BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Bates College

Lewiston, Maine·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·bates.edu
6-yr Graduation
90%
+0.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
1,760
peer median 1,898
Avg net price
$30,703
+$6.3k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
10,027
10,027 candidates competed
Admitted
1,336
13.3% acceptance rate
Enrolled
488
36.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
90%+0.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
82%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
90%
Full-time retention
91%

Pell equity

2.0pp gap
Pell recipients
96%
Non-Pell
94%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 31 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 28 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
31
Passing
3
9.7% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

31programs
  • Passing3 · 9.7%
  • No Data28 · 90.3%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
3
No data
28

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

3
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+78.4%
$62,082 vs $34,808
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+131.9%
$80,714 vs $34,808
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+218.5%
$110,880 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

3
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
19%
$12,000 debt · $62,082 earn
Political Science and Government
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
14%
$10,949 debt · $80,714 earn
Economics
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
10%
$11,250 debt · $110,880 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1929Next review Jun 2031

Action history · 2

  1. Apr 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Apr 2011Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$4,263
$30–48k$6,296
$48–75k$8,602
$75–110k$22,744
$110k+$49,109

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$30,703
+$6,325vs Baccalaureate median $24,378
Federal loans
15.0%
In-state tuition
$63,478
Out-of-state
$63,478

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 248 students received $1.5M in Pell grants, alongside $4.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
248
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.5M
$1,518,564 total
Direct Loans
$4.2M
369 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$454K
123 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$839K
175 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.9M
71 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 174 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.0%
-2.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
174
Defaulted
0
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
1.4%
2017
0.8%
2018
1.5%
2019
0.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Bates College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs36
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

483 total completions
01Social Sciences
14630.2%
02Biological Sciences
10120.9%
03Psychology
5010.4%
04Natural Resources
408.3%
05Mathematics
316.4%
06Physical Sciences
275.6%
07English Language
245.0%
08History
224.6%
09Visual/Performing Arts
224.6%
10Area/Ethnic Studies
204.1%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
1,760
12-mo unduplicated
1,933
Undergraduate
1,933
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
49%940
Women
51%993

Race / ethnicity composition

White
61.4%
Non-resident
9.5%
Hispanic
8.8%
Two or more
8.4%
Asian
6.6%
Black
4.5%
Unknown
0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
700
400 M · 300 W
Women athletes
42.9%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$9.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$71K
$40K
Head-coach salaries
$55K
$52K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 17

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
155 M · 128 W
$747K
Football
92 M ·
$867K
Lacrosse
48 M · 32 W
$537K
Rowing
36 M · 37 W
$529K
Soccer
29 M · 31 W
$454K
Baseball
39 M ·
$329K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
10.06
18 offenses · 1,790 students

3-year trend

11.192 yrs ago18.121 yr ago10.06Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
72
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
8
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
3

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
6
Fondling
6
Burglary
3
Motor vehicle theft
3

By location

18total
  • On campus17
  • Public property1

Includes 12 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
3
Dating violence
2
Stalking
5 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs018
Liquor1062

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
192

Bates College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Bates College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBates College
90%1,760$30,703Baccalaureate
Bowdoin College
95%7.1%1,881$20,786Baccalaureate
Colby College
89%7.1%2,412$23,939Baccalaureate
Connecticut College
82%37.0%1,990$33,998Baccalaureate
Amherst College
94%9.0%1,914$18,246Baccalaureate
Gordon College
69%69.2%1,595$24,817Baccalaureate
Peer group median90%9.0%1,898$24,378

Frequently asked questions about Bates College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Bates College.

What is the graduation rate at Bates College?

Bates College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 90% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Bates College?

Bates College reports a total enrollment of 1,760 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Bates College?

The average net price at Bates College is $30,703 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Bates College?

Bates College's yield rate is 36.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Bates College located?

Bates College is located in Lewiston, Maine 04240.

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