Admitted Student Profile
GPA (Unweighted)
3.80-4.00
SAT Range (Middle 50%)
1380-1530
ERW: 690-760 · Math: 690-770
ACT Range (Middle 50%)
31-34
📌 Bates is test-optional since 1984 — the first college in the US to adopt this policy. Senior thesis required of all students. Short Term (May term) is a month-long intensive for independent research, travel, or experiential learning. Harward Center for Community Partnerships connects students to Lewiston.
Application Deadlines
ED INov 1
ED IIJan 10
Regular DecisionJan 1
Essay Overview
Bates College does not require a supplemental essay for 2025-26. Applicants apply through the Common Application and submit only the Common App personal statement alongside grades, activities, and recommendations. With no separate "Why Bates?" essay, the personal statement is the one piece of writing that carries your voice — so any case for fit comes through the rest of your application rather than a dedicated essay.
Common App Personal Statement
650 words
Required
Bates Supplemental
—
Not required
What They're Really Looking For
1
Make the Common App personal statement carry the weight. With no supplemental, your personal statement is the only essay Bates reads. Use it to show who you are in a way grades and activities can't — a genuine, specific story with reflection. Don't hold back your strongest material for a "Why us" essay that doesn't exist here.
2
Let fit show through the whole application, not a fit essay. Because there's no "Why Bates?" prompt, your interest in the college comes across through your activities, recommendations, any optional interest fields, and demonstrated interest like a visit or info session. Make those signals authentic rather than trying to force fit into the personal statement.
3
Lean into the holistic read. Bates reads applications holistically, so a vivid, well-written personal statement matters more than ever. Pick a topic you can write about with real voice and specificity — admissions readers are looking for a person, not a profile.
4
Don't invent a supplemental. Some applicants paste a "Why Bates?" paragraph into the additional-information section out of habit. There's no need — and a generic fit paragraph can read as filler. Use additional information only for genuinely relevant context, not a fit pitch.
The Official Prompt — 2025-26
Bates College does not require supplemental essays for 2025-26. Your Common App personal statement is the primary written component of your application.
The #1 Failure Mode
Treating Bates as an afterthought because there's no supplemental to write. With no "Why us" essay, the Common App personal statement does all the work — a generic or recycled statement is the biggest risk. Put your real effort into one strong, specific, well-told story rather than assuming a low-effort application is enough.
Weak vs. Strong: Score Benchmarks
[Common App personal statement] A statement that reads like a résumé in prose or a generic "lessons I learned from sports/volunteering" essay that could have been written by almost anyone — no specific voice, no real reflection.
[Common App personal statement] A specific, vivid story told in the student's own voice that reveals character, reflection, and growth — the kind of writing that makes an admissions reader remember the person behind the application.