Cost of Attendance

Bates charges a single fee that includes tuition, food, and housing. Our fee for 2023–24 is $81,382. While Bates makes every effort to control education costs, increases in the single fee are likely to occur from one year to the next. We encourage families to consider these increases when planning.

Payment Dates for 2023–24

Bates Student Health Insurance

All students enrolled at Bates are required to have health insurance and must provide annual proof of coverage. Students may elect coverage under their own insurance, through their employer or their parents’ policies, or through the Bates Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). The cost of coverage through the SHIP for the full 12 months is $2,896. For students returning to campus for the first time for the Winter semester and enrolling in the SHIP in January, the premium is $1,796. To ensure that students have adequate coverage, the college requires students to either enroll in or waive out of the Bates SHIP annually by completing the Health Insurance Enroll-Waive process accessed through the Garnet Gateway and administered by Wellfleet Insurance Group. Students who elect the Bates SHIP or are required to enroll in the plan will be billed the cost of the SHIP in September (students returning for the fall semester) or January (students returning for the winter semester). Students receiving needbased financial aid from Bates may qualify for a full or partial grant subsidy, depending on their Batescalculated family contribution, to help offset this cost. Students who take no action and do not complete the mandatory Enroll-Waive process will automatically be enrolled in and charged for the cost of the SHIP — there will be no refunds or reversals of charges. For more information, please visit the Bates Health Services website

Books, Personal, and Travel Expense

Most costs are billed by Bates and appear as charges on the student account. These include the single fee (tuition, food, and housing), health insurance, and applied music or extra-cost Short Term courses. Costs for books and travel are indirect, out-of-pocket expenses paid by families. We estimate costs of $2,150 to $3,050 for books, personal, and travel expenses (depending upon where a student lives) — but these amounts can vary.

Bates politics major Sandia Taban ’22 beams as she hugs a classmate during an annual spring ritual when seniors bind a hard copy of their thesis with help from friends.