Bates College
Lewiston, Maine | Admissions Phone: 207-786-6000
E-mail: admission@bates.edu | Website: www.bates.edu
ADMISSION
Admission Rate: 18%
Admission Rate - Men: 20%
Admission Rate - Women: 16%
EA Admission Rate: Not Offered
ED Admission Rate: 45%
Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): -6%
ED Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): +2%
% of Admits Attending (Yield): 38%
Transfer Admission Rate: 3%
# Offered Wait List: 1,903
# Accepted Wait List: 994
# Admitted Wait List: 0
SAT Reading/Writing (Middle 50%): 640-720
SAT Math (Middle 50%): 650-740
ACT Composite (Middle 50%): 29-32
Testing Policy: ACT/SAT Required
SAT Superscore: Yes
ACT Superscore: Yes
% Graduated in Top 10% of HS Class: 55%
% Graduated in Top 25% of HS Class: 89%
% Graduated in Top 50% of HS Class: 98%
ENROLLMENT
Total Undergraduate Enrollment: 1,832
% Part-Time: 0%
% Male: 50%
% Female: 50%
% Out-of-State: 83%
% Fraternity: Not Offered
% Sorority: Not Offered
% On-Campus (Freshman): 100%
% On-Campus (All Undergraduate): 95%
% African-American: 5%
% Asian: 4%
% Hispanic: 8%
% White: 71%
% Other: 4%
% Race or Ethnicity Unknown: 0%
% International: 8%
% Low-Income: 11%
ACADEMICS
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 10:1
% of Classes Under 20: 72%
% of Classes Under 40: 96%
% Full-Time Faculty: 88%
% Full-Time Faculty w/ Terminal Degree: 98%
Top Programs
Art
Biochemistry
Economics
Environmental Studies
Neuroscience
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Retention Rate: 94%
4-Year Graduation Rate: 86%
6-Year Graduation Rate: 89%
Curricular Flexibility: Somewhat Flexible
Academic Rating: 
FINANCIAL
Institutional Type: Private
In-State Tuition: $55,683
Out-of-State Tuition: $55,683
Room & Board: $15,705
Required Fees: N/A
Books & Supplies: $900
Avg. Need-Based Aid: $44,644
Avg. % of Need Met: 100%
Avg. Merit-Based Aid: $0
% Receiving Merit-Based Aid: 0%
Avg. Cumulative Debt: $21,525
% of Students Borrowing: 35%
CAREER
Who Recruits
1. Chevron
2. Hulu
3. Oppenheimer & Co.
4. athenaHealth
5. Owl Cybersecurity
Notable Internships
1. CNN
2. United States Senate
3. Morgan Stanley
Top Industries
1. Business
2. Education
3. Operations
4. Social Services
5. Research
Top Employers
1. Fidelity Investments
2. Massachusetts General Hospital
3. Liberty Mutual Insurance
4. Google
5. Amazon
Where Alumni Work
1. Boston
2. New York City
3. Portland, ME
4. Lewiston, ME
5. Washington, DC
Median Earnings
College Scorecard (Early Career): $59,200
EOP (Early Career): $55,900
PayScale (Mid-Career): $111,900
RANKINGS
Forbes: 39
Money: 38
U.S. News: 21, Liberal Arts Colleges
Wall Street Journal/THE: 63 (T)
Washington Monthly: 17, Liberal Arts Colleges
Inside the Classroom
The nation’s second adopter (1984) of a test-optional admissions policy, Bates College has always prided itself on a commitment to egalitarian education—even back to its official founding in the middle of the Civil War when it proudly admitted students regardless of race, religion, or sex. Today, the school is once again on the cutting edge of higher education, advocating a curriculum that honors the liberal arts tradition but also prepares students for “purposeful work” that is both personally meaningful and societally relevant.
Toward those aims Bates students are required to complete (a) three “writing-attentive” courses; (b) three courses focused on scientific reasoning, lab experience, and quantitative literacy; and (c) two four-course concentrations revolving around a particular issue or area of inquiry. General education at Bates is intended to ensure “depth of knowledge” and a “comparative appreciation of how the several disciplines function and what they can teach us.” Distinctive features include a mandatory first-year seminar, senior thesis requirement, and a Short Term at the end of the academic year that provides students the opportunity to focus exclusively on one course, field project, internship, or study abroad opportunity. For those wishing to save money and/or fast-track their undergraduate education, the college offers a three-year option that allows students to graduate in three years, provided they register for five courses (as opposed to four) each semester and one course during each Short Term.
Forty-one percent of courses at Bates have a single-digit enrollment, and 72 percent of classrooms contain nineteen or fewer students, allowing for this process to unfold in an intimate academic atmosphere. Additionally, the student-to-faculty ratio is 10:1, and not a single graduate student is present to vacuum up professorial attention. Students interested in research will find opportunities across all disciplines, many of which culminate with a presentation at the Mount David Summit, an annual campus-wide celebration of undergraduate research and creative works. Bates has one of the highest percentages of study abroad participation of any college in the country, typically sending over two-thirds of each class to one of 200+ global destinations.
