Payment Overview
Important information about billing statement access, payment options, and payment due dates.
| Payment Dates for 2023-24 | Amount | Payment Due By |
|---|---|---|
| Admission Enrollment Deposit | $300 | May 1 |
| Single Fee – Fall semester | $40,691 | August 1 |
| Single Fee – Winter semester | $40,691 | December 1 |
| First Year Fee | $400 | August 1 |
| Off-Campus Study Fee (per semester) | $2,850 | August 1/December 1 |
| Bates Student Health Insurance (full year) | $2,896 | October 1 |
| Bates Student Health Insurance (winter only) | $1,796 | February 1 |
Off-Campus Housing Rebate
Seniors 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 a 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)
Bates College Payment Portal
All student account and billing information is accessed through the Bates Payment Portal. The portal, which is powered by Flywire, enables students and families to:
- Access monthly statements
- See real-time balances
- Create customized payment plans
- Set up automatic payment from a U.S. checking or savings account
- Make payments in international currencies in user’s native language
Bates students should use their Bates credentials to log in to the payment portal. Parents who are not currently authorized to view student account information can be granted access to the portal by their student.
How to Access Your Billing Statement
Students and individuals authorized by the student are notified by email when electronic billing statements are ready to be viewed through the Bates Payment Portal. Semester billing notification is sent on or around July 15 for the fall semester and November 15 for the winter semester; notification is also sent on a monthly basis to individuals with unpaid balances. Students are strongly encouraged to make sure their parents or other sponsors have access to the bill by providing access through the Bates Payment Portal. If a student doesn’t authorize a parent to have access to the bill, the student receives all billing notifications and assumes responsibility for payment.
Questions concerning the bill or payment to Bates should be directed to sfs@bates.edu.
Payment Options
Students and parents can pay by check or use a checking or statement savings account to pay online. Bates does not accept credit cards for payment of the student account. Payments made by check should be sent to Student Financial Services, 44 Mountain Avenue, Lewiston, ME 04240.
Online payments can be made through the Bates Payment Portal.
529 Plan Payment Information
How do I send payment from my 529 plan to Bates?
Payment from a 529 plan can be made to Bates by check or by electronic transfer (if offered by the plan). Check payments should include the student’s name and Bates ID number and be made payable to Student Financial Services, 44 Mountain Avenue, Lewiston, ME 04240.
Electronic payments can be made from the following plans:
| State | Plan Name |
| Arkansas | GIFT Arkansas 529 Plan |
| Arkansas | iShares 529 Plan |
| California | ScholarShare 529 |
| Colorado | CollegeInvest Direct |
| Colorado | Scholars Choice® College Savings |
| District of Columbia | DC College Savings Plan |
| Georgia | Path2College 529 Plan |
| Hawaii | HI529 – Hawaii’s College Savings Program |
| Idaho | IDeal Idaho College Savings Program |
| Indiana | CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan |
| Indiana | CollegeChoice Advisor 529 Savings Plan |
| Iowa | College Savings Iowa |
| Kansas | Learning Quest Education Savings |
| Kansas | Learning Quest Advisor |
| Kansas | Schwab 529 College Savings Plan |
| Kansas | Schwab Learning Quest 529 Plan |
| Kentucky | KY Saves 529 |
| Michigan | Michigan Education Savings Program |
| Michigan | Michigan 529 Advisor Plan |
| Minnesota | Minnesota College Savings Plan |
| Missouri | Missouri Saving for Tuition |
| Montana | Achieve Montana |
| Nevada | SSGA Upromise 529 |
| Nevada | The Vanguard 529 College Savings Plan |
| Nevada | USAA College Savings Plan |
| Nevada | Wealthfront’s College Savings Program |
| New Mexico | Scholar’s Edge |
| New Mexico | The Education Plan |
| North Dakota | North Dakota: College SAVE |
| Ohio | CollegeAdvantage Direct 529 Savings Plan |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma College Savings Plan |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Direct 529 |
| Rhode Island | CollegeBound Saver |
| Rhode Island | CollegeBound 529 |
| Tennessee | TNStars College Savings 529 Program |
| West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct |
| West Virginia | SMART529 WV Direct |
| West Virginia | The Hartford SMART529 |
| West Virginia | SMART529 Select |
| Wisconsin | Edvest College Savings Plan |
Can I make a one-time payment, or set up a monthly payment plan, from my 529 plan through the Bates Payment Portal?
Most 529 plans do not accept ACH withdrawals from third parties. Before setting up a payment plan or one-time payment, be sure to check with your 529 plan regarding their policies.
