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 and expand human potential. The college remains committed to inclusion, equity, and the belief that education can shape lives and build a more just world.

Founded with a commitment to accessibility that has successfully removed barriers to education, Bates provides financial aid based solely on demonstrated need, meeting 100% of students’ need through grants, loans, and campus employment. 

Enrolling approximately 1,800 students, Bates fosters intellectual discovery, informed civic action, and creative collaboration. Students thrive in a close-knit, residential community where the 10-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio ensures personal mentorship from professors who are accomplished scholars in their disciplines. Offering 35 majors, the curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, independent scholarship, and global perspectives, culminating in a senior thesis or capstone project. The academic calendar features two traditional semesters and a spring Short Term, which allows students to focus intensively on a single topic, often involving fieldwork opportunities locally, nationally, or abroad.

Nearly 60 percent of students pursue study-abroad opportunities while at Bates during their time at the college; financial aid recipients are able to use their aid to support their off-campus study program. A perennial Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Student awards for postgraduate teaching and research abroad, Bates prepares leaders committed to lifelong learning and responsible stewardship of the wider world. 

Recent innovations in how Bates teaches math and science have propelled the college into the national spotlight as a leader in equitable STEM education. Emphasizing active learning, skill-building, and real-world research problems, these new approaches have delivered dramatic results, including improving retention and success rates for all students, particularly Black and Hispanic students. 

Through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Bates has become a national leader in community-engaged learning, integrating academic inquiry, research, fieldwork, and volunteerism to achieve real-world impact. Bates students actively engage with the communities of Lewiston and Auburn, collectively Maine’s second-largest urban area, forming dynamic partnerships that enrich both campus and community life.

Bates offers 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, considered the most competitive NCAA Division III conference in the nation. The college is supported by alumni worldwide who remain actively connected to Bates through lifetime commitments of their time, talent, and financial generosity, including career networking opportunities.

Preparing students for meaningful and purposeful careers is at the heart of the liberal arts mission. The innovative Bates Center for Purposeful Work offers a four-year, developmental approach to career exploration, helping students identify their strengths and interests as they also gain the knowledge, experiences, and networks necessary to pursue their post-Bates aspirations with imagination and integrity.

Recent surveys indicate that more than 90 percent of Bates graduates secure their first post-graduation opportunity, such as graduate or professional school, employment, and internships, fellowship, or planned travel, shortly after graduation.