Transfer Applicants

Overview

We appreciate your interest in ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ 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.

To be eligible, transfer applicants must have completed at least one semester at an accredited college or university by the time of the application deadline to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. 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 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ generally have a college GPA in the range of 3.3 or higher (out of 4.0) in a challenging liberal arts and sciences curriculum.

Transfer Timeline

Winter Transfer
Admission & financial aid application deadlineNovember 1
Application supporting materials submission deadline November 5
Decision notification from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½Late November
Candidate’s reply dateNovember 26
Final transcript dateDecember 17
Fall Transfer
Admission & financial aid application deadlineMarch 1
Application materials submission deadlineMarch 5
Decision notification from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½by May 2
Candidate’s reply dateby May 23
Final transcript dateby June 1

Checklist

1) Application materials
  • Submit the  for Transfer Students. For the upcoming application cycle, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ 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.
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 .
    • 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. . Winter Transfer applicants should request that their school send first-quarter (or first trimester) grades by November 15 or as soon as they are available. Fall Transfer applicants should request that their school send first-quarter (or first trimester) grades by March 15 or as soon as they are available.
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 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ 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 , , or , 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 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ and received a PIN providing you access to your . Please see our website for more detailed guidelines as to the submission of each of these supplements.

Transfer Partnerships

The ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Office of Admission is a proud partner of the , 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, ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ meets 100% of students’ calculated financial need.

Frequently Asked Questions

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ transfers most of your liberal arts and sciences courses that are similar to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ courses in content, rigor, and length, and have been taken at accredited institutions. A grade of at least a C is required for course credit to transfer to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ has a Transfer Credit Policy that details 1) how our Registrar’s Office reviews transferable credits, and 2) ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ degree requirements for all students. For other credit transfer information, please refer to the Non-ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Credit section in the Office of the Registrar webpage.

Yes — institutional aid is based on financial need and available to all students regardless of citizenship status. At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, we’re committed to meeting 100 percent of our students’ financial need.

Please see this webpage for required documents for U.S. citizens and permanent residents applying for financial aid.

Please see this webpage for required documents for non-U.S. and Canadian citizens applying for financial aid.

To be eligible, transfer applicants must have completed at least one semester at an accredited college or university by the time of the application deadline to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½.

Yes, housing is guaranteed for all students. New students are assigned rooms on the basis of a questionnaire emailed before matriculation. Returning students choose rooms in an annual lottery system.

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is proudly a residential college. Campus residence is required of all students, except for those individuals who have been granted special permission by Student Affairs. Approximately 50 seniors live off-campus, a few blocks away, every year.

See the transfer timeline for details on applicable notification dates. Each admitted student who wishes to enroll is required to send a non-refundable deposit of U.S. $300 by May 20. If this enrollment deposit presents a barrier for you and your family, please email Admission (admission@bates.edu).

If you have questions about applying to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ as a transfer student, please see the frequently asked questions for first-year applicants, contact the admission counselor for your region, or contact our Office of Admission at admission@bates.edu or (207) 786-6000.