SUMMARY: Bates College is located in the beautiful historic town of Lewiston and features a 100-acre campus. The campus is within an hour of Maine’s popular city, Portland, and is a few hours from the city of Boston. Bates is a highly selective liberal arts college with about 2000 students. The college offers over 30 majors and over 20 minors.
Arts and athletics are very important to Bates College. There are over 30 varsity teams and over 10 club teams. Bates competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference against schools like Bowdoin, Colby, and Tufts.
The arts program puts on dozens of theater productions each year, showcases over 25 art exhibits annually, and hosts an international dance festival.
Bates practices inclusivity and therefore does not offer fraternities or sororities. All students are welcome to join clubs and Bates has nearly 110 clubs offered each year. Additionally, the college is very active in the community, offers field trips, and has a 600-acre conservation area to explore.
MORE INFORMATION: History of School: Bates College was established in 1855 as the first coeducational New England college. Students were admitted to the college regardless of their ethnicity, sex, or religion.
The Maine State Seminary in Lewiston was established in the mid-1800s and joined with Bates College. The minister who worked on merging the seminary with the school was Oren B. Cheney. He advocated for school funding and was supported by Benjamin E. Bates. The college was named for Bates after his generous donation. Cheney became the first president of Bates College.
Notable graduates include Benjamin Mays, Jonathan Y. Stanton, Mary W. Mitchell, Edmund Muskie, Stacy Kabat, and Robert F. Kennedy.
Visiting the Campus: In-person guided campus tours are available Monday through Friday and select Saturdays. Tours are led by current students. Contact the Office of Admissions or visit the Bates College website to schedule a tour. Group visits can also be coordinated through the Office of Admissions.
