Bates College
Bates College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Bates College Featured Rankings
- #2 Best Private Colleges in Maine
- #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Maine 2026
- #2 Best Small Colleges in Maine
- #2 Most Influential US Universities by State
- #3 Best Colleges in Maine
- #11 Engineering Liberal Arts Colleges
- #15 Earth Sciences Liberal Arts Colleges
- #16 Religious Studies Liberal Arts Colleges
- #19 Physics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #21 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #24 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #47 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
About Bates College
According to Wikipedia, Bates College is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals . It maintains of nature preserve known as the "Bates-Morse Mountain" near Campbell Island and a coastal center on Atkins Bay.
Bates College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8,937 | 13% | 91% | 88% | 1475 | 32 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Bates College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $70,146 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $1,899 |
| 30K - 48K | $7,617 |
| 48K - 75K | $9,606 |
| 75K - 110K | $21,363 |
| 110K+ | $46,685 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Bates College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Bates College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $98,373 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Bates College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 1,933 | 1,933 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Bates College?
Bates College is located at 2 Andrews Road, Lewiston, ME 04240.
How Safe is Bates College?
Relative to its enrollment, Bates College has a violent crime rate of 0.17% and a property crime rate of 0.45%. Lewiston has a violent crime rate of 0.24% and a property crime rate of 1.62%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Bates College Known For?
Bates College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Literature
- Political Science
- Physics
- Economics
- Chemistry
- History
- Religious Studies
- Biology
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Sociology
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Earth Sciences
- Engineering
Bates College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Bates College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Bates College ranks #110 in the U.S. and #279 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesBates College ranks #173 in the U.S. and #676 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesBates College ranks #186 in the U.S. and #786 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesBates College ranks #194 in the U.S. and #917 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesBates College ranks #194 in the U.S. and #903 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesBates College ranks #195 in the U.S. and #567 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesBates College ranks #224 in the U.S. and #966 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesBates College ranks #229 in the U.S. and #827 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesBates College ranks #251 in the U.S. and #594 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesBates College ranks #255 in the U.S. and #783 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesBates College ranks #259 in the U.S. and #944 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesBates College ranks #268 in the U.S. and #1078 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesBates College ranks #271 in the U.S. and #872 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesBates College ranks #271 in the U.S. and #1136 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesBates College ranks #286 in the U.S. and #1740 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWho Are Bates College's Most Influential Alumni?
Bates College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Literature, Criminal Justice, and History. Here are some of Bates College's most famous alumni:
- Seamus Heaney
- An Irish poet, playwright, translator, lecturer.
- Buckminster Fuller
- An American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor and futurist.
- Minoru Yamasaki
- An American architect.
- Desmond Tutu
- A South African churchman, politician, archbishop, Nobel Prize winner .
- John Ciardi
- An American poet, professor, translator.
- Donald Hall
- An American writer.
- Gerald Zaltman
- An American marketing author.
- Benjamin Mays
- An American educator, activist, minister.
- George S. Hammond
- An American chemist .
- Trisha Brown
- An Artist, dancer, and choreographer .
- Edmund Muskie
- An American politician .
- Robert F. Kennedy
- An American politician, 64th United States Attorney General .
