SANDY SPRING FRIENDS SCHOOL FINANCIAL AID POLICY

The goal of the financial aid program is to make the Sandy Spring Friends School educational experience financially accessible to all families. Grants are made solely on the basis of financial need. Financial assistance is available for bus transportation and Upper School Intersession Program fees as well as for tuition.

The financial aid award decisions for applications received by the financial aid deadline are made in March. In order to financially assist as many families as possible, the School grants awards based on a percentage of full need. In the current academic year, 31% of our students benefit from the financial aid program at Sandy Spring Friends School (SSFS).

If you have any questions regarding the procedures or guidelines for financial aid, please contact Dawn Griffith (ext. 231).

FINANCIAL AID PROCEDURES FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

1. The parent(s) of any applicant to SSFS will receive a Parents' Financial Statement  (PFS) form by indicating "Yes" to the question "Would you like to receive a Financial Aid application?" on page 4 of the SSFS admissions application.

2. The parent(s) should complete the PFS as thoroughly as possible and make a photocopy of the completed form. There is also an option to process this form online; directions are included in the packet. (Note: SSS will evaluate your application and send a copy of your processed application to our Business Office only if you provide the SSFS code number on the PFS. The SSS code for Sandy Spring Friends School is 7090.) The parent(s) should then mail the original application to School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) in Princeton, New Jersey, no later than January 15th to ensure that SSS will have adequate time to process the PFS and return it to the SSFS Business Office by March 1st. Parents whose taxes for 2008 are not yet complete should estimate amounts to the best of their ability in order to complete the form and mail it by January 15th. Only PFS applications processed by SSS and received in the SSFS Business Office by March 1st will be considered for financial aid.

3. Furthermore, by March 1st, parents are required to complete their financial aid applications by submitting the following information to the SSFS Business Office:

   • A photocopy of their completed PFS application

   • A photocopy of their 2008 Federal tax return, including all schedules

   • A photocopy of their 2008 W-2s, 1099s and other salary and wage statements

   All of the above information, in addition to the PFS form processed by SSS, must be received in the SSFS Business Office by the March 1st deadline for the Financial Aid Committee to consider the family's application.

4. For parents who are divorced, separated or have never married, the above steps apply to both the custodial and the non-custodial parents, including stepparents. It is the responsibility of the custodial parent to ensure that the non-custodial parent submits the necessary paperwork and meets the March 1st deadline.

FINANCIAL AID PROCEDURES FOR CURRENT STUDENTS

Please note that the deadlines are earlier for current students than for prospective students. Contact Dawn Griffith (ext. 231) for an application and instructions.

All application forms, tax information and other related papers are held in strictest confidence.

Sandy Spring Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or a person's status as a qualified candidate with a disability in administration of its educational program, admission policies, financial aid program, staff hiring and other school-administered programs. However, special consideration may be given to members of the Religious Society of Friends.