Overview

We appreciate your interest in Bates and would like to help you determine if we’re a better fit for you as a transfer student. We welcome applications from students who have attended or are attending other institutions, including international students enrolled overseas.

If you haven’t yet completed a second semester at another institution, the high school transcript remains critical; for all transfer applicants, both high school and college transcripts are considered.

A transfer student is defined as any student who has previously matriculated as a degree candidate at another institution and has earned or is earning credit. Transfer students are eligible for need-based financial aid and are guaranteed campus housing. Though we don’t require a minimum GPA, students who transfer to Bates generally have a college GPA in the range of 3.5 or higher (out of 4.0) in a challenging liberal arts and sciences curriculum.

Transfer Timeline

	Fall Transfer
Admission & financial aid application deadline	March 1
Arts supplement submission deadline	March 6
Decision notification from Bates	by May 15
Candidate’s reply date	by May 24
Final transcript date	by June 1

Checklist

1) Application materials

• Submit the Common Application for Transfer Students. For the 2024-2025 application cycle, Bates is not accepting the Coalition Application, Powered by Scoir for Transfer applicants.
• Transfer Personal Essay. The Common Application for transfer students requires a personal essay regarding your motivation for transferring and interest in that new institution.
• A nonrefundable $65 application fee. Eligible students can obtain and submit a fee waiver from the Common Application, Coalition Application, ACT, College Board, or NACAC. Non-U.S. citizens applying for financial aid qualify for a fee waiver. To receive a fee waiver code, please email the Admission office at admission@bates.edu.

2) College information

• Copy of your official college transcript(s). This should be sent directly from the Office of the Registrar and bear the college or university seal. If you’ve attended more than one college or university, we need an official transcript from each institution. We cannot review your application until we receive a copy of your official transcript from each institution you’ve attended.
• College course descriptions. In order to evaluate your college courses, we require a copy of course descriptions from all courses taken at your college from your college’s course catalog. You may cut and paste the descriptions into a document and upload them in PDF format to your Bates application portal. Note: Please do not submit a PDF of your college’s course catalog in its entirety. Only submit previously taken courses and any courses you are currently enrolled in. Your application will not be reviewed until we receive all of your course descriptions.
• Two letters of recommendation (one from college professors, one from your college academic advisor or high school counselor). On the Common Application for Transfer Students, please add the recommendation from you professor as an Academic Evaluation, and the recommendation from your academic advisor or high school counselor as a College Advisor evaluation. If you don’t know your professors personally, you may submit recommendations from college teaching assistants or discussion leaders. Nontraditional students who cannot supply professor recommendations may submit employer or personal recommendations.
• College Report. This report includes a statement of good academic and social standing and is required from each institution you have attended.
• Mid-Term Report. This report includes your current grades or a progress report from approximately midway through your current academic term, if you are currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student.

3) High school information

• Secondary school official transcript. This should be sent directly from the high school.

4) Other

• Financial aid application. All students intending to apply for financial need-based assistance from Bates should refer to our schedule of financial aid deadlines.
• Standardized test scores (optional). The submission of standardized testing, such as the SAT and the ACT, is optional. Please see our website for more information on our optional testing policy. If English is neither the native language nor the primary language of secondary school instruction for four years, then results of an English-proficiency test, the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, are required.
• Arts supplement (optional). Music, theater, art, dance, film, and creative writing supplements may be included in your application portfolio. Supplementary materials can only be uploaded after you have submitted your application to Bates and received a PIN providing you access to your Bates application portal. Please see our website for more detailed guidelines as to the submission of each of these supplements.

Transfer Partnerships

The Bates Office of Admission is a proud partner of the Transfer Scholars Network, an off-shoot of the American Talent Initiative that connects high-achieving community college students to admission representatives from four-year, highly selective colleges and universities. Like all of the network’s university partners, Bates meets 100% of students’ calculated financial need.

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Frequently Asked Questions