College (7%) and Colby College (7%) sit nearby, which makes Maine a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Bates College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Bates College with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Davidson College, Georgetown University, and Colgate University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bates College's acceptance rate?
Bates College admitted 1,164 of 8,937 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 13% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 43% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Bates College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1420 to 1530 on the SAT and 31 to 34 on the ACT. A score above 1530 is in the top quarter of admits. Bates College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Bates College test-optional?
Yes. Bates College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Bates College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Bates College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $29,351 a year against a sticker price of about $83,532. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $2,397 on average.
What do Bates College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Bates College are $69,498 a year among students who received federal aid, and 90% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Bates College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Bates College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Bates College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Bates College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Bates College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Bates College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.