Financial Aid Policies & 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.
Financial Aid Policies and Guidelines
- 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
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.
Registration links for each date:
Sept 24 - 6:30pm Eastern Time
Sept 25 - 7pm Pacific Time
Oct 28 - 6:30pm Eastern Time
Oct 29 - 7pm Pacific Time
Dec 10 - 5:30pm Pacific Time
Financial Aid Decision Timelines
Financial aid decisions and award letters are mailed with student enrollment contracts. If your child’s financial aid application is not complete by January 15, and we have not heard from you regarding a request for an extension, both funding and your child’s space at St. Andrew’s may be at risk.
For new students:
- Financial Aid applications and supporting documents are due by January 15.
- Admission and financial aid decision letters are sent on March 10th.
- To reserve your child's space at St. Andrew's and accept your financial aid package, you must return the enrollment contract and deposit to St. Andrew's by April 10th.
- Tax returns for the prior year are due by May 15. If your returns reflect a significant difference from the information shared in your financial aid application, your award may be subject to change.
For returning students:
- Financial Aid applications and supporting documents are due by December 1.
- Re-enrollment contracts and financial aid decisions are sent in Mid-February.
- To confirm your child's re-enrollment at St. Andrew's, parents must return the signed enrollment contract and deposit during the first week of March.
- Tax returns for the prior year are due by May 15. If your returns reflect a significant difference from the information shared in your financial aid application, your award may be subject to change.
As always, please call or e-mail the Admission Office, at 302-285-4231 or finaid@standrews-de.org, if you have questions regarding financial aid.