How to Apply to Mathematics at Bates College: No Application Fee, No Supplemental Essay, Test-Optional Since 1984, Declaring the Major by 1 March of Sophomore Year and a Senior Seminar or Thesis, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine, is a liberal arts college, and its undergraduate mathematics programme is offered by the Department of Mathematics. Students apply to the College as a whole, not to the department. Here is what you need to know, based on the College’s website, organised for US domestic applicants, international applicants and applicants from China, followed by transfer students. Computer science is not covered here, and neither are other majors.

1. Degrees and areas

• Programmes: the department offers a mathematics major and minor. The programme overview says students can focus on theoretical or applied courses and that math majors at Bates often double major in a related field such as economics, physics or engineering. A department page mentions a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree, but the pages read do not give separate B.A./B.S. math requirements, and no separate statistics major is listed.
• Major course requirements: the College catalog (catalog.bates.edu) returned status 202 in the scan and was not accessed under the access rules; the department’s major and minor checklists are Google documents, which were also not accessed. The course list is therefore not covered here; see the “Checklists for the Major and Minor” page and the catalog.
• Entry-level and later courses (listed by the department): MATH 105 Calculus I, MATH 106 Calculus II, MATH 205 Linear Algebra and MATH 206 Multivariable Calculus, then probability and statistics (MATH 213, 214), differential equations (219), Introduction to Abstraction (221), number theory (225), Mathematics for Social Justice (233), mathematical models in biology (255A), abstract algebra I (309), real analysis (301), complex analysis (308), geometry (312), numerical analysis (355A) and others. The department notes that listed courses are not guaranteed to be offered.
• Senior experience: seniors complete either a senior seminar (usually in winter semester, with a topic chosen by faculty, small-class work and several presentations) or a senior thesis (one semester or a full year, on a topic chosen by the student, with one-on-one advising). Both satisfy Bates’ W3 writing requirement and each needs at least one semester of work. The department generally limits each advisor to two theses a semester; students should plan on at least 12 hours a week for a thesis and at least 15 hours for an honors thesis.
• Beyond the classroom: the overview says students can take part in math competitions, community-engaged learning at local schools and nonprofits, and on-campus math seminars.

2. How admission to the major works: apply to the College, declare after entry

• At application: the application checklist and FAQ do not ask for a major or say that applicants are admitted by major; the College describes holistic review. Whether the application asks for an intended major is not stated in the pages read; please ask the admissions office.
• Declaring the major: the department’s important-dates page says sophomores should have their major declared and a major advisor selected by 1 March; for those studying abroad in junior year, by 1 February, with the study abroad plan approved by the department chair. A grade requirement or cap on places is not stated in the pages read.
• Math Camp: the department says first year or sophomore year is the ideal time to take MATH 221 (Math Camp, Introduction to Abstraction).

3. Prerequisites and placement

• High school math: the admissions pages read do not state a high school math requirement; not published, please ask the admissions office.
• Placement: the department says that, based on background, it recommends a 100-level course, MATH 205 Linear Algebra, MATH 206 Multivariable Calculus or a more advanced course. It offers anonymous, non-binding online calculus placement exams (one on MATH 105 material and one on MATH 106), taken without calculator or notes and with no time limit; they cannot be used to earn Bates credit. Students with a strong calculus background are urged to enrol in the next level; completing MATH 106 fulfills any Bates requirements for MATH 105, and completing MATH 206 fulfills those for both 105 and 106, including for the B.S. degree. Students with moderate or more calculus on their transcript are normally not permitted to enrol in MATH 105.
• AP credit: Calculus BC 4 or 5 earns credit for MATH 105 and 106; Calculus AB 4 or 5 (or a 4 or 5 AB subscore on the BC exam) earns credit for MATH 105; Statistics 4 or 5 earns credit for MATH 101. A student with both AB and BC scores earns at most two credits. A course for which AP credit has been granted cannot be retaken at Bates for more credit, and the AP credit must be given up before signing up for it.
• IB credit: Mathematics: analysis and approaches HL 5 earns credit for MATH 105 and 6 or 7 for both 105 and 106; applications and interpretation HL 5, 6 or 7 earns credit for MATH 105; no credit for SL courses.
• A-Level: an A in Mathematics earns credit for MATH 105 and 106; a B or C earns credit for 105; an A or B in Further Mathematics earns one unspecified credit; no credit for O-Level or AS-Level; no double-counting with AP or IB.
• Honors sequence: the pages read do not describe an honors math sequence; honors theses are covered in section 1.
• Math competitions: the admissions pages read do not say how competitions are viewed.

