The Bates Mission

Since 1855, Bates College has been dedicated to the emancipating potential of the liberal arts. Bates educates the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. With ardor and devotion — Amore ac Studio — we engage the transformative power of our differences, cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action. Preparing leaders sustained by a love of learning and a commitment to responsible stewardship of the wider world, Bates is a college for coming times.

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Class of 2029 Enrollment Profile

• Class size 499
• Admission rate 15%
• Yield rate 34%

Financial Aid

• Total grant aid $13 million
• Portion of the class receiving Bates grant aid 44%
• Portion of the class receiving Pell Grants 11%
• Average need-based grant $58,518

Home Geography

• Middle Atlantic 21%
• Midwest 6%
• New England 42%
• Southeast 5%
• Southwest and West 17%
• Outside of the U.S. 9%
• Number of countries represented (other than the U.S.) 27
• Number of U.S. states represented 46 + Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico

Demographics

• 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%

Testing

Bates has been a national leader in the test-optional movement for three decades. In October 1984, the Bates faculty voted to make standardized testing optional for admission.

• 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

Statistics are accurate as of August 4, 2025