by our College Data Analytics TeamBates College is a private not-for-profit institution in Lewiston, Maine enrolling 1,760 undergraduates. It accepts 13% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 90%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #127 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 2%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Bates College ranks #127 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 2%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Bates College was awarded 177 badges in the 2027 rankings.
According to College Factual’s 2027 analysis, Bates is ranked #127 out of 5,159 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation.
Bates is also ranked #3 on the Best Colleges in Maine list.
See all of the rankings for Bates College.
With an acceptance rate of 13%, Bates is one of the most selective schools in the country. Good grades and high test scores alone may not be enough to get you into the school, so do your best to submit a stellar application.
About 12% of students accepted to Bates submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 710 and 750. Math scores were between 710 and 780.
Bates received ACT scores from 4% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 31 and 34.
Learn more about Bates College admissions.
At Bates, the student to faculty ratio is an excellent 9 to 1. That’s much better than the national average of 15 to 1. This indicates that many classes will probably be small, and students will have ample opportunities to work closely with their professors and classmates.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Bates College is 95%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Bates College has a freshmen retention rate of 91%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At Bates the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 90%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Bates College.
During the most recent academic year, there were 1,760 undergraduates at Bates.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Bates College.
The typical net cost at Bates is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,397 | $8,958 | $11,336 | $19,468 | $45,886 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Bates, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Bates, approximately 14% of students took out student loans averaging $5,259 a year. That adds up to $21,036 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 1.4%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Bates College.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Bates College make about $69,498 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is good news for future Bates College graduates since it is 41% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Bates College make the most money.
Bates College is an private not-for-profit institution found in Lewiston, Maine. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of Bates College.
Get in touch with Bates College can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 2 Andrews Road, Lewiston, ME 04240 |
| Phone: | 2077866000 |
| Website: | www.bates.edu/ |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bates_College |
In the latest year of available data, students from 15 majors graduated from Bates College. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 631 | NA |
| Economics | 73 | $55,768 |
| Political Science & Government | 66 | $50,568 |
| Child Development & Psychology | 59 | NA |
| General Biology | 57 | $33,170 |
| Natural Resources Conservation | 44 | $22,883 |
| Biochemistry & Biophysics | 38 | NA |
| Mathematics | 33 | $39,731 |
| History | 26 | NA |
| Neurobiology & Neurosciences | 24 | $36,112 |
Interested in comparing Bates? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References