St. David's School Financial Aid Policy

Financial Aid Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of the St. David's School financial aid program is to enroll qualified students who could not otherwise afford to attend, thus maximizing the strength of the student body.

Financial Aid Policy:

All financial aid awards are made on the basis of a family's demonstrated financial need and are reserved for families who have no alternative to requesting aid. All families requesting financial aid must submit the School and Student Services Parents' Financial Statement (PFS), along with a copy of their most recent federal tax return. St. David's Financial Aid Committee (normally consisting of the Headmaster, Chief Financial Officer, Business Manager, and Director of Admissions) reviews the information submitted and calculates the demonstrated need, following the guidelines of the SSSFA.

In the event that the total demonstrated need of all families exceeds the financial aid budget, the following categories will be considered in allocating awards:

• Returning financial aid recipients qualifying for a comparable award
• New students, with preference given by age/grade of student from oldest to youngest
• Returning financial aid recipients needing a significant increase in financial aid
• Returning students new to financial aid

In addition to each of these categories, the following factors will also be considered:

• Grade level enrollment goals
• Relative merit of the individual student (athletic, artistic, and academic contributions)
• Cultural and economic diversity
• Size of the award and projected long-term need
• Payment history and adherence to application deadlines

St. David's School also endorses and follows the NAIS Principles of Good Practice for financial aid, including:

• St. David's shall use a uniform methodology to assess annually, in a consistent and equitable manner, each family's ability to pay for education.
• St. David's shall require adequate documentation of family resources when determining need.
• St. David's shall not use financial need as a consideration in determining a student's eligibility for admission.
• St. David's shall safeguard the confidentiality of all financial information supplied by a family.
• St. David's shall recognize that the primary responsibility for financing a student's independent school education rests with his or her family.

St. David's School is committed to its admission policy as non-discriminatory on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, nationality or ethnic origin, and to administering its policies and programs accordingly.