Admissions Factors
What Bates Looks For
Bates rates 8 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
How Bates rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Not considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
14.8%
1,433 of 9,660 applicants
Early decision admit rate
33.5%
Early decision admits equal 65% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
4.9%
39 of 795 who stayed on it
Frequently asked questions
What does Bates look for in applicants?
Bates rates 8 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, application essay, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent or ability and character and personal qualities.
Does Bates consider legacy status?
Bates rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Bates track demonstrated interest?
Bates rates the level of an applicant's interest as "important".
What is Bates's waitlist acceptance rate?
795 students stayed on the waitlist and 39 were admitted, a rate of 4.9%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Bates's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 318 of 949 applicants were admitted (33.5%), against 14.8% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Bates’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
