Cincinnati Country Day School’s tuition assistance programs are intended to maintain the cultural and economic diversity of the student body and to provide opportunities to students who might not otherwise be able to meet the full cost of a Country Day education. The need for tuition assistance should never discourage a family from applying to Country Day. Students are admitted on the basis of their academic and personal qualifications. Requests for tuition assistance are considered independently of the admission process. There are two kinds of tuition assistance programs – merit-based and need-based. The portion of the tuition for which the family is responsible is determined by the academic ability of the student or family need. To learn more about investing in a Country Day education, click here.
Merit-Based Assistance
Founders Scholarships (merit-based assistance) are awarded to prospective 5th – 12th grade students. Recipients will be selected based on the strength of their current academic records, school activities, test scores, and recommendations. Special consideration will be given to those students who demonstrate the potential to live the Country Day mission and contribute to the greater school community. A campus visit by the student is also highly recommended once the student has applied for admission and scholarship consideration.
Students applying for a Founders Scholarship must complete all necessary admission forms in addition to the Founders Scholarship recommendation form. Prospective 5th – 12th grade students who apply for admission by December 15th will be the first to be considered for Founders Scholarships. All applicants after the December 15th deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Prospective students will be notified of Founders Scholarships with their offer of admission to Country Day. Founders Scholarships are renewable on an annual basis, at the original amount, as long as the recipient remains in good academic and disciplinary standing, demonstrates an ongoing commitment to leadership through involvement in school activities, and continues to uphold the virtues of respect, responsibility, integrity, courage, and compassion. Merit assistance cannot be combined with need-based awards. Awards range from $2,500 to $15,000.
You can download the Founders Scholar recommendation form here .
Need-Based Assistance
Need-based tuition assistance is available to families of currently enrolled or newly accepted students in grades Kindergarten – grade 12 who demonstrate need. A family’s need depends on many variables, such as family income, number of dependents, age of parents, other tuition expenses, unusual medical expenses, taxes, assets, liabilities, etc.
Need-based award amounts range from $1,000 to $18,500 as documented need warrants and funds permit. Need-based assistance cannot be combined with merit-based awards. At Country Day, it is expected that every family invest monetarily towards their child's education.
Need-based tuition assistance is awarded annually provided the family continues to demonstrate financial need. Therefore, families of returning students must reapply for tuition assistance each year. The family may expect that a student’s tuition assistance award will be consistent from year to year, assuming that the family’s financial circumstances do not change and all deadlines are met.
Families that own a business or farm are also required to submit the Business/Farm Statement.
Prospective students who are interested in need-based tuition assistance must complete the following steps:
- By December 15, submit the Parents Financial Statement (PFS) directly to School and Student Services for Financial Aid (SSS) at sss.nais.org. If you own a business or farm, you must also complete the Business/Farm Statement through SSS.
- The notification of tuition assistance will be mailed to all parents/guardians who have completed the above steps and whose child has been admitted or offered reenrollment to Country Day. Any award will be contingent upon receipt of the signed Federal Income Tax Return. Parents/guardians must also sign and return the student’s Enrollment Contract, and Tuition Assistance Award Form.
- By April 15, send a signed copy of your Federal Income Tax Return with all applicable schedules to School and Student Services for Financial Aid (SSS). Your tax return must be mailed or uploaded to SSS and needs to be accompanied by this SSS cover sheet. If you prefer, you can complete IRS Form 4506-T for verification. Failure to complete one of the two processes for verification in a timely manner, will result in your aid offer being cancelled. Depending on the time of year, your aid could be cancelled but you could be held liable for the full amount of tuition. If the parents/guardians have filed for an extension, they must notify the Country Day Admission Office of the extension in writing by April 15.
When new applications for aid exceed the availability of funds, it is sometimes necessary for prospective students to be placed on a waiting list for need-based assistance.
Country Day reserves the right to request additional information before making tuition assistance awards. Awards may also be adjusted when tax documents and other records are different from the information submitted on the PFS.