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Academics > Catalog > 2020–2021 > 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 2020–2021
Tuition, room, and board	$73,530

Calendar of Payments

Upon acceptance (new students)	$300*
1 August - Fall semester fee	$36,765
1 December - Winter semester fee	$36,765

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

Tuition and Fees Considerations for 2020-2021. Recognizing that student residency status may be variable in 2020–21, the college adjusts the room and board portion of the single fee for students who elect to enroll at Bates but study remotely. Students who elect remote study for the fall 2020 receive a room and board adjustment of $7,353. Students who elect remote study for the winter semester receive a room and board adjustment of $7,721. If a student is a financial aid recipient and their cost of attendance is adjusted as the result of a decision to study remotely, their financial aid award is adjusted accordingly.

Students who are not studying remotely but have received prior permission from the Office of Residence Life and Health Education to live off campus for the fall 2020 receive an off-campus housing rebate of $2,300. Students not studying remotely but living off campus and who elect to be off the board plan receive an additional $2,300 rebate.

All adjustments for fall 2020, including applicable adjustments of financial aid awards, are reflected on the bill issued to students and authorized individuals due in August 2020.

A student who enrolls at Bates incurs financial obligation to the college. Student account and billing statements are provided to students and other authorized users through the Garnet Gateway, Bates' secure online records system. Students are able to authorize parents and other individuals to view 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 account information. Students and parents may pay by check or make online payments using a checking or savings account. Checks should be made payable to Bates College and sent to Student Financial Services, 44 Mountain Avenue, Lewiston, ME 04240. Online payments can be made at bates.afford.com. International payments can be made via wire transfer through flywire.com.

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 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), to offer a 10-month payment plan to help families spread payments across the academic year. Payments are made in monthly installments starting in July and ending in April. There is a $70 fee to enroll in the plan. Families can enroll in a plan at bates.afford.com.

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 Student Affairs and 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 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 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 Registration Fee, per semester away	$2,581
Community Scholars (nondegree candidates)	$1,850 per course
Auditing (nonmatriculating students)	$600 per course

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, published at the end of the preceding fall semester by the Office of the Registrar. 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 grants, 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 $42 million in financial aid annually in the form of grants 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. 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 CSS 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 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 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 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 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. Such further aid is granted to the extent that funds are available.

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 postsecondary 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.

Grants and Scholarships

Many individual benefactors of the college have given funds from which the income is used for grant 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 college grants or scholarships for which they may qualify.

Loans

Students invest in their own future by borrowing money when necessary to meet college costs. One widely used federal program is 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 on-campus employment. A division of the college's Payroll Department, the Student Employment Office is an intermediary between student employees and their employers, and provides support to students and their employers regarding Bates employment. On-campus student positions are advertised on Handshake, the career development platform managed by the Bates Center for Purposeful Work.