Bates College
Lewiston, Maine · Private · 1,760 undergraduates · bates.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
15%
of 9,660 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1325 to 1510
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$101,070Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Bates College
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
15% of applicants admitted
Reach
It admits only 15% of applicants, so it's a reach for everyone.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$101,070
a year in 2027-28, from a $101,070 sticker price
What to do with your 1440
Send your score
About 81% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 1260, and yours is above it.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
Source: Optional and Required Testing | Admission | Bates College · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Oct1Other deadline · October 1, 2026
- Nov15Early Decision · November 15, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Jan10Early Decision II · January 10, 2027A second binding round, after Early Decision.
- Jan10Regular Decision · January 10, 2027The standard deadline.
Who gets in
15%
of applicants were admitted: 1,433 of 9,660 for fall 2025.
Early Decision
Binding. 34% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
2,103 students were offered a spot; 39 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 13% of them sent SAT scores and 8.3% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1325 to 1510
Reading and Writing 673 to 750
Math 623 to 768
ACT composite 31 to 34
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160058%
- 1200 to 139938%
- 1000 to 11993.1%
- 800 to 9991.6%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$101,070
a year
- Tuition$76,710
- Fees$490
- Food and housing$21,630
- Books and supplies$940
- Transportation and other$1,300
Bates College published $97,185 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$1,899
- $30,001 to $48,000$7,617
- $48,001 to $75,000$9,606
- $75,001 to $110,000$21,363
- Over $110,000$46,685
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$59,701
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid deadline: 1/10
- The last day to send aid forms.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
36 of 36
Earn credit with a score of 3
2 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,670Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 4 | 1 | |
| 3-D Art and Design | 4 | 1 | |
| Art History | 4 | 1 | |
| Biology | 3 | 1 | |
| Biology | 4 | 2 | |
| Calculus AB | 4 | 1 | MATH 105 |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 2 | Math 105,106 |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 4 | 1 | MATH 105 |
| Chemistry | 4 | 2 | CHEM 107A, 108A |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | CHI 102 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 5 | 1 | CHI 201 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | 1 | |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 1 | |
| Drawing | 4 | 1 | |
| English Language and Composition | 4 | 1 | |
| English Literature and Composition | 4 | 1 | |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 1 | |
| European History | 4 | 2 | |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | FRE 201 |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 2 | FRE 201 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | GER 201 |
| German Language and Culture | 5 | 2 | GER 201 |
| Human Geography | 4 | 2 | |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | JPN 102 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 1 | JPN 201 |
| Latin | 4 | 1 | LATN 201 |
| Latin | 5 | 2 | LATN 201, 202 |
| Macroeconomics | 4 | 1 | ECON 150 |
| Microeconomics | 4 | 1 | ECON 150 |
| Music Theory | 3 | student must see department chair | |
| Physics 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| Physics 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | 1 | |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | 1 | |
| Psychology | 4 | 1 | PSYC 101 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | SPAN 201 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 2 | SPAN 201 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 1 | SPAN 201 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | 2 | SPAN 201 |
| Statistics | 4 | 1 | MATH 101 |
| United States Government and Politics | 4 | 1 | |
| United States History | 4 | 2 | |
| World History: Modern | 4 | 2 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
88%
Come back for a second year
91%
Typical earnings
$98,373
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Bates College$120,118
- All colleges$89,628
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 4 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Bates College. The Bates College logo is a trademark of the college.