How to Apply to Chemistry at Bates College: A Maine Liberal Arts College Where the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Offers a Chemistry Major with an ACS-Certified Option, No Application Fee, No Supplemental Essay, Test-Optional Since 1984, for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine, is a liberal arts college, and its undergraduate chemistry programme is offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. 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. The biology major, neuroscience and other majors are not covered here; medicine, nursing, pharmacy and similar programmes are outside the scope of this guide, so see the website.

1. Degrees and areas

• Chemistry major: the department website says the chemistry major consists of core courses, elective courses and senior research and seminar. The department and its curriculum are approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS), and an ACS-certified major is offered. The department says the curriculum is flexible enough for students with career interests in the health professions, law, business and education to design a suitable major, while students heading to graduate school or industry will find enough chemistry electives. Whether the degree is a B.A. or a B.S. is not stated in the pages read; please check the College catalog.
• Core courses (chemistry major page): CHEM 107A Atomic and Molecular Structure/Lab, CHEM 108A Chemical Reactivity/Lab, CHEM 212 Separation Science/Lab, CHEM 215 Inorganic Chemistry/Lab, CHEM 217 and 218 Organic Chemistry I and II/Lab, and CHEM 301 Quantum Chemistry, plus one of CHEM 302 Statistical Thermodynamics or CHEM 310 Biophysical Chemistry. Majors also take two chemistry courses numbered 200 or above as electives; independent study courses (360 or s50) and Short Term courses cannot count as electives, and a course cannot be both core and elective. The page says 200-level core courses should be completed by the end of junior year, and pass/fail grading cannot be used for courses counted toward the major.
• Senior research and seminar: every chemistry major writes a thesis, which may be a laboratory thesis or a library thesis. Laboratory thesis students may register for CHEM 457, 458 or both; library thesis students register for one of them; students pursuing honors register for both. The courses include the department’s seminar programme: one presentation per thesis semester, and attendance at at least four seminars by visiting scholars.
• ACS-certified major: the page says that to earn an ACS-accredited major, students must also take CHEM 321 (which may count as an elective), two additional courses with a laboratory component (for example CHEM 305, 322, s37, s42 or s27) and both CHEM 457 and 458, and at least two physics courses. A table on the page lists the ACS foundational and in-depth course and laboratory-hour requirements, including math and physics; see the page for the details.
• Restrictions: the page says students may not double major in chemistry and biochemistry, may not earn a chemistry minor, and may not use the chemistry General Education Concentration (GEC) to satisfy general education requirements.
• Biochemistry major: administered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, with courses from the Biology department; it requires thirteen or fourteen courses, including a one- or two-semester thesis. Required courses include BIO 195, BIO 202, BIO 204, CHEM 107A, 108A, 217, 218, 321 and 322, one course from a list that includes CHEM 302, CHEM 310 and several biology courses (such as BIO 315 Microbiology, BIO 331 Molecular Biology and BIO 344 Genetics), and one elective; the thesis is BIOC 457/458. Students may not double major in biochemistry and biology, chemistry or neuroscience. The biology major belongs to the Biology department and is not covered here.
• Research: the programme overview says classes emphasise active learning in the classroom and the laboratory, and that students and faculty do real-time experimentation in instructional and research labs; the learning goals include conducting original research in a capstone course or a research lab.
• Study abroad: the department website has a “Study Abroad” page that was not read. The department page says students may take chemistry courses at other institutions during the summer or during study abroad, and recommends getting courses approved before enrolling.

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

• At application: the application checklist does not ask for a major or say that applicants are admitted by major, and the pages read show no separate admission bar for the department; the College describes holistic review and says it does not offer direct admission.
• Declaring the major: the registrar’s FAQ says students start the declaration in Garnet Gateway and must meet both the department chair and an advisor, who both approve it. The College-wide deadline is that a major plus one more (minor or concentration) must be declared by 1 March of sophomore year, and students who miss it cannot register for Short Term or the following fall. Whether chemistry has a grade requirement or cap on places is not stated in the pages read; please ask the department.
• Switching into chemistry: the pages read do not state separate conditions for moving into the major; not published, please ask the department.

