Upcoming Commencement Dates

2025 – May 25
2026 – May 31
2027 – May 30
2028 – May 28
2029 – May 27
2030 – May 26

News & Updates

May 25, 2025

Watch the complete ceremony

Join us for our livestream coverage — beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 25 — of the 159th Bates College Commencement as we celebrate…

May 25, 2025

Congratulations!

Watch Bates faculty and staff share their congratulations with the Class of 2025.

May 25, 2025

You can shape your situation before it shapes you, Bates grad…

Bates Commencement speaker Angela Duckworth, author of "Grit," told the seniors to embrace “situation modification” — change your physical environment, especially your phone's proximity, to protect your focus, relationships, and well-being.

News & Updates

October 22, 2026

Bates plays Wilco: The beloved tradition returns with a new g…

Bates Plays, an annual outdoor musical performance organized by the Bates Musicians' Union, made its return to the top of Mount David with an evening of student musicians playing the music of Wilco.

October 22, 2026

Launching the Legacy: A celebration of Marsden Hartley Schola…

For more than 10 years, for five days a week — “at least” — art historian Gail R. Scott worked on the Marsden Hartley Legacy Project: The Complete Paintings and Works on Paper. The Legacy Project, now live and available to anyone with access to the internet, is a comprehensive, annotated online catalogue of all known paintings and works on paper created by the Lewiston-born Hartley (1877-1943).

October 22, 2026

Bates joins National Student Success Project

A major project geared at addressing practical concerns from students and families about the value of a college degree launched today in Washington, D.C. The National Student Success Project, in development since early 2026, is led by five higher education associations and the presidents and chancellors of 19 colleges and universities.