Tuition Grants

Purpose and Goals 

At St. Mary’s, the tuition and fees charged to parents cover only a portion of the real cost of educating a student for a year. The school’s endowment and donations from outside sources meet the difference. The primary responsibility for paying a student’s tuition and fees at St. Mary’s School rest with the family. The tuition grant program exists to supplement family resources when necessary.

The goals of the St. Mary’s Tuition Grant Policy are 1) to provide access to a St. Mary’s education to qualified students who could not otherwise attend, and whose attendance will enrich the school and community and 2) to increase the socioeconomic diversity of the student body.

For more detailed explanations of tuition grants please refer to our Tuition Grant Fast Facts.

How to Apply

Parents of applicants must indicate they are interested in applying for a tuition grant by checking the appropriate box on the application form. They should then apply using FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) by March 22. Returning applicants should apply online as well by the due date. Returning students not currently receiving aid who wish to apply should fill out the FAST and follow the application instructions. 

All applications are completed on-line through FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition). You may download the instructions once you've set up your account in FAST. 

St. Mary's requires that families apply every year for tuition grants as both the financial resouces of the family and school change every year.

 Apply Now! 

Timeline

March 22:  This is the deadline for parents to complete and file the application through the Financial Aid for School Tuition (FAST) application service.  All applicants are required to submit photocopies of their 1040s, with all schedules and W-2 statements, for the year just completed.  If tax returns are not yet available, we require copies of the IRS 4868 (extension). These must be submitted directly to FAST.  There is a non-refundable $38.00 processing fee.  St. Mary’s reserves the right to hold aid awards until all required forms are received, and may alter financial aid awards if the figures presented on FAST are significantly different from the IRS 1040.  Additional documentation may be required in some cases.  Examples include a photocopy of the student tax return if filed, a Business or Farm Financial Statement, or a financial statement for the non-custodial parent.

N.B. The school will not consider financial aid applications unless a student is fully enrolled.  "Fully enrolled" means that the school must receive a signed enrollment contract for each student requesting financial aid as well as the family registration fee.  Until these steps are taken, the school will not send out an award letter.  If the school cannot meet a family's financial need, and a family elects not to send their student(s) because of this, then the school will fully refund the family registration fee.

April:  Awards will be mailed. Tuition grant awards are valid for two weeks, after which they are subject to revocation.  Applications for financial aid will continue to be accepted on a rolling basis for families enrolling after the deadline, but the bulk of financial aid is distributed by early April.   

Questions