Charges and Payments

Charges for tuition, food, and housing for all students residing at Bates are included in one single fee. Upon reasonable notice, these charges are subject to adjustment in accordance with the changing costs of operation. The single fee does not include textbooks, supplies, or such personal items as clothing, travel, and miscellaneous expenses.

*The Admission Enrollment Deposit is held until graduation, and is nonrefundable for those who never matriculate or do not graduate.

Students who have received prior permission from the Office of Residence Life and Health Education to live off campus for the semester or academic year are eligible to receive an off-campus housing rebate (applied as a credit to the student account) of housing and/or meal costs, as follows:

Rebate for housing – $2,548 per semester ($5,096 per year)

Rebate for meals – $2,548 per semester ($5,096 per year)

A student who enrolls at Bates incurs financial obligation to the college. Student account and billing statements are presented to students and other payers through the Bates College payment portal, powered by Flywire. Bates students use their Bates credentials to log in to the portal at bates.edu/payment; parents and other payers can be granted access to the portal by their student.

Online payments can be made using a U.S. checking or savings account at bates.edu/payment. International payments may be made via wire transfer through the same portal. Checks should be made payable to Bates College and sent to Student Financial Services, 44 Mountain Avenue, Lewiston, ME 04240. Bates offers flexible semester payment plans to enable students to pay their semester bills in 5-, 4-, or 3-month installments. There is a $55 nonrefundable fee per semester to enroll in a payment plan. Payment plan information is available at bates.edu/payment.    

Payment in full for semester fees is expected by the due dates indicated above. Monthly statements must be paid by the date shown on the statement. Students whose accounts are past due are ineligible to register for classes or return to Bates for a subsequent semester. Bates assesses a late fee of 1 percent per month on balances that remain outstanding after the due dates. Past-due accounts may also be referred to an outside agency for collection. In such cases, all costs of collection become the student's responsibility. Students who have failed to submit required financial aid forms or have submitted an appeal remain responsible for making payments by the due date and accrue late fees on any outstanding balance.

Students who leave Bates during a semester are required to apply in writing and complete a leave-of-absence form or a withdrawal form through the Office of the Vice President for Campus Life. Refunds are issued by the Office of Student Financial Services upon request after a leave or withdrawal has been granted. Students withdrawing on or before the 50th day, including non-class days, of a full semester receive a prorated refund of that semester's fee, as follows: on or before the first day of classes*, 100 percent; 2–10 days, 90 percent; 11–20 days, 75 percent; 21–30 days, 50 percent; 31–50 days, 25 percent; no refund after 50 days. The first day of the leave or withdrawal is defined as the last day the student attended any class. Refunds of Title IV Federal Student Financial Aid funds are made in accordance with federal regulations.

*Note: Some off-campus study programs have an earlier start date than courses offered on the Bates campus. When this occurs, the refund schedule begins on the first day of the off-campus study program.

Other Charges When Applicable

Some courses charge extra fees to cover such items as applied music instruction, studio materials, or laboratory supplies. Extra fees for courses are usually indicated in individual course descriptions in the catalog; the specific amount of the fee, when available, is typically indicated in the Schedule of Courses.

Students who do not enroll in or who withdraw from a Short Term course are not entitled to a reduction in the single fee.

Some Short Term courses involve extensive travel in the United States or abroad. Student participants are assessed additional charges to pay the costs of transportation, services, and accommodations required by these courses. Off-campus Short Term course fees are based on the actual operating cost of the program. An estimate of these fees is included in the Short Term schedule of courses. Financial aid is available to qualified students to help offset the cost of faculty-approved off-campus Short Term courses, but may not be applied to Short Term independent study courses (numbered s50). Students who register for such a course and then withdraw before its completion are reimbursed only for those portions of the remaining cost not yet incurred on the students' behalf. Students with outstanding account balances are ineligible to register and/or receive financial aid for off-campus Short Term courses.

Financial Aid

Bates students receive help in many ways to meet their college costs. Assistance may come from need-based grant aid, opportunities for part-time employment, or student loans. Frequently, students receive aid that combines these grant and self-help opportunities. Conditions of Aid:

1. Financial aid is granted on the basis of calculated need as determined by the Office of Student Financial Services through an examination of aid applications submitted by students and their parents. Students must apply for financial aid when they apply for admission to Bates. To receive aid after the first year, aided students must demonstrate a continuance of financial need and meet established standards of satisfactory progress toward the degree as set forth in the college's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

2. To be considered for financial aid, students must submit the following forms each year by the appropriate deadline: the CSS Profile, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), parent and student federal income tax returns, and any other materials deemed necessary to analyze a student's family financial circumstances. 

3. Dismissal or suspension for a semester or longer automatically revokes the assignment of financial aid.

4. Grants and loans are credited in equal amounts to the student's account at the beginning of each semester.

5. The college reserves the right to adjust its financial aid award to a student who receives additional scholarship assistance from an outside source.

6. Aid is available for the programs listed in the section of the catalog covering global education opportunities according to policies that apply to students on campus, up to the amount the student would receive if studying on campus. The calculation of need is based on an estimate of the costs associated with the student's off-campus program of study, including but not limited to, tuition, food, housing, domestic and international airfare (if applicable), and the Bates off-campus registration fee. Estimated personal and book expenses also are included. Other expenses, such as passports, visas, immunizations, and extra travel, are the student's responsibility.

7. Students who qualify for Bates grant aid during an academic year may apply for additional financial assistance if enrollment in an off-campus Short Term course requires expenditure of more than $500. 

8. Financial aid is provided to eligible students for up to 8 semesters.

Veterans Education Programs

The college's degree programs are approved by the Maine State Approving Agency for Veterans Education Programs for persons eligible for educational benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Students who have questions about their eligibility may contact the Veterans Administration (1-888-442-4551). Students who request veteran's educational assistance are required to have all previous post secondary experience evaluated for possible transfer credit in order to be eligible for benefits. Bates participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans or Dependents of Veterans. More information is available from the Office of Student Financial Services.