Bates College
ME · Private · Northeast · Liberal arts college · Top 50 tier · 1,736 undergraduates (small)
Admission rates
Latest admit rates
How much of the class comes from ED
~65% of enrolled freshmen were admitted through Early Decision.
This is a share of the freshman class, not an admit rate.
† Regular round (est.) = (all admitted students − Early Decision admits) ÷ (all applicants − Early Decision applicants).
Trends, Fall 2019–Fall 2025
Admission rates
ED share of the enrolled freshman class (% of first-years admitted ED, not an admit rate)
Early plans
Fall 2027 applicants
Testing
Testing policy
Superscoring
What this means:
How to send scores
Self-report accepted; school doesn’t say when official scores are due
You can self-report or send official scores. The school’s page doesn’t say when official scores are required.
School’s words: “Bates will accept both official and self-reported test scores. ... Any discrepancies from self-reported test scores may result in rescinding your offer of admission.”
Source ↗ · checked Nov 3, 2026
Students submitting scores
‡ Est. % submitting scores adds the share of enrolled first-years who submitted the SAT to the share who submitted the ACT.
Score ranges (middle 50%)
Enrolled first-years who submitted scores, Fall 2025. A quarter scored below the range and a quarter above.
Trends, Fall 2019–Fall 2025
Share of enrolled students submitting scores
SAT composite, middle 50%
ACT composite, middle 50%
Year-by-year data, Fall 2019–Fall 2025
| CDS year | Admitted | Admit rate | ED rate | ED share of class | Est. % submitting | % SAT | % ACT | SAT mid-50 | ACT mid-50 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 ↗ | 998 | 12.1% | 42.4% | 70% | 76% | 45% | 31% | 1280-1460 | 29-33 | |
| 2020-21 ↗ | 1,085 | 14.1% | 46.3% | Not reported | 96% | 61% | 35% | ERW 620-710, Math 590-710 | 27-33 | |
| 2021-22 ↗ | 1,267 | 17.3% | 59.5% | 63% | 59% | 35% | 24% | 1290-1440 | 30-34 | |
| 2022-23 ↗ | 1,137 | 13.7% | 47.8% | 61% | 39% | 25% | 14% | 1340-1500 | 31-33 | |
| 2023-24 ↗ | 1,164 | 13% | 41.7% | Not reported | 28% | 18% | 10% | 1370-1475 | 31-33 | |
| 2024-25 ↗ | 1,334 | 13.3% | 27.1% | 63% | 19.7% | 15% | 4.7% | 1410-1490 | 30-33 | |
| 2025-26 ↗ | 1,433 | 14.8% | 33.5% | 65% | 21.3% | 13% | 8.3% | 1325-1510 | 31-34 |
Waitlist admit rate
Share of students who stayed on the waitlist and were later admitted, by entering class.
- 2025: 5%
- 2024: 4%
- 2023: 8%
- 2022: 0%
- 2021: 0.2%
Test policy in each Common Data Set
History only. The current policy is under Testing above.
- Fall 2027 Test-optional2025-26 CDS
- Fall 2026 Test-optional2024-25 CDS
- Fall 2025 Not reported2023-24 CDS
- Fall 2023 Test-optional2022-23 CDS
- Fall 2023 Test-optional2021-22 CDS
- Fall 2022 Test-optional2020-21 CDS
- Fall 2021 Test-optional2019-20 CDS
From the school's website
Figures from the school’s own pages that add to its Common Data Set. Each links its source.
Bates reports SAT Reading & Writing 710–760, Math 720–750 and ACT 32–34 for students who submitted scores. These differ from the Common Data Set ranges on this page. Bates News reports 497 students in the Class of 2029.
Source: Bates optional testing page ↗ · Bates News: welcoming the Class of 2029 ↗