Financial Aid
Bates was founded by people who believed a great education should be open and accessible to people from all walks of life. That’s our past. That’s our future.
Channeling our mission
An essential part of the Bates mission is to “prepare leaders sustained by a love of learning.” We’re committed to granting you that opportunity, regardless of your family’s financial circumstances. We can demonstrate this commitment to you by carefully evaluating your family’s individual circumstances and consistently meeting 100 percent of your calculated need for all four years.
Less than a state school?
Your Bates education isn’t just affordable, it’s practical. We’ll work with you to ensure that you graduate with the lowest possible levels of student loan debt. For example, the average federal student loan debt for Bates students who graduated in 2022 was $13,531 — less than half the national average.
The formula
We subtract the amount your family is capable of paying from the total cost of attendance at Bates. The result is your financial need. We’re committed to meeting 100 percent of our students’ demonstrated financial need.
Bates awards more than $40 million in grant aid each year, and about half of enrolled students receive financial aid. The average need-based grant for enrolled students in the Class of 2027 was $58,413.
Financing options for parents
Bates offers financing options to help all families manage expenses. These include a 10-month payment plan that permits you to spread costs over the course of the academic year, rather than making one payment at the start of each semester. Student and parent education loans can also help your family spread costs out over a greater period of time.
If you have questions, we have answers
We understand that you might have questions. We like questions, but we like answers even better. We’ve compiled a list of the questions most frequently answered by our financial aid office.
If you have other questions or if we can help you in any way, please contact Student Financial Services at 207-786-6096 or sfs@bates.edu.