Bates College has stood firmly for the ideals of academic rigor, intellectual curiosity, egalitarianism, social justice, and freedom since its founding just before the Civil War.  The first coeducational college in New England and among the earliest in the United States, Bates remains committed to making a high quality education accessible to all admitted students, regardless of family financial circumstances.

Paying for college is a significant family investment, and financial aid is available to families who do not have the resources to meet the full cost of attending Bates.  All financial aid at Bates is awarded on the basis of need, in accordance with Bates' need analysis guidelines and federal policy, and awards are offered which meet the student's full calculated need.

Bates annually awards more than $17 million of scholarship aid from institutional, federal and state sources to eligible students.  Approximately 44 percent of enrolled students receive some type of student financial aid; individual grants to eligible students for the current academic year range from a few hundred dollars to more than $45,000.