How to Apply to Biology at Bates College: A Maine Liberal Arts College Where the Biology Department Teaches Through Research-Based Courses and a Senior Thesis, with 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 biology programme is offered by the Department of Biology. 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 chemistry 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

• Biology major: the department says the major is designed to give a broad foundation for students considering a future in the life sciences while leaving enough flexibility for individual interests; in the core sequence students investigate life at all levels of biological organisation, from molecules to ecosystems, using research-based approaches. The department says students can shape the major around topics such as DNA replication, tree identification and physiology, avian physiology, evolution and the relationships of plants and animals with their environments. The pages read do not divide biology into separate tracks or degrees. The full course list for the major and whether the degree is a B.A. or a B.S. are in the College catalog and were not read; please check the catalog and the department website.
• Curriculum map (image on the department website): First year: BIO 195 Lab-Based Biological Inquiry (several topic sections each year; students take just one, in fall or winter; prerequisite for BIO 202, 204 and 206), plus CHEM 107 (fall) and CHEM 108 (winter). Second year: BIO 202 Cellular Basis of Life (fall or winter, no lab), BIO 206 Evolution and Interactions of Life (fall or winter, no lab) and BIO 204 Biological Research Experience, Molecules to Ecosystems (fall or winter, lab-based, W2). Third and fourth year: upper-level biology courses and a two-part senior capstone: part 1 is a Collaborative Thesis or Individual Thesis (fall or winter), part 2 is BIO 480 Senior Seminar (taken in both fall and winter). The map also shows a biological skills course taken in Short Term for 0.5 credit in any year, and a course that meets the Quantitative Requirement. It notes that the course catalog has additional requirements, prerequisites and restrictions.
• How the map connects to other programmes: the map says BIO 202 is required for pre-health, biology, biochemistry and neuroscience; BIO 206 is required for biology; and BIO 204 is required for biology and biochemistry and recommended for pre-health.
• Senior thesis and honors thesis: the department’s honors page says any student may apply to conduct an honors thesis. It differs from a regular senior thesis in that the work must meet a higher standard of rigor and scope, the candidate defends it orally in front of a panel of examiners, and the submission deadline is earlier. It spans at least two semesters (BIO 457 and 458), and the research can begin in junior year as an independent study, in the summer between junior and senior years, or during senior year. The panel has one biology faculty member, one Bates faculty member outside biology and one outside examiner from off campus; the decision is based on the written work (60%) and the oral defence (40%). Timetable: talk to potential advisors in the winter semester of junior year; submit a written proposal to the thesis advisor by the 10th day of classes in the fall of senior year; in winter the department decides whether to proceed, and then the Honors Program dates apply (nomination in January, abstract in late January, thesis upload in late March, oral defence in late April). The Honors Program website with the exact dates was not read. The pages read do not state a GPA requirement for honors.
• Research and internships: the programme overview says all students take part in scaffolded, hands-on research experiences in the laboratory and the field throughout the curriculum, with skills courses such as field botany and marine genomics, summer opportunities in the lab and field with faculty, and presentation of research at regional and national conferences. The department homepage says summer undergraduate research experiences are taking applications, and it links a summer internships page that was not read.
• Biochemistry and neuroscience: the biochemistry major is administered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry with courses from biology (BIO 195, 202 and 204 are among its required courses), and students may not double major in biochemistry and biology; neuroscience is a separate major listed on the academics page. Please check the website for their requirements.
• Study abroad: the department says many biology majors take off-campus study or study abroad and should plan carefully to complete all requirements; a faculty member advises on study abroad plans.

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 biology department; the College describes holistic review and says it does not offer direct admission.
• Declaring the major: the department says you may declare any time you feel ready but must declare by the winter semester of sophomore year, and asks you to make an appointment with the department chair. 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 biology has a grade requirement or cap on places is not stated in the pages read; please ask the department.
• Switching into biology: 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 biology, chemistry or math requirement; not published, please ask the admissions office.
• Course planning advice (biology department): the department suggests completing general and organic chemistry and the four-course biology core sequence in the first two years, which gives the most flexibility for electives or study abroad and the widest choice in thesis research. The curriculum map puts CHEM 107 and 108 in the first year.
• AP, IB and A-Level credit and the biology major: the department’s AP credit policy page says AP, A-Level and IB credit cannot substitute for any course offered by the Biology department and does not reduce the number of biology courses required for the major; a 4 or 5 on the AP biology exam may count as one of the 32 credits required for graduation but does not count toward the major (the policy begins with the class of 2017). The registrar’s AP chart says a 4 or 5 in Biology earns 2 unspecified credits, which differs from the one credit stated on the department page, so check the latest; a 3 earns none. Unspecified credit counts toward the 32 credits but does not satisfy any major, minor or general education requirement, and at most four non-Bates credits, including AP, can be awarded. The registrar’s IB chart gives Biology HL 5 = 1 unspecified credit and HL 6 or 7 = 2, with 6 or 7 in the Subsidiary Level column = 1 (the page notes some departments do not accept that level). The A-Level chart gives Biology C = 1 unspecified credit and A or B = 2. For chemistry, the same registrar charts give AP Chemistry 4 or 5 = CHEM 107-108, IB Chemistry HL 5 = 107A and 6 or 7 = 107A and 108A, and A-Level Chemistry C = 107A and A or B = 107A and 108A; for calculus, AP Calculus AB 4 or 5 = MATH 105 and BC 4 or 5 = MATH 105 and 106 (see the registrar pages for details).
• Honors and competitions: the honors thesis is covered in section 1; the pages read do not describe an honors course sequence, and the admissions pages do not say how biology 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 website has a Pomeroy Scholarship page that was not read, so it is not known whether it is open to incoming students; the pages read do not state other scholarships for incoming students; 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), and that the curriculum and research experiences prepare biology students for postgraduate training in a wide variety of professions including health care, health sciences, research and education. Selected places of employment or service listed include Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the National Institutes of Health, The Jackson Laboratory and Accenture; selected graduate schools listed include Yale, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Cornell, Dartmouth, Penn, Tufts, UCSF and NYU. 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. The biology department’s transfer credit rules say a biology course taken elsewhere must count toward a major in the biological sciences at that institution; for courses begun before 1 August 2024, the lecture portion must meet at least 36 hours, a laboratory adds 30 hours, and summer or online courses must run at least 5 weeks; for courses begun after 1 August 2024, the lecture portion must meet at least 36 hours (exceptions may be granted for approved study abroad programmes), online courses must be synchronous (asynchronous online courses are not accepted) and a laboratory adds 30 hours. The department generally does not give transfer credit for courses offered outside the biological sciences. Requests go to the department chair with the transfer credit form, a note on how the credit is to be applied, the other institution’s catalog pages and syllabi, and then to the registrar; allow at least three weeks before a summer course begins.

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:

• First year BIO 195 and CHEM 107/108; second year BIO 202, 204 and 206; declare the major by the winter semester of sophomore year at the latest (College-wide, 1 March); finish the senior thesis and BIO 480

Transfer students:

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

Sources: official website, Biology at Bates; Biology department website; Biology: for prospective majors; Biology: the major; Biology: curriculum map; Biology: AP credit policy; Biology: credit policies; Biology: transfer credit; Biology: honors thesis; Chemistry and Biochemistry: biochemistry major; 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.