MDS Scholars Program
“We give to MDS Scholars both because it creates opportunities for students who otherwise would not have access to a Bates education and because enrolling these students enriches the college experience for everyone at Bates.”
– Rick Smith and Carol Marine P’12
The MDS Scholars Program (formally known as Named Scholars) recognizes donors who designate their Bates Fund gift of $10,000 or more to financial aid and scholarship.
MDS Scholar donors receive a personalized letter from a current student to honor their contribution.
Since our founding, Bates has been committed to providing a quality education for all who can benefit from it. Opportunity and excellence — the core of Bates’ inclusive heritage — remain our highest priority. Each Bates family pays what it can afford, based on their financial situation. What a family cannot afford, Bates provides in grants (supported in part by the Bates Fund and the MDS Scholars Program), loans and campus employment.
Bates constantly buttresses this need-based policy by:
- spending a higher percentage of its budget on financial aid than our peers;
- keeping loan expectations well below the national average;
- providing aid for study abroad;
- and recalculating a family’s needs as their circumstances change.
Meet some of our MDS Scholars donors and their recipients:
Quoc & Koya
Quoc Tran ’95 “When you go to Bates, you’re part of Bates for life. By giving to Named Scholars, I want to give students the freedom and opportunity to study at Bates, but I also hope it plants a seed in them about giving back in the future.” |
Rick, Carol & Misha
Rick Smith and Carol Marine P’12 “As parents of a Bates graduate, we have long been impressed by the college’s commitment to strong academic and community values, and by its dedication to providing the best possible experience for all students.” |