Refund Policy

Students who take a leave of absence or withdraw from Bates before the 50th day of the semester may be eligible for a partial refund of the single fee.

Students requesting a leave of absence or withdrawal from Bates are required to apply in writing through Student Affairs. Refunds are calculated in accordance with the schedule outlined below and are issued as a credit to the student’s account by Student Financial Services after the leave of absence or withdrawal has been granted. The first day of the leave or withdrawal is defined as the last day the student attended any class.

Some off-campus study programs have an earlier start date than the courses offered on the Bates campus. When this occurs, the refund schedule begins on the first day of the off-campus study program.

Refund Schedule

If Enrollment Ceases…                                      Percent of Fee Refunded
on or before the 1st day of classes 100%
 2nd through the 10th calendar day 90%
 11th through 20th calendar day 75%
 21st through 30th calendar day 50%
 31st through 50th calendar day 25%
 after 50th day 0%

Refunds of Title IV Federal Financial Aid

When a recipient of Title IV (federal) grant or loan assistance withdraws or takes a leave of absence, the college, in accordance with federal regulation, must determine the percentage of federal aid that the student has earned through the withdrawal date. Any federal aid the student has not earned according to the federal refund formula must be returned to the Title IV aid programs.

The amount of federal aid a student has earned and can retain is based on the number of days the student was enrolled, and the percentage of the period of enrollment completed. A student who has completed 60% or more of the enrollment period is eligible to keep all of their federal aid for that semester.

Refunds of Title IV federal financial aid are made in the following order:

  1. Unsubsidized Federal Direct Student Loan
  2. Subsidized Federal Direct Student Loan
  3. Federal Perkins Loan
  4. Federal Direct PLUS Loan for Parents
  5. Federal Pell Grant
  6. Federal SEOG grant

Requesting a Credit Balance Refund

If your student account has a credit balance (funds that remain after all charges have been paid, usually from an over payment or the application of financial aid), you can request a refund by submitting a Refund Request through the Garnet Gateway. If you do not request a refund, any credit balance balance will remain on the student account to be applied toward future charges.