Bates Students Fear College Will Become ‘Playground for Elites’

Fed up with ever-increasing costs for tuition and room and board, some Bates College (ME) students are calling on the liberal arts college to cancel a planned 3.4% increase that would set a $71,388 price tag next year. That is nearly 40% more than the college cost a decade ago, a contrast to the University of Maine system that has nudged its price up slightly over the same period. Unless Bates wants to cater solely to the wealthy, said sophomore William Hibbitts, it has to stop raising prices so much.