Can study abroad costs be paid for with 529 funds?
As most study abroad program costs are billed directly by the abroad program, it is important to check with your 529 plan to determine what costs can be covered by the plan.
Monthly Payment Plan
Bates offers flexible semester plans to enable students to pay their semester bill in five-, four-, or three-month installments. There is a $55 nonrefundable fee per semester to enroll in a payment plan.
Monthly payment plans can be established through the Bates Payment Portal.
GradGuard Tuition Protection Plan
Students and families may wish to consider enrolling in the GradGuard Tuition Protection Plan, which can help overcome financial losses if a student must withdraw from school for a covered medical event after classes begin. Having this plan expands the scope of Bates’ current refund policy by offering reimbursement for tuition, room and board, and other eligible education-related expenses (up to policy limits).
Payment Policies
All student charges must be paid by the published due date each semester, and a late payment fee of 1% of the outstanding balance is assessed each month for accounts with balances greater than $500.
Financial aid that has been awarded and anticipated proceeds from student and parent loans that have been certified by Bates are deducted from the balance due before any late fees are assessed. Students are encouraged to check their financial aid status on the Garnet Gateway to make certain that all financial aid requirements have been received.
Students who have not submitted required financial aid documentation by applicable deadlines and have therefore not received a financial aid award are not exempt from late fee charges, nor are they permitted to delay payment.
Outside scholarships are applied to student accounts when they are received; anticipated payments are not deducted from the balance due before late fees are applied.
Scholarship checks from private organizations should be mailed directly to Student Financial Services. Please do not mail scholarship checks with other payments. Scholarships are divided evenly (unless noted otherwise by the donor) between semesters.
Make sure your parents have access to your financial aid information.
Bates students use the Garnet Gateway to register for classes, view grades, and review important financial aid information. Parents and other individuals authorized by their students can also view this information on the Garnet Gateway, using their own credentials.
In order for parents to view their student’s information, the student must authorize access. The student has the ability to authorize access for all or a combination of his or her academic or financial aid information. Access can be granted to parents, step-parents, grandparents, or other individuals and can be established for all areas or limited to a particular area depending upon the student’s preferences, and can be updated at any time by the student.
Parents who do not currently have access to student information on the Garnet Gateway, but who would like to have access to financial aid or other online records should talk with their students about having access granted.
Important Note for Parents and Guardians:
The Garnet Gateway Login page will change slightly on 1/24/24. Please select the “Bates Parent/Guardian” option to log in with your ID/PIN as you would normally.
How do I grant access for my parent or other individual to see my financial aid information on the Garnet Gateway?
To grant access, go to the Garnet Gateway and click on the Authorize Account Access under the Account & Access menu. From here, you can select who should have access to your information and the types of information that you’d like that person to be able to view. Once you submit your selections, Bates will create a unique user ID and PIN that you will need to share with your authorized user. You should either provide this information to the person verbally, or you should send the user ID and PIN to them separately. For example, send the User ID by email and the PIN by text. (Never share your own personal Bates credentials with anyone.) You and your authorized user will also receive an email confirming the permissions you have enabled.
I want my parents to be able to see my financial aid information, but not my grades – is this possible?
Yes. Access is available for as few or as many of the options presented – you can allow different people to see different things. You can update or change access at any time.
Can I add someone other than my parent as an authorized viewer?
Yes. You can authorize any individual to have access to your online information, although we urge you to consider carefully who will have access to your information before you grant that access. Please note that it is not necessary for you to grant access in order to have your academic record sent to a third-party – you can use the Garnet Gateway to request an official transcript.
How do I add other individuals as authorized viewers?
You can add other individuals by selecting Authorize Account Access under the Account & Access menu. Make sure you fill out the form completely. It will take between 24 and 72 hours to add a person to your authorization list. Once he or she appears on the list, you may grant them access.
How do I remove an authorized viewer?
Simply uncheck the boxes that are checked authorizing access, and submit your changes.
If my parents forget their PINs, who should they contact?
If your parent forgets a PIN, he or she can use the Forgot PIN feature on the login page. Your parent can enter his or her ID number, then click on Forgot PIN – the PIN can be changed after your parent responds to his or her security question. If this does not work, please ask your parent to contact the IT Service Desk at (207) 786-8222.
My parents are able to access the Garnet Gateway from home, but get an error message when trying to access it from their place of employment – why is this?
Some businesses have a fire wall that will not allow access to some outside Internet sites. Your parent may wish to contact the network administrator at his or her workplace to see if an adjustment can be made to the fire wall software to allow access to the Garnet Gateway.
