Bates College, a proud member of the Colby, Bates, Bowdoin liberal arts consortium, is a highly selective private college with a reputation for nurturing a lifelong affinity for nature and small-town living. Getting into Bates is no cakewalk, as students with great grades and test scores don’t always make the cut for admission. As a result, many families are left wondering what it will take for students applying for the Class of 2030 to gain admission.

For the Bates College Class of 2028, a formidable 61% of students graduated in the top tenth of their high school’s graduating class. Even so, grades are just one of many factors that inform the holistic admissions process for this historic institution.

So, where should prospective applicants stand with their high school GPA to be accepted into Bates College? Let’s take a close look at the data over the past three admissions cycles.

Bates College Admissions Rate

First off, just how selective is Bates College? For applicants to Bates College’s Class of 2029, a mere 14.38% earned admission (not quite record-setting for the college but certainly a great showing). The year prior, for the Class of 2028, this number was 13.3%. For the Class of 2027, 13.0% of applicants woke up to news of acceptance letters from Bates College on the day decisions were released.

What is a Good GPA for Getting into Bates College?

The following is the class rank breakdown of Bates’ Class of 2028 members, as reported in Bates’ 2024-25 Common Data Set. Unfortunately, Bates hasn’t reported any GPA data for recently admitted cohorts, so the class rank data below is the closest available information for gauging the GPA requirements for admission in Bates’ competitive admissions process.

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	61%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	84%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	96%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	4%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	17%

GPA Percentage of Bates College’s Class of 2027

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of Bates College’s Class of 2027:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	39.1%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	62.3%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	86.2%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	13.8%
Percent in bottom quarter of high school graduating class	1.4%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	27.3%

GPA Percentage of Bates College’s Class of 2026

The following is the class rank breakdown of the members of Bates College’s Class of 2026:

Assessment	Percent
Percent in top tenth of high school graduating class	55.2%
Percent in top quarter of high school graduating class	88.6%
Percent in top half of high school graduating class	99.0%
Percent in bottom half of high school graduating class	1.0%
Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school class rank:	20.3%

Further Context on GPAs of Bates College Students

While we await the official data for the Class of 2029, it’s safe to assume that the majority of those who secure a spot at Bates boast impressive academic records, although there is some variability year to year regarding the proportion of students with 4.0 GPAs. Still, we at Ivy Coach would confidently speculate that all Bates admits to the Class of 2029 had a GPA of 2.0 or higher, with approximately 90% exceeding a 3.2 GPA.

However, Bates routinely rejects applicants with perfect grades, which is why we’re hesitant to give a clear-cut answer to parents who proffer their child’s GPA during complimentary consultations with Ivy Coach and want to know if they can get into Bates. Without context, including the high school attended, the rigor of the student’s coursework, their extracurriculars, essays, letters of recommendation, etc., your child’s GPA alone can’t determine the strength of their application.

The reality is that Bates weighs several holistic criteria when evaluating applicants. Why? There’s an old saying in the college admissions space: there are plenty of dull students out there with perfect grades!

Can You Get into Bates College with a Low GPA?

Let’s back up for a second. While it may seem improbable, there’s no need for fear-mongering here. It is indeed possible to gain admission to Bates College with a lackluster GPA. After all, one must remember that many students accepted without exceptional grades often possess other qualities that can work in their favor. We wouldn’t put it past Bates to consider institutional needs, such as the presence of a star athlete or a student with parents who are major donors, when evaluating applications. However, for the average applicant, relatively strong grades are generally a requirement for admission.

How Ivy Coach Can Gauge Your Child’s Chances at Bates College

To optimize your child’s chances of getting into Bates College, we recommend scheduling an Ivy Coach Strategy Session. Not only will you find out if your child can get into Bates, but you’ll come away with a game plan of how your child can optimize their admission to the best school within reach. To learn more about Ivy Coach’s Strategy Session, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll contact you.