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Is Bates College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Bates, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Workable
Bates lands in the workable band for a typical family. Median debt of $14,275 can be carried by median long-run earnings of $69,498, but the margin is not huge. For context, Bates's net price runs about 17% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. This is the kind of school where your actual aid offer can move the answer meaningfully.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$26,658
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $3,821 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $15,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is manageable, but it makes the aid offer matter a lot.
Outcome
40% weight
Graduation and earnings data create a stronger long-run payoff picture.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$29,351
Median earnings 10 years out
$69,498
Median debt at graduation
$14,275
Graduation rate
90%
At Bates, a typical graduate carries about $14,275 in student debt and earns roughly $69,498 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $162 per month, or 3% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
What this means for your family
Bates is a private nonprofit four year school in Lewiston, ME. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME
Worth-It Score: 57/100
Median net price: $27,555
Private nonprofit 4-year
College of the Atlantic
Bar Harbor, ME
Worth-It Score: 42/100
Median net price: $25,184
Private nonprofit 4-year
University of New England
Biddeford, ME
Worth-It Score: 38/100
Median net price: $38,107
Private nonprofit 4-year
Maine College of Art & Design
Portland, ME
Worth-It Score: 22/100
Median net price: $38,338
Private nonprofit 4-year
Husson
Bangor, ME
Worth-It Score: 50/100
Median net price: $21,005
Common questions about Bates
The median net price at Bates is $29,351 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in Maine? See the most affordable private colleges in Maine →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →