Financial Aid

Submit Admission Application to SSFS, if applicable. Learn more about the admission application process.

Apply for need-based financial aid through Clarity, which uses an industry-standard formula to determine your family’s estimated level of financial need and shares it with SSFS.

• Current Family Deadline: November 15, 2024
• New (prospective) Family Deadline: January 15, 2025

To get started, please go to the Clarity Application and create an account. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity Application is also mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. At the end of the application, there is a $60 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools.

Support

Clarity offers a Quick Reference Guide and Family Application Guide, which both contain comprehensive information about the entire process of applying using Clarity. 

If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at support@claritytuition.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.

Remember to return to your Clarity dashboard after you complete and submit your application, as you may be required to upload additional documents.Those requirements will be displayed in the "Document Requests" section of your portal. 

Admission and financial aid decisions are communicated simultaneously through the enrollment contract.

There is no income level that automatically qualifies (or disqualifies) a family for financial aid. Families should complete the financial aid application process if they feel that the full cost of a Sandy Spring education is more than they can afford.  However, families should be aware that while Sandy Spring Friends School has a significant financial aid budget, we are not able to provide financial aid grants to all qualified applicants, and therefore we must, at times, make need-aware admission decisions. Therefore, we encourage families to explore all options (including extended-family financial support) before applying for financial aid.

All returning families must submit their completed application by November 15, 2024. All new families must submit their completed application by January 15, 2025.
 

SSFS financial aid awards are based solely on need, which is defined as the difference between tuition and what a family can realistically contribute toward that cost. After a family completes the Clarity Application, Clarity processes the information the family provides to determine what the family can afford to pay for their child’s education. The formula takes into account income, assets, debt, general living and medical expenses, family size, and the number of children in tuition-charging schools when estimating the contribution a family can make toward private school tuition. The School’s Financial Aid Committee then uses the Clarity recommendation as a guide to determine the student’s financial aid award.

Single Parent: Sandy Spring Friends School requires complete financial information from both the custodial and non-custodial parents, including the Clarity Application and tax forms. This information is collected in an attempt to determine the ability, not the willingness, of each parent to financially support their child’s education. If the whereabouts of the non-custodial parent are unknown, a good-faith effort must be made to locate him or her. In the event that a parent is absent from the student’s life, we require the custodial parent to submit a non-custodial parent waiver form that will remain on file.

Blended Household: If yours is a blended household, all adults in both households MUST provide their information to Clarity, one per household. We understand that in a household such as this there are varying levels of responsibilities to multiple family members; we make every effort to respect this. That said, first and foremost, funding the education of the students is the responsibility of each family.

Families will receive written notification of the financial aid decision via enrollment contract. 

• Clarity Application
• Supporting financial information (see How to Apply for FA) 
   

Families applying for financial aid who have children at other institutions that offer financial aid (including by not limited to other primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities) are expected to apply at those other institutions as well.

SSFS makes every attempt to give each student access to the opportunities the school offers. For all students, lunch is included in the cost of tuition.  Additionally, all Lower and Middle School students receive the books and technology they need to support the academic curriculum.  Finally, financial aid is available for aftercare. This support is based on the percentage of funding a family receives for tuition.

A student enrolling without a financial aid grant is unlikely to receive one in subsequent years without significant changes in their family's financial circumstances, such as increased tuition costs or additional dependents. Grant eligibility is contingent upon the availability of funds, and institutional policies and budgetary constraints determine funding.

Yes, families who receive financial aid from Sandy Spring Friends School must reapply each year. The School is committed to supporting a student through graduation, provided a demonstrated need continues to exist. It is important to note that a family's award amount may change from year to year if the family's financial situation changes.

No. Sandy Spring Friends School believes that each student’s primary responsibility is to attend school. Students who receive financial aid are not required to work. All students are required to maintain good academic standing in order to remain enrolled at SSFS. Furthermore, all families are required to maintain good financial standing in order for their child(ren) to remain enrolled at SSFS.

Yes! Payments to SSFS for tuition and fees are processed through VC Pay. We offer three payment plans to cover tuition and the deposit:

Plan A:  The one-payment plan option requires the full tuition to be paid by June 20. 
Plan B: In the two-payment (standard) plan, a portion of tuition is due June 20 and the remainder is due December 20. 
Plan C: The alternative plan is 10 payments: 10% of tuition is due monthly, from April 20 through January 20. 

Payments in each plan are calculated after the 9% deposit is paid. There is a $125 annual fee for the monthly payment plan, charged in September. The deposit required at the time of enrollment is applied toward tuition due in either tuition plan. Please note that tuition refund insurance is automatically applied to all payment plans.

Payment Plan and Fees FAQs

Late applicants should speak to Admissions staff directly before applying to the school or for financial aid, as most of the SSFS financial aid budget will have been distributed to applicants who applied by the deadline. However, it is not impossible for aid to become available at a later date—please contact us by email.

Join Clarity team members to learn about the Clarity application process. They will be answering questions live and walking through what you'll need to know going into the next application season.

Zoom Webinar Sessions:

• Tuesday, September 24, 6:30 pm EST
• Wednesday, September 25, 7pm PST
• Monday, October 28, 6:30pm EST
• Tuesday, October 29 , 7pm PST
• Tuesday, December 10, 5:30pm PST

On Tuesday, October 15, Mission Enrollment hosted a live Financial Aid Family Webinar. The recording can be found below. The presentation covered:

• Understanding how PK-12 independent school financial aid works
• Navigating your household budget
• Live walk-through of the 2025-2026 application in the Clarity system
• Q&A session

Mission Enrollment Webinar

Join Dawn Griffith, Director of Financial Aid at SSFS, as she offers an overview of the financial aid process. During the 30-minute session, Dawn will cover important dates, deadlines, and tips, and answer live questions.

Zoom Webinar Sessions:

• Wednesday, October 9, 11 AM - 11:30 PM 
• Monday, November 11, 7-7:30 PM
• Wednesday, December 11, 10-10:30 AM
• Wednesday, January 8, 7-7:30 PM

Register Here