Bringing Bates to You
Welcome Home!
You have an exciting four years ahead of you. We know there is much you still need and want to know about Bates. This page is a helpful resource to revisit and point you in the right direction. We will share new information regularly via email to help answer your questions and create opportunities to connect you with the Bates community and your future classmates.
Connect With Us – Virtually or On-Campus
Connect with us anywhere, any time! In this section, you will find a multitude of ways to join the conversation, get answers to your questions, and connect with our students and staff, as well as your future classmates.
Save the Dates: Bates Beginnings
Bates Beginnings is our event for admitted students to visit campus. We will have two opportunities for you to visit during these special events: Friday, March 28 and Friday, April 11. During these events, you’ll have an opportunity to:
- Meet other admitted students from around the country.
- Attend Master Classes and learn from professors who will guide you through Bates’ well-rounded and rigorous academic experience.
- Eat meals in Commons, our nationally-recognized dining hall.
- Learn more about Bates’ athletic, cultural, and co-curricular events.
- Have an opportunity to meet the Bates Admission team.
- And more!
We will share a link to register for one of the two Bates Beginnings events at a later date.
Admission Information Sessions, Campus Tours, and Virtual Events
The Admission office is open Monday-Friday for all visitors. Register for a campus tour and/or information session. Note that we will only offer tours on Mondays and Fridays in January. Then, in April campus may be quieter during the last two full weeks of the month, as Bates students finish final exams and enjoy a well-earned week of break before Short Term begins on Monday, April 28.
For Parents and Families
We know that the decision to attend college is rarely made in isolation, and that rightfully so, parents, families, and other supporters are often involved. Congratulations on your achievement!
Families will receive email messages from Bates Admission, as well as the Bates Parent Giving and Engagement team. Please see this welcome message from their team.
Later this spring we will provide access to a Facebook group for parents and families co-facilitated by the Bates Admission, Advancement, and Communications offices.
Class of 2029 Instagram Group
You’re invited to join the private Bates Class of 2029 Instagram Group! To join, visit the account (@bates2029_official) and DM the admins with your name and the email address you used to apply to Bates (for confirmation purposes). Once you’re in the group, we hope you join the conversation! To be featured on the feed, send us some photos and a short bio via DM, and we’ll create a post for you to introduce you to your new classmates.
This Summer
In the summer, you will begin to receive key information from staff in Student Affairs regarding your Bates email, on-campus housing, course placement and registration, and much more.
In the meantime, this First-Year Experience and Orientation page provides information about the first-year experience team, the orientation program (known as AESOP), academics in the first year, and life on campus.
More information about your move-in day will be shared this summer. For a preview of your welcome to Bates, see the video below of the Class of 2028.
Academics
Bates students tend to be up for just about anything. It’s a good thing we have about three dozen majors and two dozen minors.
Some are liberal-arts classics (history, mathematics, philosophy). Some are STEM-focused (neuroscience, engineering, earth and climate sciences). Many draw from more than one discipline (American cultural studies, environmental studies, biochemistry, gender & sexuality studies). And some won’t exist until you invent them — by designing your own major with the help of a faculty mentor.
Life on Campus
From our robust arts programs, our talented athletic teams on the field, and more, you’ll have many chances to dive into the unexpected at Bates.
With nearly 100 student-run clubs, you’re sure to find something of interest! What you won’t find are fraternities or sororities. We’ve never had them and never will.
We also encourage you to learn about the Student Center for Belonging and Community, which is “committed to dismantling systems of oppression by actively centering and celebrating the voices and experiences of historically marginalized student identities.” The Center fosters belonging by creating spaces that encourage agency, awareness, and self-advocacy.
Tour Campus
We think visiting campus, if you have not yet, is a great way to get to know Bates, but we recognize that not everyone can visit — so we’re bringing a little bit of Bates to you!
L/A: Where You’ll Live
With a combined population of about 60,000, Lewiston and its twin city of Auburn offer the best of both worlds: A close-knit community and a vibrant downtown.
Inside former factories that once powered the American industrial revolution, you’ll find startups and brewpubs. Lisbon Street, Lewiston’s downtown shopping district, has cafes, bike shops, and galleries, all within minutes of campus.
While many families who live here have French Canadian roots, more than 30 languages are spoken in the halls of Lewiston High School. Lewiston enjoys a growing community from African nations, as well as many other new Americans.
For arts lovers, L/A offers a professional theater company, a film festival, museums, and an underground music scene.
Outdoor lovers will fully appreciate that L/A is nestled in the Androscoggin River valley with easy access to the Maine’s renowned lakes, mountains, and the ocean. Bates even has its very own 600-acre conservation area on the coast, the Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area, just a short drive from campus.
In other words, you could find many ways to get involved and make a difference here — and L/A could make a difference for you.
Why Does Bates Love Lewiston & Auburn?
Purposeful Work
When you understand what drives you to learn, grow, and thrive, you’ll have a more satisfying relationship with work throughout your life. That’s the idea behind Purposeful Work at Bates.
Most colleges offer career counseling and help with job applications. Our Center for Purposeful Work goes way beyond jobs or careers. We focus on the whole person — your beliefs, your strengths, your interests — and infuse concepts of meaningful work into all aspects of your time at Bates.
With each new Purposeful Work experience, you’ll consider whether a given role feels right for you, and why. By the time you graduate, you’ll have a clear idea of the values you want reflected in your life after college. And you’ll have a professional network and the practical experience to help you make it happen.
Class of 2023 Outcomes
| 91% | of new graduates surveyed are settled in a job, graduate school, fellowship, internship, or other opportunity within six months of graduation. |
| 100% | of Class of 2023 graduates who applied were accepted to one or more law schools. |
| 88% | of students and alumni who worked with the Medical Studies Committee were accepted to medical school. |
| 100% | were accepted to dental and veterinary school. |
| 7 | earned prestigious Fulbright fellowships. In 2024 Bates College was named a Top Producer of Fulbright Student awards for the 13th straight year. |
Take the Plunge
Ready to enroll?
Check your Bates application portal, as well as your inbox, for the action items you need to take to complete your enrollment.
We’re so happy to have you join us at Bates!
Puddle Jumpers
Are you brave enough to make the leap? You have an opportunity each February to join your classmates in Bates’ own version of a polar plunge.
Check out this Picture Story of the 2024 Puddle Jump!
- Have questions? We’re here to help.
- Visit our FAQ page or Ask A Student.
- Contact the Office of Admission.
- Visit Bates!