4. Deadlines and application materials

• Deadlines (rounds and timeline page): Early Decision I (binding) 15 November, with notification by 20 December and a reply date of 8 January; Early Decision II 10 January, notification by 15 February, reply 19 February; Regular Decision 10 January, notification by 1 April, reply 1 May. The QuestBridge Match deadline is 1 October. The pages show no year, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry. Bates has no rolling admission or direct admission.
• How to apply and fee: the Common Application or the Coalition Application powered by Scoir, or QuestBridge; there is no application fee and no supplemental essay.
• Recommendations and transcripts: official school transcript, school report or profile, one counselor recommendation and one teacher recommendation (up to two; the pages read do not require a math teacher), plus one optional additional recommendation from a non-academic experience. Grade reports: ED I first-quarter grades by 1 December, ED II mid-year transcript by 1 February, RD mid-year transcript by 15 February.
• Interviews: not required; alumni conversations are optional and informational, not evaluative interviews.
• Testing: the SAT and ACT are optional for all applicants and have been since 1984. Scores can be self-reported, official scores are required on enrolling, and scores are superscored. For the Class of 2029, the middle 50% of those who submitted: SAT evidence-based reading and writing 710–760, SAT math 720–750, ACT composite 32–34.

5. US domestic applicants

• Costs (2026-27): Bates charges a single fee, with no in-state or out-of-state difference: $94,560, made up of $73,760 for tuition and $20,800 for food and housing; there is also a one-time first-year fee of $475. Estimated indirect costs: books $900, personal expenses $1,000 and transportation $250–$1,150. The Bates student health insurance plan costs $2,352 for the full year, and can be waived with qualifying coverage. The rates for fall 2027 entry are not stated in the pages read.
• Aid: all aid is need-based; there are no merit scholarships. The College says it meets 100% of demonstrated need; nearly half of students receive aid and nearly $50 million in grant aid is awarded. The FAQ gives an average need-based grant of $58,518 for enrolling students in the Class of 2029, while the costs page gives an average award of more than $64,500 including grant, loan and work. U.S. citizens and permanent residents submit the CSS Profile (code 3076), tax documents and the FAFSA (code 002036). The aid package is the same whether you are admitted through Early Decision or Regular Decision. Financial aid deadlines are on a separate page, which was not read.
• In-state priority or guaranteed admission: not stated in the pages read.

6. International applicants

• Who counts as international: a non-U.S. citizen whose immigration status requires a visa to be in the United States. A U.S. citizen living abroad is reviewed by the International Admission Committee but is treated as domestic for financial aid. Over 70 countries are represented among students.
• English requirements: if English is neither your native language nor the primary language of your secondary school instruction, you must submit official TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo English Test results (all versions of the TOEFL and IELTS are accepted, the best score is accepted, and self-reported English scores are not). Minimum scores are not stated in the pages read; please ask the admissions office.
• Interviews: a recorded InitialView or Vericant interview (with writing sample) is optional, and the College says applicants who submit one tend to be more competitive; the interview that is part of the Duolingo test does not replace it.
• Testing: SAT/ACT are optional, as for all applicants.
• Aid: the College meets the full demonstrated need of all admitted students regardless of citizenship, but says it is not need-blind and is need-aware for international students: financial need can affect the admission decision. You must indicate your intent to apply for aid on the admission application before admission; requests after admission are not considered, and no appeals are accepted. Non-U.S. citizens submit the Bates International Student Application for Financial Aid (BISAFA) in the application portal; the CSS Profile is not needed (except for Canadian citizens). Students not seeking aid must submit the International Student Financial Certification Document and a bank letter to enrol. Aid is a grant plus on-campus work (up to 20 hours a week) for up to eight semesters, with no loans for non-U.S. citizens. There are no merit scholarships for international students. United World Colleges Davis Scholars receive $25,000 a year towards need-based aid. International students are automatically enrolled in the student health insurance plan.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: whether Gaokao results are considered or how they are used is not published on the pages read; please contact admission@bates.edu.
• Transcripts and school-leaving materials: no China-specific requirements are published; the general international requirements are in section 6. School transcripts must be official and sent by the school.
• International curricula: students taking AP, IB or A-Level can use the credit rules in section 3.

