{"id":172555,"date":"2026-04-09T16:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=172555"},"modified":"2026-04-09T16:05:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T20:05:52","slug":"record-breaking-applications-for-the-class-of-2030","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2026\/04\/09\/record-breaking-applications-for-the-class-of-2030\/","title":{"rendered":"Record-breaking applications for the Class of 2030"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The application pool for the Class of 2030 is the largest in Bates\u2019 history with a total of 12,009 applicants seeking admission for the 2026-2027 academic year. This marks only the second time the number of applications has surpassed 10,000 in the college\u2019s 171-year history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The likely explanation for the increase \u2014 24 percent more applicants than in the Class of 2029 pool \u2014 is multi-factored, according to Director of Admission Darryl Uy. Bates continues to expand its recruitment efforts through direct contact from admission counselors traveling in the United States and internationally, increased marketing efforts across multiple platforms, and partnerships with organizations committed to access. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This includes Bates\u2019 new partnership<\/a> with QuestBridge<\/a>, a national nonprofit that connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with leading institutions of higher education. Bates, Harvard College, and the University of Richmond all joined QuestBridge in early 2025, bringing the total number of undergraduate QuestBridge institutions to 55.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

QuestBridge has a simple motto, \u201cDream big, a top college is possible,\u201d and a promise to match low-income students with full scholarship support from its partner institutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That partnership led to hundreds more applications to Bates and sparked another change that only bolstered that increase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A busy scene from this year\u2019s first of two Bates Beginnings events welcoming admitted students in a recording breaking year for applications. (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a QuestBridge partner, we would be waiving the application fee for any QuestBridge applicant,\u201d Uy said. \u201cIn order to stay true to Bates\u2019 mission of access and equity, we decided to eliminate<\/a> the application fee for all applicants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uy said the Admission team received hundreds of applications for the Class of 2030 from students at high schools \u2014 and regions \u2014 that Bates had never received applications from in the past. \u201cThat was really exciting,\u201d Uy said. \u201cBoth geographic and economic diversity are strengths that speak to the Bates mission.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

Students admitted through Regular Decision learned about their status on Saturday, March 14. They have until May 1 to accept or decline. Two rounds of Early Decision resulted in slightly more than half the class committing by January.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But admission season is not over, with Uy and his team shifting their efforts into a different stage of recruitment \u2014 making sure admitted students have the clearest understanding of all that Bates has to offer as they make their decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Director of Admission Darryl Uy greeting attendees at Bates Beginnings on March 27. (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the Class of 2030 is expected to be a robust one, with about 520 students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 27, Bates held the first of two full-day events for admitted students, called Bates Beginnings. These are opportunities for admitted students and their families to visit in a more relaxed environment than what is often a whirlwind of college tours prior to and during their senior year in high school. The second Bates Beginnings is April 17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Moments
Rolling out the welcome mat to the Class of 2030 at Bates Beginnings, an event for admitted students and their families. (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates Beginnings kicked off with early bird tours, an a cappella<\/em> show in Chase Hall, and then welcomes from both Uy and President Garry W. Jenkins, who joked that, as a lawyer by training and a law professor for 20 years prior to joining Bates in 2023, he can\u2019t help thinking of his remarks as \u201cour closing argument to you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jenkins highlighted the college\u2019s exceptional faculty and the close-knit learning environment. \u201cNo graduate assistants here,\u201d he told the group. \u201cJust world-class, engaged faculty devoted to their enormously talented and driven students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bates\u2019 combination of a liberal arts curriculum and professional skill development produces a special kind of graduate, he added, which he saw first hand from a post-Commencement perspective when he was the dean of the University of Minnesota Law School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A student panel answers questions from admitted students and their families at Bates Beginnings on March 27. (Theophil Syslo\/Bates College)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The day\u2019s programming included opportunities to meet with financial aid advisors, sessions on what the First-Year Experience at Bates looks like, an academic fair, a student panel, tours of first-year housing, an open house at the Student Center for Belonging and Community, a chance to learn about community-engaged coursework, and a student life spotlight session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

While lunch was being served in Commons, admitted students had a chance to pick up a paintbrush and contribute to a collaborative art project, specifically tailored to the Class of 2030 and led by Maine artist Pat Corrigan. The tagline? \u201cMake your mark on Bates before you even move in.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In all, 175 admitted students visited on March 27. The April 17 event, which will include the same events, is already at capacity, \u201cBuilding a class is about more than sending an admission letter,\u201d Uy said. \u201cIt\u2019s about exploring and understanding the opportunity and making a commitment to a really exciting future.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The application pool for the Class of 2030 is the largest in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1283,"featured_media":172561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-172555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-batesnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1283"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172555"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":172629,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172555\/revisions\/172629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}