Catalog

Academics > Catalog > 2013–2014 > Costs and Financial Aid

Costs and Financial Aid

Charges and Payments

Charges for tuition, room, and board charges 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, amusement, and vacation expenses.

Annual Charge for 2013–2014
Tuition, room, board, and fees	$58,950

Calendar of Payments

Upon acceptance (new students)	$300*
1 August - Fall semester fee	$29,475
1 December - Winter semester fee	$29,475

*The payment upon acceptance made by new students to indicate acceptance of the college's offer of admission is held until graduation.

A student who enrolls at Bates incurs financial obligation to the college. Semester invoices and monthly bills for past due balances are made available to students and other authorized users on the Garnet Gateway, Bates' secure online records system. Students are able to authorize parents and other individuals to have view-access to their Garnet Gateway financial aid and/or student account records. Once authorized, users are provided with login credentials, which may be used to access the student's online information, including e-bills. Payment may be made by check or money order payable to Bates College; Bates also offers an online ACH payment option. Bates does not accept debit cards or credit cards for payment of the single fee.

Payment in full for semster fees is expected by the due dates indicated above. Monthly bills must be paid by the last calendar day of the month. Students whose accounts are delinquent may become ineligible to register for classes, receive grades and transcripts, choose campus housing, receive financial aid for future semesters, return to Bates for a subsequent semester, or graduate. Bates assesses a late fee (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.

Bates partners with Tuition Management Services (TMS), which offers students and families a monthly payment plan option rather than requiring two yearly payments. Participating students who fail to make timely payments are assessed a late fee of $40 by TMS. Late fees become applicable if a student's relationship with TMS is breached due to repeated nonpayment. Any balance for the semester that is left after anticipated TMS payments, loans and financial aid are calculated is due on the payment due date: August 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the winter semester.

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 Dean of Students. 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 fiftieth 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 the date indicated by the student on the leave-of-absence or withdrawal form. If no date is stipulated by the student, 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

Off-Campus Study Registration Fee, fall or winter semester (per semester away)	$2,060
Books, supplies (average annual cost)	$800
Special students (nondegree candidates)	$1,550 per course
Auditing (nonmatriculating students)	$425 per course

A few courses require 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.

Bates does not assess an additional fee for Short Term courses offered on campus. Students who do not attend or who withdraw from Short Term are not entitled to a reduction in the single fee.

Some Short Term courses, referred to as “off-campus extra-cost Short Term courses,” involve extensive travel in the United States or abroad. Student participants are assessed additional charges to pay the extra costs of transportation, additional services, and accommodations required by these programs. Extra-cost 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, available at the end of the preceding fall semester. 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). All off-campus extra-cost Short Term courses require a $500 non-refundable deposit. 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, and are not reimbursed for the deposit. Students with outstanding account balances are ineligible to register and/or receive financial aid for off-campus extra-cost Short Term courses.

Financial Aid

Bates students receive help in many ways to meet their college costs. Assistance may come from numerous scholarships, from opportunities for part-time employment, or from student loans. Frequently, students receive aid that combines these grant and self-help opportunities. In recent years Bates students have received more than $29 million in financial aid annually in the form of scholarships and loans from the college and from outside sources.

Conditions of Aid. The following conditions pertain to all students applying for and receiving financial aid:

1. Financial aid is granted on the basis of demonstrated 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 College. To receive aid after the first year, aided students must demonstrate satisfactory campus citizenship, show 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 indicate on the admission application that they will be applying for aid. They must submit the following forms each year by the appropriate deadline: the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Financial Aid PROFILE, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the federal income tax returns of the parents and student, and any other materials deemed necessary to analyze a student's family financial circumstances. Students who do not submit materials by the deadline may lose their eligibility for Bates aid.

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

4. Scholarships 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 off-campus study 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 associates with the student's off-campus program of study, including but not limited to, tuition, room, board, domestic and international airfare (if applicable), and the Bates off-campus study registration fee. Personal and book expenses estimated for the student in Lewiston are also included. In English-speaking countries, aid is based on the cost of direct application. Other expenses, such as passports, visas, immunizations, and extra travel, are the student's responsibility.

7. Students who qualify for scholarship aid during an academic year may apply for additional financial assistance if enrollment in an off-campus extra-cost Short Term course requires expenditure above the single fee. Such further aid is granted to the extent that scholarship funds are available.

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

Scholarships

Many individual benefactors of the college have given funds from which the income is used for scholarship aid. Other scholarships come from foundations and from the operating funds of the college. More than 44 percent of Bates students receive assistance from these sources in varying amounts, depending on need. Once grant eligibility is determined through normal aid application processes, students are automatically considered for all special college grants or scholarships for which they may be eligible.

Loans

Students throughout the country invest in their own futures by borrowing money when necessary to meet college costs.

Two widely used federal programs are the Federal Perkins Loan Program and the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. Additional information about federal and private education loan programs for students and parents is available from the Office of Student Financial Services at Bates.

Student Employment

Bates offers many opportunities for students to earn money and gain valuable skills through campus and work-study jobs. The Student Employment Office is a student-managed division of the college's Office of Human Resources. The office is an intermediary between student employees and their employers, and is a resource center for issues concerning student employment. The primary function of the Student Employment Office is to assist Bates students in securing on-campus employment by facilitating and regulating the application process. The office also posts off-campus positions.