Congratulations Class of 2029 Bobcats! This website will be updated with more information relevant to fall 2025 soon.

The First-Year Experience team, along with current Bates students, staff, and faculty, look forward to welcoming our newest students to the Bates community. Bates College is proud to be a national leader in first-year experience programs.

First-year arrival day for the Class of 2029 is Thursday, August 28, 2025. The full orientation schedule will be available by July 23, 2025.

The Garnet Gateway opens on May 20, 2025. All forms that entering students need to complete before arriving on campus are contained in the gateway. Garnet Gateway access information can be located in an entering student’s secure admission portal. To get to Garnet Gateway you can go to the Bates Quad and click on “Log in to Garnet Gateway.”

The Class of 2029 Summer Resources Lyceum Page opens on June 3, 2025. This site will have information on course registration, academic exploration opportunities, Bates’s history and commitments to equity and inclusion, and the range of campus resources and supports available. The Summer Resources Lyceum page may be found here, or go to the Bates Quad and click on “Lyceum.”

More information about International Circle Orientation can be found here. This pre-orientation program is open to all international students and takes place before New Student Orientation.

More information about the Kessler Scholars Program can be found here. The Kessler Scholars Program provides first-generation college students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed and thrive on campus and beyond. This program includes a pre-orientation program.

Please stay attuned to college announcements throughout the summer for more information about First-Year Orientation.

First-year students are assessed a fee which appears on the fall semester bill. This one-time fee covers the cost of programming, transportation for orientation activities, and the cost of meals during orientation before the meal plan begins.

---