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Bates College
With a 13.3% admission rate, no GPA makes Bates College a safety. The numbers below tell you what the admitted few look like.
Not sure where you stand? Estimate your GPA →
Bates College sits in Lewiston proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. International students are a visible presence here — 9.8% of undergraduates come from outside the U.S.
Its highest-earning path is Economics, where graduates median $110,880 four years out. 11.5% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 1,760 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 91.3% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1400 and 1510 — above the ME middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Bates College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Bates College received 8,937 applications and admitted 1,164 (13%), with 505 enrolling.
Bates College is test-optional: scores are considered when submitted but not required. The 1400–1510 range below describes admitted students who chose to submit — typically Bates College's stronger testers — so treat it as the higher end of what gets in.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 700 | 720 | 740 |
| SAT Math | 700 | 730 | 770 |
| ACT Composite | 31 | 32 | 33 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Bates College compares
| Bates College | Maine median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 13.3% | 81% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $66,590 | $23,304 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $69,498 | $48,653 | $53,781 |
Earnings data favors Bates College: $69,498 median at year ten, versus $48,653 across Maine institutions.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $66,590 regardless of where you're from. At Bates College, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
Enrollment sits at 1,760 — Bates College is one of the smaller campuses on this site.
89.7% of Bates College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 34.8 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $66,590 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Bates College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Economics | $110,880 |
| Political Science and Government | $80,714 |
| Psychology, General | $65,926 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $62,082 |
Median earnings for these 4 Bates College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $69,498 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 28 additional Bates College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Bates College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1400–1510 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 13.3% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Bates College's acceptance rate?
13% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 1,164 admitted from 8,937 applicants.
How much does Bates College cost?
At Bates College, published tuition is $66,590 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Bates College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Bates College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $69,498 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Maine
- Bowdoin College — 7.1% admitted
- Colby College — 7.1% admitted
- College of the Atlantic — 70.2% admitted
- Maine College of Health Professions — 71.4% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.