The Newman School is committed to enrolling a student body diverse in interests, talents, race, ethnicity and economic background. While we firmly adhere to the principle that the primary responsibility for funding a student's education lies with the family, we understand financial aid will be necessary to enable some students to attend the School. The goal of our financial aid program is to help bridge the gap between what a family can reasonably be expected to contribute and costs associated with attending The Newman School. Financial aid decisions are made independent of admission decisions; The Newman School’s admission process is need-blind.
The School endeavors to treat all families fairly, equitably and consistently in its consideration of requests for, and distribution of, financial aid. In order to determine a family's eligibility to receive financial aid, The Newman School subscribes to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid program by National Association of Independent Schools (SSS by NAIS), which calculates a family's need and the expected family contribution (EFC) using a methodology that takes into consideration many items, including: income, assets, liabilities, age of parents, family size and the number of students in tuition-charging schools. The Newman School requires all financial aid applicants to apply for financial aid each year of matriculation. Financial aid is determined and renewed annually on the basis of current demonstrated financial need. The Newman School reserves the right to amend awards if new information comes to light after an award is granted.
APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID: To be eligible for consideration of financial aid at The Newman School(SSS code 5314)for the 2013-2014 academic year, the SSS Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) must be completed and submitted by February 1, 2013.In addition Form 4506-T (signed and undated) must be filed with the PFS. Go to sss.nais.org after November 1, 2012. Click on the prompt to begin your PFS. Create only one PFS, even if you have more than one child applying for financial aid at The Newman School. Separated or divorced parents file separate PFS forms and submit individual tax documents.
You will be given a password that will allow you to return to your PFS as needed.
You will also be given instructions on how to submit required documentation, either electronically or by mail. For information regarding SSS’s document security, please go to their website: sss.nais.org.
If applicable, mail required documents to: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, P.O. Box 449, Randolph, MA 02368-0449. For overnight mail, please use this alternate address: SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, 437 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA 02021.
Call The Newman School at 617-267-4530 Ext. 113 to request a paper copy of the PFS if computer access is unavailable. Call SSS at 800-344-8328 for assistance with any questions regarding the completion of the PFS or document collection. (Mon - Fri: 9am - 8pm, Sat: 9am - 4pm EST)
NOTIFICATION OF THE FINANCIAL AID COMMITTEE’S DECISION: Families who have met the published deadlines and submitted all required documentation to SSS may expect financial aid decisions to be mailed in March.
DIVORCED/SEPARATED PARENTS: Each parent must submit a separate PFS along with Form 4506-T (signed and undated) directly to SSS. If a non-custodial parent refuses to submit the necessary information to SSS, the application for financial aid will not be processed. In cases where a non-custodial parent is uninvolved with the child, the custodial parent is required to submit to the Director of Financial Aid documentation verifying the family’s situation from a disinterested party such as the courts, an attorney, minister or social worker.
CHILDREN LIVING WITH OTHER RELATIVES: Regardless of where a child resides, if parents are living and claim the child as a dependent, the parents must complete financial aid forms. Should other family members have legal custody of the child, forms will be required from the child’s custodians and their financial information will be factored into financial aid calculations. In such cases, proof of legal custody will be required.
PARENTS WHO DO NOT WORK: The Newman School expects parents, guardians, domestic partners and stepparents to play an appropriate role in financing their child’s education. When a parent chooses not to work and there are no preschool children at home, the Financial Aid Committee will add income equal to the student’s anticipated The Newman School tuition. Exceptions are made if a parent is caring for a disabled or critically ill child, parent or grandparent. Consideration will also be given to a parent who is home-schooling other siblings. Parents electing to either return to school or change jobs should note that if such a choice results in a decrease in family income, then the difference will not be underwritten by financial assistance provided by The Newman School.
FAMILIES WHO HAVE THEIR OWN BUSINESS: Parents who own a business and/or farm are required to furnish the SSS Business/Farm Statement Form (available at sss.nais.org). They may also be asked to furnish cash flow statements, balance sheets and any other information relevant to the business. Losses due to property and/or equipment depreciation are not considered when calculating financial need. We reserve the right to request additional financial information in cases where such action is deemed necessary to determine a family’s financial status.
MULTIPLE TUITION-CHARGING SCHOOLS: If more than one child in a family attends a tuition-charging institution, The Newman School requires families to apply for aid at each of the institutions their children attend. The Newman School cannot subsidize tuition for other tuition-charging schools of any type. It is important to note that SSS computes the total funds available for education and then divides that amount by the number of children attending tuition-charging schools. Parents may be requested to provide The Newman School with copies of financial aid awards granted by other institutions.
RETURNING STUDENTS: If a family does not apply for financial aid or does not qualify for financial aid upon initial enrollment, it is unlikely the family will receive financial aid in subsequent years unless they can demonstrate a change in the family's financial circumstances that were not foreseeable upon initial enrollment.
FINANCIAL AID WAIT LIST: In some cases a family may demonstrate financial need, but due to the limitations of the School’s financial aid resources, we may not be able to meet any part of the family’s demonstrated need. In this event, the student will be placed on a financial aid wait list and the possibility of granting a financial aid award will be reviewed at a later time, should additional funds become available.
CONFIDENTIALITY: The Financial Aid Committee holds all submitted information in support of aid applications in strict confidence. Financial aid awards are confidential agreements between the recipient family and the School. The Newman School does not share families’ financial information with any other party; equally, families granted financial aid awards are expected to keep confidential all details pertaining to a granted financial aid award. The Newman School reserves the right to amend awards in the event a breach of this confidentiality clause occurs.
QUESTIONS REGARDING FINANCIAL AID AT THE NEWMAN SCHOOL SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO: Brian Manning, Business Manager, The Newman School, 247 Marlborough Street, Boston, MA 02116
TEL: 617-267-4530 Ext. 113 FAX: 617-267-7070
EMAIL: bmanning@newmanboston.org
The Newman School adheres to a longstanding policy of admitting students of any race, color, religious belief, gender, protected sexual orientation, nationality or ethnic origin. The Newman School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious belief, gender, protected sexual orientation, nationality or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship programs and other School programs.
SSS Information for Families