FAQs, Policies, & Guidelines

Financial Aid FAQs

Does St. Andrew's offer merit scholarships?

No. St. Andrew's financial aid awards meet 100% of a family's demonstrated need, as determined by the information on your Clarity application and by a St. Andrew's financial aid committee review. 

Do returning students need to reapply for financial aid each year?

Yes. Every family must reapply for financial aid for the following academic year. Unless their financial situation changes dramatically, a family can expect only a modest increase in tuition each year.

How many people will view a student's financial aid file?

Very few. Financial aid documentation is held in strict confidence. Our financial aid committee reviews each application and, on occasion, may consult the head of school.

Does the community know which students receive financial aid?

Never. A division between “scholarship” and “full pay” students is foreign to our culture.

If our tax documentation is not complete for the current year, may we still apply for financial aid?

Yes. We base our awards on the most recent two years of returns. Please use your best estimates for the current year on your financial aid application. We will verify based on actual returns after the tax deadline.

Financial Policies and Guidelines

St. Andrew’s is committed to meeting 100% of the demonstrated financial need of all enrolled students and all new students offered admission. To enable us to achieve this goal with the finite resources available to us, and to help us make fair and equitable decisions, the following policies, guidelines, and timelines have been adopted.

• If the parents share custody and are separated, divorced, or have never been married, the full process, including tax documentation, is required from both parents in nearly all situations.
• If you are a single parent, having no contact with the child's biological second parent and receiving no financial support from the second parent, you will be asked to submit a single parent verification form in order to be eligible for financial aid.
• If there are step-parents, the Committee will consider all partners’ income, assets, liabilities and financial commitments as we review the student’s financial situation, keeping in mind that step-parents may have their own children.
• In the interest of equity, if one parent elects to stay at home and not seek employment, the Committee will impute a basic income of $26,000 for the non-working parent. An exception is made if the non-working parent is at home full time caring for a non-school age child or an elderly or disabled family member.
• If multiple children in the family attend tuition-charging schools or colleges, the Committee will consider those expenses on a proportional basis to the number of children. it is expected that the family will be applying for financial aid at all schools. St Andrew’s should not be expected to implicitly subsidize tuition at other schools or colleges. We may require tuition and billing statements from other institutions to verify need.
• If a sibling enrolls as an undergraduate for more than four years, or enrolls in a post-graduate program, St. Andrew's financial aid cannot underwrite these choices with additional aid.
• If a parent elects to retire early, return to school or to change jobs, resulting in a decrease in family financial resources, St. Andrew’s cannot underwrite this family choice with greater financial assistance. Parents should expect to continue working through their child's undergraduate education in most circumstances.
• If one parent is temporarily unemployed and not disabled, the Committee will review past years of employment history before considering a financial aid award. If a financial aid award is made, the unemployed parent may be asked to participate in quarterly financial aid reviews to report on and demonstrate a continued job search.
• If a family did not apply for or qualify for financial aid upon admission, they should not expect to receive aid in future enrollment years, unless there is a significant change in financial circumstances that the committee can verify.
• Financial aid grants are annual; a family must re-apply each year they seek financial assistance. When there are dramatic changes in a family’s financial situation due to a significant financial setback, we will do all we can to make it possible for the child to receive the financial assistance needed to continue at St. Andrew’s. At the same time, we expect a family in this situation to make other adjustments to their family expenditures, in addition to seeking financial aid, to help cover the costs of private education. Likewise, when a family’s financial situation improves greatly, the annual grant will be adjusted to reflect the positive gain.
• There is limited financial aid available for international students. Unlike "merit-based" scholarship programs, all financial aid at St. Andrew's depends on an assessment of financial need. The primary tools we use to establish and verify demonstrated need are U.S. tax returns and cost of living estimates that are based on U.S. government information. Because these resources are not available for families who do not live in the U.S.A or file IRS tax returns, we cannot establish need accurately and verify financial need. Our policy is therefore that need-based financial aid for international students is limited to 50% of tuition in nearly all cases. 
• Family Information Webinars are available. Each year, Clarity hosts several Application Info Webinars for families. All families who may be applying to any Clarity school are welcome to attend any of these webinars.