8. Costs, scholarships and outcomes

• Costs: see section 5.
• Department scholarships: the department pages read do not mention math-specific scholarships.
• Outcomes (the College’s own wording): the programme overview says 94% of 2020–2024 Bates graduates are employed and/or attending graduate school within six months of graduation. It lists employers including Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, Barclays and Bank of America, and graduate schools including the Broad Institute, Oxford and Harvard. This is a College-wide figure, not data for math majors alone.

9. Transfer students

• Eligibility: at least one semester completed at an accredited college by the application deadline; no minimum GPA is required, but the College says transfer students generally have a college GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale in a challenging liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Both high school and college transcripts are considered. International students enrolled overseas may apply.
• Rounds and deadlines: winter transfer, 1 November (materials 5 November), notification in late November and reply 25 November; fall transfer, 1 March (materials 5 March), notification by 2 May. The reply date is given as 21 May on the rounds page and 23 May on the transfer page, and the transfer FAQ says the enrollment deposit of $300 is due by 20 May, so the pages differ; check the latest. The pages show no year.
• Materials: the Common Application for Transfer Students (the Coalition application is not accepted for transfer), a transfer personal essay, official transcripts from every college attended, course descriptions, two recommendations (one college professor and one college academic advisor or high school counselor), a College Report from each institution, a mid-term report if currently enrolled and the high school transcript. SAT/ACT is optional, and there is no application fee. Transfer students are eligible for need-based aid and guaranteed housing.
• Credit transfer: Bates transfers most liberal arts and sciences courses at accredited institutions that are similar in content, rigor and length, with a grade of at least C. The math department’s page says to talk with the current department chair about math transfer credit and to seek approval before registering for courses elsewhere. Prerequisites in calculus or linear algebra for transfer math majors are not stated in the pages read.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• ED I 15 November; ED II and Regular 10 January; no fee and no supplemental essay; one counselor and one teacher recommendation; testing optional
• CSS Profile (code 3076), tax documents and FAFSA (code 002036)

International applicants (including China):

• Official TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo results if English is neither the native language nor the language of instruction (minimum scores not published); optional InitialView or Vericant interview
• Aid must be requested on the application with the BISAFA; students not seeking aid submit a financial certification document and a bank letter

After entry:

• Use AP/IB credit and the placement exam to pick MATH 105, 106, 205 or 206; declare by 1 March of sophomore year (1 February if studying abroad in junior year); choose a senior seminar or thesis

Transfer students:

• Fall 1 March, winter 1 November; at least one semester completed; GPA generally 3.3 or higher; check math credit with the department chair

Sources: Bates College, Mathematics at Bates; Mathematics: academic program; Mathematics: selecting your first course; Mathematics: calculus placement exam; Mathematics: transfer credit and AP/IB; Mathematics: important dates for majors; Mathematics: goals for majors; Mathematics: senior seminar or thesis; Mathematics: senior thesis; Admission: application checklist; Admission: rounds and timeline; Admission: FAQ; Admission: testing; Admission: international applicants; Admission: transfer applicants; Tuition, fees and other costs; Financial aid: first-year and transfer applicants. The admissions pages show no year on their dates, so check that they apply to fall 2027 entry and see the College’s website for the latest.