Twenty-eight percent of all degrees earned at Bates are in the social sciences and biology (15 percent), psychology (8 percent), English (8 percent), and natural resources and conservation (7 percent) are next in popularity. Though strong across many disciplines, Bates boasts exemplary programs in political science, art, philosophy, economics, and psychology. The college has produced more than seventy Fulbright Scholars in the last five years and is recognized as a top recipient of prestigious academic fellowships, even among highly selective institutions. In 2018 alone, Bates produced twenty-three Fulbright Scholars, more than any other undergraduate-only liberal arts college in the United States.
Outside the Classroom
Outside the classroom Bates places a particularly strong emphasis on community and civic engagement, facilitating numerous volunteer and civic leadership opportunities, primarily through the Harward Center. More than half of all Bates students participate in community-engaged learning (for academic credit). Aside from community service, Bates offers more than 110 officially recognized student organizations, including a nationally ranked debate team and an active investment club. Athletic opportunities also abound at the Division III varsity level and within the college’s extensive intramural program that encompasses club sports ranging from equestrian to rugby. There are no fraternities or sororities at Bates, and 95 percent of students live in one of the dorms or school-owned Victorian homes that accommodate ten to thirty students each. Lewistown is the state’s second most populous city, yet that isn’t saying much in Maine because Lewistown is a post-industrial town with only 60,000 residents. Portland, the state’s largest city, can be reached in about forty minutes by car.
Career Services
The Bates Career Development Center (BDCD) features nine full-time staff and a student-to-advisor ratio of 204:1, a superior level of support when compared to most other institutions included in this book. Services offered by the center include career/interest assessment, interview preparation, and a guest lecture series. The BDCD hosts an annual graduate and professional school fair (with Bowdoin and Colby), as well as a number of its own networking events throughout the year, one example being a presentation from Google/Pinterest on tech careers for liberal arts majors. Organizations such as The Beacon Group, Analysis Group, Barclays, and the CIA have recruited on campus in recent years. Over 350 interviews are conducted on campus by sixty-five companies in a single academic year.
The Career Discovery Program in Practice, in existence since 1978, affords undergrads the opportunity to job shadow a Bates alum in a field of interest. Roughly 250 Bobcats take advantage of that program each year. The Purposeful Work Internship Program helps fund living expenses of students interning more than 300 summer hours. Despite Bates’ location in Maine, internship opportunities are plentiful, particularly in Boston and smaller cities throughout the New England region. This past summer Bates students worked in over 130 companies/organizations throughout the United States and internationally, including at JP Morgan, the Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Conservation Law Foundation, Amazon, and the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Professional Outcomes
Within six months of graduation 98 percent of the Class of 2018 were either employed, enrolled in graduate school, or otherwise meaningfully engaged in a fellowship or internship. The most frequently entered fields were education (21 percent), health care (17 percent), finance/banking (9 percent), and technology (7 percent). Popular employers included Accenture, Fidelity Investments, Google, Wayfair, and Liberty Mutual Insurance whereas common employment destinations of Bates graduates were concentrated primarily in the Northeast, namely Boston, New York, and Portland, Maine. However, sizable numbers of Bates alumni also can be found working in the Washington, DC, and San Francisco areas. Ten years after arriving in Lewiston, alumni are making a median salary of $59,200, a touch more than Colby grads and almost $6k less than Bowdoin alums.
According to the Bates Career Development Center, within ten years of graduation approximately 13 percent of Bates graduates are in, or have competed, law school whereas 7 percent enroll in medical school. In addition, Bates is currently among the top producers of graduates who eventually go on to enroll in PhD programs in the social sciences, especially economics and sociology. In the past three years Bates alumni have enrolled in several selective graduate programs including those at Harvard Law School, Washington University Medical School, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. By midcareer Bates alumni are most frequently found working in the professional fields of business development, education, and community and social services.
Admission
From 2014 to 2018, Bates experienced a hefty 52 percent increase in applications and, during the same period, the school’s acceptance rate fell from 24 percent to 18 percent. SAT scores were submitted by 46 percent of applicants, and 32 percent included ACT results as part of their application. The mid-50 percent ranges were 1290-1460 on the SAT and 29-32 on the ACT. Students typically ranked high in their graduating high school class with 55 percent in the top 10 percent and 89 percent in the top quartile. Those numbers are almost identical to those held by the freshman class of 2013-14, meaning that while the acceptance rate has declined, the profile of the typical accepted applicant has not changed much.
Aside from grades, class rank, and course rigor, Bates places significant emphasis on an applicant’s essay, letters of recommendation, extracurricular profile, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities. Demonstrated interest also plays a considerable role. Of course, the ultimate declaration of love is the submission of an early decision application. Those who go the binding ED route enjoy an acceptance rate three times higher than those who apply in the regular cycle (45 percent vs. 15 percent). A massive 64 percent of the 2018-19 freshman class was admitted via early decision, making it a wise strategic maneuver for anyone serious about attending Bates.
Worth Your Money?
A sizable percentage of the undergraduate student body come from fairly wealthy homes—the median family income is $226,500—and over three-quarters come from families with incomes in the top 20 percent nationwide. Many families with hefty salaries will pay the full $73,238 annual cost of attendance. For the 42 percent of students who do qualify for need-based financial aid, Bates delivers in a big way. The college meets 100 percent of the demonstrated need for every qualifying student with grants averaging $44,644 each year. Not only do Bates grads generally find solid-paying jobs after graduation, they also have far less debt, on average, than their peers receiving diplomas from other institutions.