Funding an LTS Education
“Financial need should not deter qualified students from applying.”
TUITION PROCESS
Long Trail School serves the community and makes every effort to help families afford tuition with the most appropriate scholarship, payment plan, or financial aid. Annual fundraising makes up the difference in our yearly operating budget and total tuition received. The Board of Trustees determines the financial aid budget each year based on anticipated need. Criteria for aid is based on family need as determined in the Financial Aid Procedure and school objectives to build a balanced and diverse student body.
TUITION
Parent Tuition is due in full on August 1. For re-enrolling students, a deposit of up to $1,500, (applied to tuition) is due March 1. For newly accepted students, a nonrefundable deposit of $1,500, to be applied to tuition, is due within 30 days of acceptance to hold a space until receipt of a signed Enrollment Agreement.
SCHOOL CHOICE IN VERMONT
Educational choice has been in place in Vermont for more than 150 years. Town tuitions are voted on and paid to out-of-district schools in towns where public schooling is not provided. Tuition paid by these towns to Long Trail and Long Trail’s own Scholarship Fund help make the school affordable.
FINANCIAL AID
At Long Trail School our financial aid program proudly continues the tradition of providing an extraordinary education for young adults, regardless of their ability to pay. The School remains committed to the premise that a truly excellent school must support and maintain a strong financial aid program in order to attract and enroll the strongest, most diverse student body possible
Through a financial aid program that is based principally upon demonstrated financial need, the School assists over 55 percent of the student body in meeting educational costs. Assistance is based on the assumptions that the primary obligation for financing a student’s education lies with the family and that the family is willing to make significant adjustments in the use of its discretionary resources in order to meet educational costs. In order to provide financial assistance in an equitable manner, families seeking aid must meet all financial deadlines. In all cases, we look for evidence that a family’s commitment to their child’s education is at least as strong as the School’s.
Due to the large number of families applying for aid and the limited funds available, the School cannot hold financial aid awards beyond stated enrollment deadlines. After enrollment deadlines have passed, unclaimed financial aid awards may be offered to applicants in the School’s financial aid waiting pool. The same process applies each year a family applies for financial aid.
Families who plan to apply for financial aid should complete and submit their Parents’ Financial Statement for the school year 2010-2011, by Monday, March 1, 2010. All families must visit www.sss.nais.org to submit their financial aid forms online. There should be one form per family, or one form per separated/divorced spouse. If you are submitting information for only one parent, please enclose a letter explaining the other parent’s relationship with the student.
Please send all required documents directly to SSS. The required documents are the 2009 1040 with all filed schedules and attachments, W2’s, and business taxes (if applicable). These documents should be sent in with the PFS Documentation Cover Sheet, SSS Business/Farm Statement (if applicable), and IRS Form 4506T (signed and undated). These forms are downloadable below. If your 2009 taxes are not complete, you must submit your 2008 tax returns by March 1. In order to process your financial aid award, we must have your 2009 taxes by May 1. Long Trail’s SSS code is 4667 and the SSS helpline is (800) 344-8328.
PFS Documentation Cover Sheet
SSS Business/Farm Statement (if applicable)
IRS Form 4506T (signed and undated)
Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) 2010-11 Instructions and Terms Booklet
Financial Aid Applications Information for Families
DETERMINING FINANCIAL NEED
To determine eligibility each family must apply on-line through the School and Student Service for Financial Aid. SSS is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools, used by most K-12 schools to help determine a family’s ability to pay tuition costs. Using SSS in the financial aid application process helps to ensure that schools employ the same methods and objective baselines when evaluating a family’s financial aid application. SSS applies information provided in the PFS using a formula to help calculate the resources a family could have available to pay school costs. The formula considers many variables, including taxable and non-taxable income, assets, liabilities, family size, and the number of students in tuition-charging schools or colleges. After allowances for basic necessities, taxes, and other expenses, a portion of the remaining funds are considered available for paying school costs. The results of this analysis are provided as a recommendation to the schools families designate on their PFS form. If and when results are sent to the School, our financial aid committee uses the SSS recommendation as a starting point to assist in making a determination of each family’s need-based qualification.
In allocating the School’s limited financial aid resources, the financial aid committee considers a number of criteria. These include the strength of a candidate’s academic credentials, the quality of their extracurricular involvement, the strength of their recommendations, their potential to make a meaningful contribution to the life of the School, the diversity they will bring to the School community, and the amount of need.
SCHOLARSHIPS
The Meredith Brooks McDermott Scholarship at Long Trail School (merit or need-based, available to students who have demonstrated ability in the fine and performing arts).
For families who are applying for the Meredith Brooks McDermott Scholarship, please download the application above.
The Debby Brown Scholarship at Long Trail School (merit or need-based with priority given to students from Pawlet, West Pawlet, Rupert or Washington County, NY).
TUITION PAYMENT PLAN
A ten month tuition payment plan is available using the TuitionPay plan through Sallie Mae. There are no interest payments, only an application fee. Several payment options are available and the account is managed online. Visit www.tuitionpay.salliemae.com and click on “Enroll Now” or call (800) 635-0120 to talk to a TuitionPay consultant.
