Bates takes pride in the responsibility of its students and the social and educational atmosphere of its campus.

Bates College students are held responsible for their conduct at all times. Any student who engages in academic or social misconduct shall be subject to student conduct action by the Office of Community Standards and/or the Student Conduct Committee.

The College reserves the right to withdraw from any student the privilege of attending college at Bates for any lawful reason that the College deems appropriate.

The following considerations constitute the foundation of the College’s justification for establishing expectations of student conduct, codifying those expectations, and adopting equitable processes for assessing student conduct.

1. The College’s mission as a private residential educational institution establishes its identity as an independent community with a distinctive history and culture.
2.  The Charter and By-Laws of the College charge the faculty with responsibility for the welfare of students and the conditions under which they are to live and learn.
3. The College’s standards of conduct and the procedures for determining responsibility for misconduct reflect its particular mission and history. These standards and procedures do not attempt to duplicate civil and criminal legal processes, nor do they attempt to substitute for them. As an institution structured to accomplish its stated educational mission, the College has an independent interest in upholding standards of academic and social conduct, and these expectations may differ from those found in society at large. The College is committed to fundamental fairness in its student conduct procedures.
4. By the action of matriculation and registration at Bates College, students voluntarily enter an educational and residential community with standards of academic honesty and respect for persons and property. In choosing to enroll in the College, students become responsible in their conduct to those standards as stated in the Student Conduct Code.

The College may address student academic and social misconduct through its own processes and apply sanctions governing the terms of membership in the College. The College reserves the right to deal with misconduct whether or not law enforcement agencies are involved and/or criminal charges may be pending.

Academic Integrity

Social Misconduct

Disciplinary Process & Procedures

Learn More

To view the full College Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Processes, click here.