3. Prerequisites and course selection

• High school courses: the admissions pages read do not state a high school chemistry, math or physics requirement; not published, please ask the admissions office.
• Your first chemistry course (department website): students without AP, IB or A-Level chemistry credit take CHEM 107 in the first semester and CHEM 108 in the second. Students with credit may place out of CHEM 107 and/or 108, whether or not they use the credit; the department typically recommends that students with credit take CHEM 107 and use credit for CHEM 108, while students with a very strong background may take CHEM 212 in the fall and/or CHEM 215 in the winter of the first year. First-year students may not take organic chemistry (CHEM 217/218). The page also warns that most graduate health programmes require two semesters of college chemistry with lab plus a year of organic chemistry, that AP, IB and A-Level credit may not be used to meet this, and that some medical schools will not accept AP/IB credit as prerequisites, so students with that goal should decide carefully whether to use their credit. If unsure, contact the chair or an instructor of CHEM 107.
• Math and physics: the chemistry major page says some courses have math and/or physics prerequisites. For example, CHEM 301 requires CHEM 108, MATH 106 and PHYS 107 or 109, with MATH 205 as a co-requisite; CHEM 302 requires CHEM 108 and MATH 106 with PHYS 107 or 109 as a co-requisite. The department’s sample sequence is: first year CHEM 107, 108, MATH 105, 106; sophomore year CHEM 217, 218 and PHYS 105/106, or CHEM 212 and 215; junior year CHEM 212, 215, PHYS 105/106 and MATH 205; senior year CHEM 301, CHEM 302 or 310, electives, s37 or s42 and the thesis. Courses may be taken earlier than the year listed.
• AP credit: the department says an AP Chemistry score of 4 or 5 may earn credit for CHEM 107 and/or 108, usable toward the chemistry major or minor and as a prerequisite for courses requiring CHEM 107 or 108; 3 or below earns no credit. The registrar’s chart says Chemistry 4 or 5 = 107-108. The registrar’s chart also says at most 4.0 non-Bates credits, including AP, can be awarded, and that “unspecified” credit counts toward the 32 credits needed to graduate but does not satisfy any major, minor or general education requirement. Calculus AB 4 or 5 earns MATH 105; Calculus BC 4 or 5 earns MATH 105 and 106; credit cannot be earned for both AB and BC. For AP Physics see the registrar’s chart (both Physics C exams at 4 or 5 earn PHYS 107 plus one unspecified credit).
• IB credit: the department says IB Higher Level Chemistry with a 5 earns one semester of CHEM 107 or 108; the “Higher Level Subjects” category with a 6 or 7 earns up to two semesters; “Subsidiary Level” Chemistry with a 6 or 7 earns one semester. The registrar’s chart gives Chemistry HL 5 = 107A, HL 6 or 7 = 107A and 108A, and the Subsidiary Level column 6 or 7 = 107A (the page notes some departments do not accept that level). Mathematics HL 5 earns MATH 105 and 6 or 7 earns 105 and 106; Physics HL 5 earns PHYS 107 and 6 or 7 earns PHYS 107 plus one unspecified credit. The same four-credit cap applies.
• A-Level: the department says A or B earns up to two semesters (CHEM 107 and/or 108), C earns one semester, and below C earns nothing. The registrar’s chart gives Chemistry C = 107A and A or B = 107A and 108A; Mathematics C = MATH 105 and A or B = 105 and 106; Physics C = 1 unspecified credit and A or B = PHYS 107 plus 1 unspecified credit. The A-Level page read does not say how AS-Level is treated.
• Honors and competitions: the honors thesis is covered in section 1 (honors students register for both CHEM 457 and 458); the pages read do not describe an honors course sequence, and the admissions pages do not say how chemistry competitions are viewed; not published.

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. The FAQ says Bates does not offer rolling admission, and the rounds page says it does not offer mid-year 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 at least one teacher recommendation (up to two; the pages read do not require a science teacher), plus one optional additional recommendation from a non-academic experience (only one is accepted). 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, and the page does not distinguish in-state from out-of-state: $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, course materials and supplies $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 other coverage. Off-campus study (except the Bates Fall Semester Abroad Program) carries a $3,310 fee per semester. Any extra laboratory fees are not stated in the pages read. The rates for fall 2027 entry are not stated in the pages read.
• Aid: aid is need-based; the College says it meets 100% of demonstrated need. The FAQ says more than $47 million in grant aid is provided each year, the average need-based grant for enrolling students in the Class of 2029 was $58,518, and average federal student loan debt for 2025 graduates was $13,279. The aid page lists the 2027-28 forms: U.S. citizens and permanent residents submit the 2027-28 CSS Profile (code 3076), 2025 tax documents and the 2027-28 FAFSA (code 002036). Financial aid deadlines are on a separate deadlines page that was not read; please check it on the website.
• 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, which are required to enrol. Aid is a grant plus on-campus work (up to 20 hours a week) for up to eight semesters, and aid for non-U.S. citizens includes no loans. 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. The transcript must be official and sent by the secondary school; the College says it accepts a wide range of transcripts that meet its admission requirements and give a full and accurate picture of what the applicant has learned.
• 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 department-specific scholarships; not published, please ask the department or the admissions office.
• 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 (College-wide). Many majors “go on to earn graduate degrees in chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, molecular biology, or microbiology”, students are prepared for health-related graduate study in medicine, nursing, veterinary, dental and public health, and recent graduates work in healthcare, consulting, pharmaceutical research and development, biotech, materials and energy, among others. Selected places of employment or service listed include Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Pfizer and Eurofins; selected graduate schools listed include MIT, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Duke, Yale, Cambridge and Harvard. These are lists, not percentages.

9. Transfer students

• Eligibility: at least one semester completed at an accredited college or university 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 fall reply date is given as 21 May on the rounds page and 23 May on the transfer page, and the transfer FAQ says the $300 enrollment deposit 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. 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, under the transfer credit policy and the registrar’s non-Bates credit rules. Prerequisites in the chemistry or math sequence for transfer chemistry majors are not stated in the pages read; please ask the department and the registrar.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• ED I 15 November; ED II and Regular 10 January; no fee and no supplemental essay; one counselor and at least one teacher recommendation; testing optional
• 2027-28 CSS Profile (code 3076), tax documents and 2027-28 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/A-Level credit and the department’s advice to pick CHEM 107/108 or a higher course, with MATH 105/106; declare a major plus one by 1 March of sophomore year; complete the senior research thesis (CHEM 457/458)

Transfer students:

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

Sources: official website, Chemistry and Biochemistry at Bates; Department website; Department: current students; Department: selecting your first chemistry course; Department: chemistry major; Department: biochemistry major; Department: credit policies; Department: course sequences; Registrar: AP credit; Registrar: IB credit; Registrar: A-Level credit; Registrar: declaring a major; 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.