Each room is furnished with a bed, desk, desk chair, bureau, closet or armoire, wastebasket, and recycling bin. All beds are extra long twins, measuring 34 x 80 x 5 inches. All furniture must stay in its assigned student room.

Many beds on campus have the ability to be lofted, bunked, or adjusted to be higher or lower on their existing frame. Students should consult with the Facility Services website regarding the options that exist for the bed in their specific residence. On the same website is a video that will show students how to adjust the height of their beds with the help of a friend, roommate, or JA/CA in the building. Rubber mallets are available from a building custodian to assist in this process. Requests to have beds lofted or bunked should be submitted via the Facility Services work order system after move-in. Bunked or lofted beds require FS staff to provide a safety railing for the lofted bed or upper bunk.

Students interested in having a wider bed should contact  Cozy Cat Rentals to rent a converter system and mattress.  All furniture must stay in its assigned student room. If a student has a diagnosed disability and needs an accommodation, they should contact the Office of Accessible Education. Please consult Bates Environmental Health & Safety’s website for safety recommendations. 

Wi-Fi and Ethernet are in each room. Cable TV is available in student lounges.

To conserve energy, student rooms are only allowed one appliance per room, so you should coordinate with your roommate(s). This means each room is allowed either a microwave, a fridge, or a refrigerator/freezer/microwave combination unit, in which only one appliance can be run at a time. In no case may a refrigerator exceed 3.0 cu. ft or operate at more than 350 kWh. Microwaves and fridges should be plugged directly into the wall, not a power strip.

Check out Cozy Cat Rentals for appliance rental options. Cozy Cat also offers MicroFridge rentals (a 3-in-1 combo unit with a fridge, freezer, and microwave). Additionally, Cozy Cat rents out bed extenders for your Twin XL. You’ll spend more time in your bed than anywhere else at Bates. Since 2014, more than 3,000 Bates students have to upgrade their provided twin XL to a bigger bed through our vendor partner, Cozy Cat Rentals. If you don’t love it for any reason, Cozy Cat offers a full, no-questions-asked refund within 30 days of your arrival to campus.

For more information on confiscation and fines for these and other appliances, please contact Bates Environmental Health & Safety.

Information about building features such as kitchens, bathroom types, room types, elevators, and much more can be found on our Housing Tour and First-Year Housing Tour pages. If you are looking for building information for a specific accommodation, please see our Housing Accommodations page.

During the school year, there are some storage facilities on campus for student use. On-campus storage is on a “first come, first served” basis and availability are limited. Please see the Facility Services website for more specifics on storage for the school year. There is no storage available on campus during the summer.

Students and families may contract with Dorm Room Movers for a full-service pick up, storage, and drop off in the fall. They send you boxes and tape. You pack – that’s it. Their movers will pick up your items, store them while you’re away, and deliver everything back to you when you return! Dorm Room Movers can also ship boxes home or wherever you need them. No stress because:

• They send you boxes and tape to pack.
• Picked-up and delivered by professional movers.
• $100 insurance per box or unboxed item.
• Climate-protected storage and 24/7 security.
• BBB A+ accredited.

Students may also see the Facility Services website for a list of local storage facilities.

Laundry facilities are located in each building. The use of pre-measured laundry detergent pods is highly recommended in these machines. As of Fall 2026, laundry is free for all students.

For any questions or concerns, please contact reslife@bates.edu.

While Bates does not contract with any specific laundry service, there are several available who will wash, fold, pick up and deliver to campus:

• LA Clean and Spin
• Pratt Abbott

You know yourself and your lifestyle best. Below is a list to help you develop your packing list for the semester.

*Cable isn’t available in student rooms but is available in student lounges.

**Follow Connection Instructions for gaming consoles, Apple TVs, Smart Devices, etc.

Safety is a priority. To ensure that local, state and federal fire safety rules, as well as Bates policies, are being followed, the Bates Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Department, along with the local Fire Department as well as private contractors periodically inspect student rooms.

During these inspections, any items that violate Bates policy that are found will be addressed as described, by the EHS Department and the responsible student will be fined and referred for follow up via Student Affairs.

Environmental Health and Safety lists the following as prohibited in residential buildings:

• Heat generating appliances: toaster, toaster ovens, hotplates, George Foreman grills, electric frying pans, portable deep fryers, crock pots, etc.
• Candles
• Flammable liquids: butane, propane, solvents, etc.
• Fireworks, pyrotechnics, ammunition
• Portable space heaters
• Decorations hung from ceilings or blocking fire safety equipment

For a non-exhaustive list of items and more information please see the information under the “Students” tab on the Environmental Health and Safety website.

If someone is sending you packages or mail, be sure to inform them of the proper format for sending mail to you. The proper format is as follows.

Student Name
[Box Number] Bates College
Lewiston, Maine 04240

In the event that someone requires a street address to mail a package or overnight letter to you, (Federal Express and UPS usually require a street address) the mailing address is:

Student Name
[Box Number] Bates College
65 Campus Avenue
Lewiston, Maine 04240

When the package reaches Bates and is processed, you will receive a Bates College email (emails from carriers like UPS and FedEx are not an indication your package is ready for pick up). You must have your Bates ID to pick up items at Post & Print. Your box number can be found in “Mailboxes” under Student Life on Garnet Gateway. If you are a first-year student, your mailbox information will be available with your housing information in early August.

Please check the Post & Print website for more mailing information and hours.