The off-campus application for 2026-2027 will open on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. Read below for more information about the off-campus living process and policies.

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Bates is a residential college; students are required to live on campus during their enrollment.  Bates does permit a limited number of students to live off-campus during their senior year.  In addition, Bates does allow Commuters; see below for more information on that process.

Off-Campus Living Basics

Who is eligible to live off-campus?
Only rising seniors (current juniors) may apply for and participate in the off-campus lottery. Members of the class of 2027 may apply in Fall 2025 to live off-campus for the 2026-2027 academic year. Class year is determined by the Registrar’s Office. Disciplinary records will be considered in determining a student’s eligibility to live off-campus. There is a maximum number of students permitted to live off-campus each year. If you are successful in the lottery, you will receive permission to live off-campus and forgo (give up) your eligibility to be guaranteed on-campus housing.  If you are looking to be a commuting student, please see that section below.

What is the rebate?
The rebate for the 2026-2027 academic year will not be less than the 2025-2026 rebate which is $5,540 ($2,770 per semester) for housing and $5,540 ($2,770 per semester) for meals. Your rebate will show as a credit on your bill each semester. If you have specific questions, please contact Student Financial Services. When making financial plans to live off-campus, please be sure to reference only Bates-published information. The annual rebate is calculated individually each year, and any references to this rebate number on non-Bates websites are historically inaccurate.

If I apply, am I guaranteed to be able to live off-campus?
No. Students are not guaranteed approval for off-campus housing and you must wait to receive approval from our office (via the lottery or waitlist process).  In the strongest possible terms, we urge students and families to follow published policies and refrain from signing leases or making binding commitments to landlords prior to receiving permission to live off-campus from Bates.

How to Live Off-Campus

Application Process

1. Apply! Fill out an application on HouseCat, click on Off-Campus Housing, complete the application and submit!
2. Wait for Lottery results and approval from housing.  
3. Lottery: Residence Life runs a lottery and approval information is sent out to students via email.  Any students not approved at this time will be automatically added to the waitlist.
4. Apartment Searching: Students search for housing, sign leases, make agreements with landlords.
5. Confirm your status: Students approved to live off-campus must log back into the HouseCat Off-Campus Application to complete the Confirmation of Off-Campus Living Status step. Choose one of the options listed below: 
   • I have signed a lease and will live off-campus.
     • You will sign the Agreement Governing Off-Campus Living in HouseCat and select if you would like a meal plan.
     • At this point, you are no longer guaranteed on-campus housing for the following academic year and you will be ineligible for Housing Selection in the spring. 
   • I intend to sign a lease and will live off-campus.
     • Even though you have not signed a lease, you are committing to finding a lease and living off-campus for the upcoming academic year.
     • You will sign the Agreement Governing Off-Campus Living in HouseCat and select if you would like a meal plan.
     • At this point, you are no longer guaranteed on-campus housing for the following academic year and you will be ineligible for Housing Selection in the spring.  
   • I’ve changed my mind, I would like to decline my off-campus offer, and participate in on-campus housing selection.
     • You are selecting to give up your off-campus approval to live on-campus instead.  
     • You will no longer have approval to live off-campus and if you change your mind or would like to get approval, you would need to apply to the waitlist and be approved again.  At this point, there is no guarantee of approval for off-campus.
     • You would then be all set to participate in the on-campus Housing Selection process that takes place at the end of the winter semester.
6. Complete all additional steps: As required by Residence Life, all students must provide your address, student representative for your lease, and complete the readiness module on HouseCat.

Waitlist

After the lottery, anyone not approved will be automatically added to the waitlist in order based on lottery results, which are randomized.  After that, new requests to be added to the waitlist will be added in the order that they were received.  Approval of the waitlist will be processed in order.  At any time, you can inquire about your number placement on the waitlist.  

Once approved off of the waitlist, students will have until January 30, 2026 or 10 days to respond (whichever is longer) to complete their Confirmation of Off-Campus Living Status (see step 5 above).

Off-Campus Process Dates

Commuting Students

What is a Commuter?
Commuters are defined as students that live with a family member (does not have to be a parent) or a guardian within an hour of campus.  Commuters have the same meal plan options as other off-campus students and the same rebates as other off-campus students.  

How do I apply to be a Commuter?
Commuter applications are processed on a rolling basis and you can apply to be a commuter for the Fall Semester, Winter Semester and Short Term, or the full academic year.  Depending on the time of year, the application may look slightly different so to start the process, email housing@bates.edu.  

Information for Off-Campus Students

Start-of-Year Meeting
Every year, Student Affairs hosts a required meeting in the fall for all off-campus students to cover important resources and Bates’ community standards in regards to off-campus living.

Off-Campus Policies
The off-campus policies are listed on the Community Standards website: Off-Campus Policies.

Addresses and Student Representative Info
All students residing off-campus must maintain a current local address, name of student house representative, and phone number with Student Affairs. This is as much for security concerns as it is to maintain lines of communication for the college.

Meal Plan
You will select a meal plan when you confirm that you will be living off-campus in the application process. 

If you are on the board meal plan and wish to be removed, you must email the Office of Residence Life at housing@bates.edu no later than 4:30 p.m. on the first Friday of classes of the semester or a late fee will be assessed. If you request to be removed from the board meal plan after the first Friday and before the second Friday of classes, at 4:30 p.m., you will be assessed a fee of $25.00 per day. This fee applies whether or not you actually ate in Commons for those days. You cannot be removed from the Board Plan after the second Friday of classes after 4:30pm.  Meal plan removal can be requested at the beginning of each semester. 

If you wish to be added to the board meal plan, you may do so at any time and will be assessed the rate for the entire semester.  Please email hosuing@bates.edu to make this request. 

Parking Permits
As per the Bates College parking policy, you must register your vehicle with Bates College Campus Safety regardless of whether or not you have received a parking permit. In many instances, having this information on file can assist us in resolving issues quickly without unnecessarily involving city or college resources. Please see the Parking Regulations on the Bates Campus Safety website for additional parking information

Additional Resources

Knowing your Tenant Rights
It is important to read your lease carefully before signing. Your landlord is solely responsible for providing you with a safe residence, including compliance with life safety code requirements and other regulations. Bates has no responsibility for the condition or safety of your dwelling. You should also become familiar with your rights as tenants. Please review the Renters’ Rights provided by the State of Maine.

City of Lewiston Ordinances and Resources
For students living in the greater Lewiston community, it is important to be aware of city noise ordinances. If there are other issues Lewiston City Council and Lewiston Code Enforcement are additional resources for students and can help with concerns related to public safety, city-related concerns, noise ordinances, and landlord concerns.

Frequently Asked Questions