Financial Aid

An Ashley Hall education is an investment in your child's future.

Ashley Hall welcomes inquiries from current and prospective families about our financial aid program. We strive to partner with families to make sure that an Ashley Hall education is accessible to all qualified girls.

The purpose of Ashley Hall's financial aid program is to enroll qualified students who could not otherwise afford to attend, thus maximizing the strength of the student body. We understand that affordability is a major consideration for parents, and both the Admission Office and the Business Office are here to serve as a resource. All financial aid awards are made on the basis of a family's demonstrated need and are reserved for families who have no alternative to requesting aid. Ashley Hall follows the NAIS Principals of Good Practice for financial aid. All families requesting financial aid must adhere to School and Student Services by NAIS (SSS) procedures. The results of the SSS formula are considered by the Financial Aid Committee, which then determines whether aid is to be granted and how much aid to grant. Ashley Hall is not always able to meet the demonstrated need of all families who apply. All information is confidential, limited to review by the financial aid committee, and will be returned upon request. Need based financial aid is a grant, not a loan, and is allocated on a first basis to families of students in Kindergarten through grade 12.

Financial Aid Deadline: All financial aid applications must be complete by March 1, 2013. Applications received after March 1, 2013 will be processed based on available funds.

Please note the following:

• Our financial aid application is separate from the admission application and is not a factor in admission decisions.
• If Parents are divorced or separated, we require information from both custodial and non-custodial parents. Each household needs to complete the SSS application separately.
  
• We require all parents in a household to be employed before seeking financial aid.  The exception is for parents caring for pre-school aged children, living with a disability, or facing other circumstances preventing employment.
• Parents who own a business, trust, or receive rental income may be required to submit additional documentation.
• Failure to meet all of the deadlines limits Ashley Hall's ability to award financial aid to those deserving students who might otherwise qualify and may result in a reduced or forfeited reward.

There are two ways to submit an application to the School and Student Services (SSS): online or by paper application.

Online applications ($39):

Go to sss.nais.org/parents or click on the SSS logo below. You will be asked to supply a copy of your 2012 federal income tax return (Form 1040), all supporting schedules and W-2s, which can be submitted either electronically or by mail.

Paper applications ($51):

Download the forms (please see Financial Aid: SSS Applications and Information) or request a packet from Janet Morrison in the Ashley Hall Business Office, (843) 720-2867 or morrisonj@ashleyhall.org. You will be asked to supply a copy of your 2012 federal income tax return (Form 1040), all supporting schedules and W-2s. Mail the application and supporting documents to SSS by NAIS, Post Office Box 449, Randolph, MA 02368-0449.

If you have questions about the financial aid process or the application procedures, please contact Janet Morrison in the Business Office at (843) 720-2867 or morrisonj@ashleyhall.org.

Tuition Grants

Tuition grant recipients are required to work on campus 3-10 hours per week during free periods or before or after school. Preference is given to current students who will be in grades 7-12. Positions require an application by letter from the student to the Head of School.

In the event that the total demonstrated need of all families exceeds the financial aid budget, the following categories will be considered in allocating awards:

• Returning financial aid recipients qualifying for a comparable award
• New students, with preference given by age/ grade of student from oldest to youngest
• Returning financial aid recipients needing a significant increase in financial aid
• Returning students new to financial aid

In addition to each of these categories, the following factors will also be considered:

• Grade level enrollment goals
• Relative merit of the individual student
• Social and cultural diversity
• Size of the award and projected long term need
• Payment history and adherence to application deadlines.

Ashley Hall also endorses and follows the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Principles of Good Practice for financial aid, including:

• Using a uniform methodology to assess annually, in a consistent and equitable manner, each families ability to pay for educations,
• Requiring adequate documentation of family resources when determining need,
• Not using financial need as a consideration in determining a student’s eligibility for admission,  
• Safeguarding the confidentiality of all financial information supplied by a family,
• Recognizing that the primary responsibility for financing a student’s independent school education rests with her family.