Who should my parents contact if they have questions about what they see behind the Garnet Gateway?
If your parents have questions concerning your financial aid, they can contact Student Financial Services at (207) 786-6096. If they have questions about your grades, academic holds, or transcript, they can contact the Office of the Registrar and Academic Systems at (207) 755-5949.
What is FERPA and is student authorization necessary?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the federal law which protects the privacy of students and prohibits colleges and universities from disclosing any information from a student’s education records without the authorization of the student. For more information on FERPA, please refer to the Bates College Catalog.
A payment plan allows your family to spread costs across the academic year.
New payment plan options will be available beginning in July 2021. Please check back in June for more information. Information will also be provided in our Tuition Payment Guide, which will be mailed to families in June.
Loans are funds that you have to pay back, usually after you graduate. Student loan assistance from one or more programs may be included as part of a financial aid award.
Federal Direct Student Loans
Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) are eligible, including those who do not qualify for need-based aid. Students who do not qualify for need-based aid are ineligible for the interest subsidy from the federal government. Borrowers of unsubsidized Direct Loans can either pay the interest quarterly or choose to have the interest accrue while they are enrolled in college.
Annual Loan Limits
| Student Grade Level | Subsidized | Unsubsidized | Total |
| 1st Year | $3,500 | $2,000 | $5,500 |
| 2nd Year | $4,500 | $2,000 | $6,500 |
| 3rd Year | $5,500 | $2,000 | $7,500 |
| 4th Year and above | $5,500 | $2,000 | $7,500 |
| Aggregate Loan Limits | $23,000 | $8,000 | $31,000 |
Interest Rate/Loan Fees
The interest rate for Direct Subsidized Loans is fixed at 5.50% for loans disbursed on or after 7/1/23 and before 7/1/24. If a student qualifies for the in-school subsidy, the federal government pays the interest on the loan while the student is enrolled. The interest rate on Direct Unsubsidized Loans is also 5.50%, with the borrower responsible for paying any accrued interest. An origination fee of 1.057% of the principal loan amount is deducted from each disbursement before it is credited to the student account.
Direct Student Loan Application Process
Students who wish to borrow a Direct Student Loan must follow these steps:
- File a FAFSA so that eligibility for any subsidized loan amount can be established.
- Complete a Federal Direct Student Loan Authorization Form
- First-time borrowers must complete an Electronic Master Promissory Note (eMPN) at studentaid.gov/mpn/
- First-time borrowers must complete loan entrance counseling at studentaid.gov/entrance-counseling/
Please note that federal regulations do not permit us to certify loans after the end of the academic year; therefore, all of the requirements listed above must be completed and/or received in our office prior to the end of the academic year.
Direct Loan Repayment
Repayment of Direct Loans begins six months after the student graduates or otherwise ceases enrollment. The standard repayment term is 10 years, and alternate terms such as extended repayment, graduated repayment and income-contingent repayment are also available. Information about loan repayment plans (with sample repayment calculators) is available at studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/.
The Federal Direct PLUS Loan is a non-need-based loan for parents of all income levels. Parents without an adverse credit history may borrow up to the total cost of education minus financial aid.
Interest Rate/Loan Fees
Federal PLUS Loans disbursed after July 1, 2023 have a fixed interest rate of 8.05%. An origination fee of 4.228% of the loan principal is deducted at the time of loan disbursement.
PLUS Application Process
The following steps must be followed in order to obtain a Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan:
- If not completed already, the student must file a FAFSA for the academic year
- The parent borrower must complete a Direct PLUS Loan Application at studentaid.gov/plus-app/
- The parent borrower borrowing on behalf of their Bates student for the first time must complete an Electronic Master Promissory Note (MPN) at studentaid.gov/mpn/
Please note that federal regulations do not permit us to certify loans after the end of the academic year; therefore, all of the requirements listed above must be completed and/or received in our office prior to the end of the academic year
Disbursement
Loan proceeds are disbursed in two equal installments, at the beginning of each semester.
PLUS Loan Repayment
Repayment of PLUS Loans begins 60 days after the funds are fully disbursed. Parents have the option of deferring payments on the PLUS Loan while the undergraduate student on whose behalf the loan was borrowed is enrolled and during the six-month grace period after the student graduates or ceases to be a student. Interest continues to accrue during this deferment period, however. Alternate repayment terms such as extended repayment, graduated repayment and income-contingent repayment are also available. Extending repayment can make monthly payments more manageable, but may result in more interest paid over time. Comprehensive information regarding loan repayment, including repayment calculators to help you estimate monthly payments is available through at studentaid.gov/loan-simulator/.