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Financial Aid Q & A
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You can now apply for financial aid online at http://www.nais.org/financialaid/sss
When filing an online financial aid application, the processing fee must be paid by credit card. Applicants wishing to pay by check or fee waiver should request a paper application from the admissions office. |
1. How does financial aid work at CSW?
2. Does applying for financial aid affect admission to CSW?
3. Who should consider applying for financial aid?
4. How does the Financial Aid Committee determine need?
5. How and when do I apply for financial aid?
6. What about applying for financial aid after February 1?
7. What is the likelihood of receiving financial aid?
8. What about financial aid if I am separated, divorced or never married?
9. Will my financial aid continue in subsequent years?
10. How can I obtain further financial aid information?
1. How does financial aid work at CSW?
The CSW Financial Aid Office awards grants to students once they have been admitted to the school, based solely on demonstrated financial need. We have no “merit scholarships.”
The Financial Aid Committee furthers the school’s mission by enabling as many qualified students as possible to attend the school and by supporting the school’s commitment to the diversity of our student population. Because funds are limited and many families of our new applicants and returning students qualify for assistance, the committee cannot aid every qualified family, nor can it meet demonstrated need in every case. A financial aid waiting list is maintained in case additional funds later become available.
All financial aid information is confidential. The committee does not release information submitted to it under any circumstances. All financial aid documents are destroyed soon after a student leaves CSW or decides not to enroll.
Financial aid consists of two parts:
- FINANCIAL AID GRANT
A grant appears in full on the monthly school bill if Payment Plan 1 or 3 is chosen on the Enrollment Contract, or in two parts (60 percent and 40 percent) under Plan 2. A grant is not taxable and does not have to be repaid.
- STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
Limited campus-based student employment is available to students receiving financial aid.
2. Does applying for financial aid affect admission to CSW?
Financial aid applications are processed after admissions decisions, so that financial circumstances do not affect a student’s admission to CSW.
3. Who should consider applying for financial aid?
Financial aid is designed for families who need assistance with tuition after they have incorporated all other resources into their planning for educational costs. Financial aid is available only to U.S. citizens and permanent, “green card” residents.
4. How does the Financial Aid Committee determine need?
Along with about 2,300 other U.S. independent schools, CSW evaluates all data received through the nationally standardized system for analyzing need offered by the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS). In addition, the school reviews the data supplied by the family, and balances its own determination of financial need with available funds when allocating grants.
5. How and when do I apply for financial aid?
To apply for aid, both custodial and noncustodial parents must submit two items:
1. PARENTS’ FINANCIAL STATEMENT (PFS): The PFS must be mailed or submitted online (https://sss.ets.org) to
the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS), and list CSW as a recipient. SSS will process your information and mail us their estimate of family contribution for education. Parents of returning students must submit a PFS by January 15, while parents of new students are required to submit it by February 1.
2. PHOTOCOPIES OF ORIGINAL, SIGNED FEDERAL TAX FORM 1040, ALL SCHEDULES, 1099 AND W-2 FORMS (for parents and student): Submit tax information for the year proceeding the financial aid application. Mail this information, postmarked by February 15, directly to CSW Financial Aid Office.
A new student’s PFS forms, postmarked by February 1, are processed for notification by letter soon after March 10, which is the CSW Admissions Office’s earliest notification date for newly accepted students.
6. What about applying for financial aid after February 1?
The Financial Aid Office acts on late applications once it receives your Report of Parental Contribution from SSS and your tax data. Available funds quickly become depleted, however, as the spring and summer progress, and many families must be placed on our financial aid waiting list.
7. What is the likelihood of receiving financial aid?
Completing a financial aid application is the only certain way to learn if your family qualifies for assistance and, if so, for what amount.
The school’s financial aid awards amount to approximately 15 percent of the school’s gross tuition revenue. About 25 percent of our families received financial aid.
8. What about financial aid if I am separated, divorced or never married?
CSW views financial responsibility for education as a matter of both parents’ ability to pay, not their willingness to do so. The Financial Aid Office considers the financial resources of all living parents, stepparents, and domestic partners, and requires the cooperation of all parties before it makes financial aid decisions. In cases of remarriage, CSW bears in mind obligations to any new family. In determining financial aid grants, the Financial Aid Office is not bound by disclaimers of financial responsibility or by legal arrangements that may bind either parent.
The CSW Financial Aid Office asks that the custodial parent communicate with the noncustodial parent about all financial aid matters. CSW does not act as an intermediary between parents.
9. Will my financial aid continue in subsequent years?
To maintain the integrity of the financial aid process and to meet standards of federal and state tax codes, the family must reapply each year. If the family’s financial position remains constant, the Financial Aid Office makes every effort to support about the same level of educational costs from one year to the next. Financial aid grants may not be renewed if the family’s school account is not paid in full.
10. How can I obtain further financial aid information?
For further information please telephone the CSW Financial Aid Office (781) 642-8650 between 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. on business days.