Bates College announced on Apr. 9 that it received a record-breaking 12,009 applications for the Class of 2030, making it the largest applicant pool in the college’s history. This figure represents a 24 percent increase from last year and marks only the second time Bates has surpassed 10,000 applicants in its 171-year existence.
The surge in applications is significant as it reflects broader efforts to expand access and diversity at Bates. Director of Admission Darryl Uy said several factors contributed to this rise, including increased recruitment activities both domestically and internationally, expanded marketing efforts, and new partnerships focused on educational access.
A notable development was Bates’ recent partnership with QuestBridge, a national nonprofit that connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with leading colleges. Uy said joining QuestBridge led to hundreds more applications and prompted Bates to eliminate application fees for all applicants: “As a QuestBridge partner, we would be waiving the application fee for any QuestBridge applicant,” Uy said. “In order to stay true to Bates’ mission of access and equity, we decided to eliminate the application fee for all applicants.”
Uy also noted that his team received hundreds of applications from schools and regions previously unrepresented at Bates: “That was really exciting,” Uy said. “Both geographic and economic diversity are strengths that speak to the Bates mission.” Students admitted through Regular Decision were notified on March 14 and have until May 1 to respond; Early Decision rounds resulted in slightly more than half the class committing by January.
To help admitted students make informed decisions about enrolling at Bates, two full-day events called “Bates Beginnings” were organized this spring. The first event took place on March 27 with programming including campus tours, academic fairs, student panels, meetings with financial aid advisors, collaborative art projects led by Maine artist Pat Corrigan—whose project encouraged students to “Make your mark on Bates before you even move in.” President Garry W. Jenkins addressed attendees by emphasizing faculty quality: “No graduate assistants here,” he told families. “Just world-class, engaged faculty devoted to their enormously talented and driven students.”
Looking ahead, another full-capacity session is scheduled for April 17 as part of ongoing efforts by Uy’s team: “Building a class is about more than sending an admission letter,” Uy said. “It’s about exploring and understanding the opportunity and making a commitment to a really exciting future.”
