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 cultural 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 studies (M)
Mathematics (M, m)
Music (M, m)
Neuroscience (M)
Philosophy (M, m)
Physical education
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 Case Western, Columbia, Dartmouth, RPI, or Washington University.
Class of 2025 Enrollment Profile*
Admission rate 17.3%
Class size 553
Demographic
Female-identified 54%
Male-identified 46%
U.S. students of color 27%
First generation to college 12%
Non-U.S. citizens 10%
Education
Public/charter high school 47%
Independent/private high school 53%
Financial Aid
% of class receiving Bates grant aid: 36%
% of class receiving Pell Grants: 9%
Testing
Test optional since 1984
For those who submitted testing, the middle 50% had score ranges of:
SAT Evidence Based Reading and Writing: 710-750
SAT Math: 750-780
ACT Composite: 33-34
Home Geography
Middle Atlantic 25%
Midwest 7%
New England 35%
Southeast 4%
Southwest and West 18%
Outside the U.S.11%
*Statistics are accurate as of 10/4/2021
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 $38 MILLION+ in grants last year

When you study abroad, your aid travels with you

Average federal student loan debt for the class of 2019 was $13,552 — less than half the national average.

The average financial aid package for last year’s admitted class was $47,051
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 YouVisit virtual tour.
Student Financial Services
1-207-786-6096
finaid@bates.edu
44 Mountain Avenue
Lewiston, Maine 04240
Connect
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More information on applying to Bates, including requirements (we are test-optional), options, and deadlines.