Financial Aid

How Financial Aid Works

Financial aid applications will not affect the admissions decision in any way.

As part of its planning for the coming school year, the Board sets a limit on Financial Aid, and includes that limit in the School’s operating budget. After a family has completed the Admissions process, families in need file an online statement that includes their prior-year tax forms (i.e., forms for tax year 2009). The Business Office confidentially reviews these requests for financial assistance, using guidelines from the Board and from industry- standard analyses, and makes a recommendation to the Financial Aid Committee. When awards are offered, the awards are included in the student’s contract for the coming year. Both the parents and the School sign this contract, in which the award amount is subtracted from the total tuition.

Why the School Grants Financial Aid

Tandem Friends School awards financial aid in the form of grants to meet a demonstrated financial need. An independent-school education is one of many choices a family may make. The primary responsibility for financing a student’s independent school experience rests with the family, so we expect families to research all available outside resources, including extended family, to meet tuition obligations before seeking financial aid from the School. Please be honest with yourself and with us as you decide to apply for aid. It is our goal that any qualified student who would make the most of the experience the School provides will be able to attend; and it is our reality that the funds available for financial aid are limited, so that we may not be able to meet all of the need of all of the families who apply.

When Forms are Due

Families must reapply for assistance each year, usually beginning in January of the year before the school year for which they are applying. This year the deadline for returning families to submit their forms is February 15, 2010. We will begin reviewing completed applications on February 16, 2010.

NOTE: The School gets financial need information from SSS (see below for their website). This includes tax forms mailed to SSS. Before the “rush,” SSS can enter tax forms within 72 hours of receiving them. But SSS advises that families count on 10 business days for your mailed tax forms to appear in your application.

The Business Office begins reviewing applications for accepted students at the first deadline—this year, on February 16, 2010. All of the budgeted assistance may well be awarded by the initial notification date (March 7, 2010), and so the School cannot guarantee that assistance will remain for late applicants. For the best chance at financial aid, please apply before the deadline!

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Families apply for aid through School and Student Services (SSS), based in Princeton, NJ. To access SSS online, click here.

For further information on how to apply for financial aid, please read the financial aid documents you can access on the right. If you have questions or concerns about your application or the process, contact Paul Erb in the Tandem Friends Business Office.

Tandem Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation or national ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship or loan programs, or athletic and other school- administered programs.