The Bates Student is the student-run newspaper of Bates College, and has been published nearly-continuously since 1873. The Bates Student began as a monthly, then bi-weekly publication, as a combination campus newspaper, alumni magazine, and literary journal. Student editorials, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction writing, and sports results were the main features of the newspaper until its format was changed in 1916. That year the paper became a "classic" newspaper in both size and content, reporting on campus news and events along with an editorial opinion page.

The only interruption in the print run of The Bates Student occurred after the printing of the final issue of volume 70 on May 6, 1943. Volume 71 was not started until the following year, with the first issue arriving on March 15, 1944. This gap is likely due to a major decline in student enrollment during World War II.

The Bates Student for the years 1873-1980 is also available digitally at the Internet Archive.

Note that for many years of the publication, a humorous or "spoof" issue was put out as the final issue of the academic year. Titles for this issue include "The Bates Spudent" and "The Bates Prudent," among others.