Bates College joins national effort to boost access for low-income students
Courtesy / Bates College, Phyllis Graber Jensen
Bates College in Lewiston has a current enrollment of around 1,760 undergraduate students.
Bates College will partner with a nonprofit that helps high-achieving, low-income students attend elite colleges and universities.
QuestBridge is a national nonprofit that provides “accessible and affordable life-changing opportunities to the best and brightest students regardless of their financial backgrounds.”
Bates joins 54 other colleges and universities, including Harvard and the University of Richmond, which also became partners in the program this week.
“At Bates, we hold a long-standing belief in the transformative power of education along with our foundational commitments to excellence, inclusion and access,” said Garry W. Jenkins, president of the Lewiston college. “Our partnership with QuestBridge furthers these commitments and strengthens our ability to empower exceptional students from all backgrounds, preparing them for lives of meaning, leadership and impact."
Through its national college match, QuestBridge students can be admitted to four-year college scholarships. The nonprofit said it has helped 2,627 high school seniors earn full scholarships to top colleges and universities last year.
QuestBridge and partner colleges will cover the full cost of attendance, including tuition, food, housing, books, course materials and travel expenses.
“With its commitment to the transformative power of differences and intellectual curiosity, Bates offers an environment where our scholars are sure to excel and thrive,” said Ana Rowena Mallari, co-founder of QuestBridge. “We are delighted our scholars will have access to this campus community.”
Bates’ vice president of enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid, Leigh Weisenburger, said the college will enroll in the first QuestBridge Scholars cohort in fall 2026.
Bates College ranked No. 9 among Maine’s largest colleges and universities in the 2025 Mainebiz Book of Lists. The rankings was based on the college's full-time undergraduate enrollment of 1,760 in fall 2024.
QuestBridge, which was founded in 1994, is based in Palo Alto, Calif.
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