Come as you are.
Life is full of pre-established lanes and rules. But there’s a lot of freedom at Bates. We believe the best way to approach college is to find what makes you tick, and then build the coming years around it.
A Bates education is open-minded.
We’ll help you try things on for size — in the lab or on the basketball court or in the ceramics studio or wherever your interests lead — until you find what fits for you.
Bates students tend to be up for just about anything.
It’s a good thing we have about three dozen majors and two dozen minors to choose from.
Some are liberal-arts classics (history, mathematics, philosophy). Some are STEM-focused (neuroscience, engineering, biochemistry). Many draw from more than one discipline (American cultural studies, environmental studies, biochemistry, gender & sexuality studies).
Some won’t exist until you invent them.
Majors and Minors
M = major
m = minor
- Africana (M, m)
- American Studies (M)
- Anthropology (M, m)
- Art and Visual Culture (M)
- Asian Studies (M, m)
- Biochemistry (M)
- Biology (M)
- Chemistry (M, m)
- Chinese (M, m)
- Classical and Medieval Studies (M, m)
- Dance (M, m)
- Digital and Computational Studies (M, m)**
- Earth and Climate Sciences (M, m)
- Economics (M)
* Students who choose to participate in the Engineering Combined Plan complete a portion of their education at Bates and a portion at one of our partner institutions: Case Western University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or Washington University in St. Louis.
** Digital and Computational Studies was approved as a new major by the Bates faculty on March 3, 2025, available to the Class of 2027 and all subsequent classes.
A Bates education is open-hearted.
We know that college isn’t just about developing your intellectual side. It’s also a time to find the people you can lean on so that you can thoughtfully and authentically test your limits.
Class of 2029 Enrollment Profile
Admission rate 15%
Class size 499
Demographic
Female-identified 51%
Male-identified 49%
U.S. students of color 23%
First generation to college 11%
Non-U.S. citizens 8%
Education
Public/charter high school 51%
Independent/private high school 49%
Financial Aid
% of class receiving Bates grant aid 44%
% of class receiving Pell Grants 11%
Average Need-Based Grant $58,518
Testing
Test-optional since 1984
For those who submitted testing, the middle 50% had score ranges of:
SAT Evidence Based Reading and Writing 710-760
SAT Math 720-750
ACT Composite 32-34
Home Geography
Middle Atlantic 21%
Midwest 6%
New England 42%
Southeast 5%
Southwest and West 17%
Outside the U.S.9%
Statistics are accurate as of 8/04/2025
A Bates education is open-ended.
You’ll never feel like you’re just on a treadmill working toward a diploma. You’ll be too busy making connections across academic fields, job-shadowing alumni, learning in the community, and doing graduate-level research that you really, really care about.
You belong here. Through it all, you’ll have our support to ask big questions — and you’ll find the courage to push through when there aren’t clear answers.
Financial Aid Fast Facts
We awarded $47.8 MILLION in grants in 2024-2025.
When you study abroad, your aid travels with you.
Average federal student loan debt for the Class of 2025 was $13,279 — less than half the national average.
The average need-based grant for last year’s enrolled class was $58,518.
Get to Know Us
Explore
While you may be unable to travel to campus, there are lots of great ways to get to know Bates. We invite you to start with the basics of Bates or take our virtual tour. You may also scroll through our online Viewbook.
Student Financial Services
1-207-786-6096
sfs@bates.edu
44 Mountain Avenue
Lewiston, Maine 04240
Connect
Ready to talk about Bates with an expert? Strike up an email conversation with a current student, or reach out to your regional admission representative. Join us for a variety of live virtual programming.
Apply to Bates
More information on applying to Bates, including requirements (we are test-optional), decision plans, and deadlines.