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.

Academics

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 & Visual Culture (M)
Asian Studies (m)
Biochemistry (M)
Biology (M)
Chemistry (M, m)
Chinese (M, m)
Classical & Medieval Studies (M)
Dance (M, m)
Digital & Computational Studies (m)
Earth & Climate Sciences (M, m)
East Asian Studies (M)
Economics (M)

Educational Studies (m)
Engineering*
English (M)
Environmental Studies (M)
European Studies (M)
French & Francophone Studies (M, m)
Gender & Sexuality Studies (M, m)
German (M, m)
Greek (m)
Hispanic Studies (M, m)
History (M, m)
Interdisciplinary Studies (M)
Japanese (M, m)
Latin (m)

Latin American & Latinx Studies (M)
Mathematics (M, m)
Music (M, m)
Neuroscience (M)
Philosophy (M, m)
Physics (M, m)
Politics (M)
Psychology (M)
Religious Studies (M, m)
Rhetoric, Film,
& Screen Studies (M, m)
Russian (m)
Sociology (M)
Teacher education (m)
Theater (M, m)

*Engineering students participate in the 3-2 Dual Degree program, completing three years at Bates and two years at one of our partner institutions, including Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and Washington University in St. Louis.

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.

Campus life

Location

Class of 2026 Enrollment Profile*

Admission rate 13.7%
Class size 520

Demographic

Female-identified 54%
Male-identified 46%
U.S. students of color 29%
First generation to college 12%
Non-U.S. citizens 10%

Education

Public/charter high school 54%
Independent/private high school 46%

Financial Aid

% of class receiving Bates grant aid 44%
% of class receiving Pell Grants 13%
Average Need-Based Grant $54,504

Testing

Test optional since 1984
For those who submitted testing, the middle 50% had score ranges of:
SAT Evidence Based Reading and Writing 710-740
SAT Math 650-710
ACT Composite 33-34

Home Geography

Middle Atlantic 24%
Midwest 7%
New England 33%
Southeast 5%
Southwest and West 21%
Outside the U.S.10%

*Statistics are accurate as of 8/5/22

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 $40 MILLION+ in grants last year.

When you study abroad, your aid travels with you.

Average federal student loan debt for the Class of 2022 was $13,531 — less than half the national average.

The average need-based grant for last year’s enrolled class was $54,504.

Get to Know Us

Explore

While you may be unable to travel to campus right now, 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.

Student Financial Services

1-207-786-6096
sfs@bates.edu

44 Mountain Avenue
Lewiston, Maine 04240

Affording Bates

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.

Connect Now

Apply to Bates

More information on applying to Bates, including requirements (we are test-optional), decision plans, and deadlines.