Located in Lewiston, Maine, Bates College is a nationally renowned college of the liberal arts and sciences. Among the first U.S. colleges to admit women and people of color, Bates was founded to challenge social hierarchies. The college today remains committed to inclusion, equity, and the belief that education can shape lives and build a more just world. This commitment to access has successfully removed barriers to education. Bates meets 100% of students’ demonstrated financial need.

Academic Experience and Faculty Mentorship
Educating approximately 1,800 students annually, Bates offers opportunities to thrive in a close-knit, residential community where the 9-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio ensures personal advising and opportunities for mentored research. Academics are characterized by small, highly interactive seminar-style classes that average 19 students and ensure individual attention from day one. Offering about three dozen majors, two dozen minors, and more than 40 concentrations, their liberal arts plus professional curriculum encourages students to obtain deep knowledge in a subject while gaining practical career skills.

Academics at Bates feature interdisciplinary learning, faculty-mentored research, and global perspectives, culminating in a senior thesis or capstone project developed alongside a faculty mentor. The academic calendar features two traditional semesters, as well as a spring Short Term that allows students to focus intensively on a single topic, often courses developed in partnership with the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, courses taught by leaders and practitioners their fields, and opportunities for fieldwork locally, nationally, or abroad. Nearly 60 percent of students pursue study-abroad opportunities while at Bates, and financial aid recipients are able to use their aid to support their off-campus study programs.

The Purposeful Path: Integrated Advising, Academic Support, and Career Design
Preparing students for meaningful and purposeful careers is at the heart of the liberal arts mission. Starting day one and continuing all four years, every Bates student receives personalized advising from faculty, staff, and career advisors to align academic exploration with personal goals. 

Complementing this integrated approach to advising, Bates ensures that students have robust, centralized academic support through the Peer Learning Commons (PLC). This collaborative space brings together essential campus resources to foster student success at all levels. Within the PLC, students can access the Student Academic Support Center for subject-specific tutoring and strategic study skills. Additionally, the space houses the Student Writing & Language Center, which offers tailored assistance for writing, language acquisition, and presentation preparation. Together, these resources empower students to navigate their coursework with confidence and excel in their academic endeavors.

Bates' innovative Center for Purposeful Work helps Bates students identify their strengths and career interests as they also gain the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary to pursue their post-Bates aspirations with imagination and integrity. Students at Bates are also supported by alumni worldwide who remain active with and connected to the Bates community through lifelong commitments of their time, talent, and financial generosity, including career networking, job shadowing, and internship opportunities.

Through intentional advising and faculty mentorship, Bates students reach successful career outcomes. Ninety-one percent of recent grads found employment or were accepted to graduate school or prestigious fellowships within six months of graduation.

Community Engagement and Real-World Impact
Through its Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Bates is a national leader in community-engaged learning, integrating academic inquiry, research, fieldwork, and partnerships to achieve real-world impact while helping students develop vital professional and practical skills. Bates students actively engage with the local communities of Lewiston and Auburn — collectively Maine’s second-largest urban area — forming dynamic partnerships that enrich both campus and community life.

Campus Life, Culture, and Sustainability
Bates offers a vibrant campus life with more than 100 clubs on campus — including popular activities like the Outing Club, dance, a cappella, debate, theater, the arts, and more — students find no shortage of opportunities to get involved and build a deep sense of belonging. Many Bates students are deeply involved in the college’s 31 varsity sports, 13 competitive club sports, and nearly a dozen intramural athletic leagues. The college competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), which is considered the most competitive NCAA Division III conference in the nation.

Bates offers access to natural beauty and outdoor activities, and many students take part in hiking, skiing, and exploring the Maine wilderness. The local communities of Lewiston and Auburn and nearby Portland gives Bates students access to dynamic city culture and great food, arts, and culture. Bates is also a leader in sustainability, as one of only a handful of schools in the nation to hit the goal of becoming carbon neutral.
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.