Important information about billing statement access, payment options, and payment due dates.
Payment Dates for 2024-25
Amount
Payment Due By
Admission Enrollment Deposit
$300
May 1
Single Fee – Fall semester
$42,685
August 1
Single Fee – Winter semester
$42,685
December 1
First Year Fee
$425
August 1
Off-Campus Study Fee (per semester)
$2,988
August 1/December 1
Bates Student Health Insurance (full year)
$2,447
October 1
Bates Student Health Insurance (winter only)
$1,515
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 – $2,630 per semester ($5,260 per year)
Rebate for meals – $2,630 per semester ($5,260 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 tosfs@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.
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
Contact your plan to set up electronic payment.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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 tothe 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 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/.