Tuition & Financial Aid

The Sacred Heart Financial Aid Committee reviews every case individually. Financial need is defined as the difference between what it costs to attend Convent of the Sacred Heart and a family’s ability to pay. We begin our assessment process by evaluating the recommendation from TADS. On the school’s behalf, TADS collects the family’s financial information and makes a suggestion for a financial aid award. Upon receiving the TADS recommendation, the school’s Financial Aid Committee evaluates the recommended award based upon the demonstrated financial need of a family and the school’s budgetary constraints. The TADS report does not bind Sacred Heart to any specific award, but rather provides a guideline to help make equitable need-based awards.

Anyone who has applied for admission to Convent of the Sacred Heart, Kindergarten through grade 12. There is no aid available for students in Pre-Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten. Requests for tuition assistance should be indicated at the time of application for admission.

Students who initially enrolled in Kindergarten and above without a financial aid package are eligible to apply for aid:
a) Only after two full years of enrollment at Sacred Heart, and
b) Only if they have experienced a significant change in circumstances.
Funds are not available for families with pre-existing needs that were not disclosed at the time of initial admission.

Financial aid requests must be made by the December 15th deadline in order for an award to be considered. Late applications for aid may be considered but are subject to the availability of funds and are processed only after the applications that were received on time.

Families applying for financial aid must follow these three steps:
1) Submit a Personal Financial Statement in the form of a letter to the Financial Aid Committee, outlining the reasons for needing tuition assistance and your specific family circumstances.
2) Complete the TADS financial aid application. If you require a hard copy and/or information in Spanish, you may request one from TADS Support at 800-477-8237.
3) Submit the following supporting documentation to TADS via mail or fax prior to the application deadline of December 1st:
a) Household members' most recently completed federal tax forms (personal and business owned)b) W-2's from each job held by household members
c) Most recent pay stub from each job held by household members
d) Documents that establish the amount of miscellaneous monthly or yearly income you currently receive (i.e. welfare, food stamps, unemployment, workers' compensation, etc.)
e) All corporate, partnership, and trust forms if a household member owns 20% or more interest in a corporation, partnership or trust.

Many factors are considered in awarding aid, including but not limited to: income, assets (home equity, college funds, and investments), family size, and the number and ages of children, payments for other tuition-charging institutions (excluding daycare, preschool and graduate school), employment status and special circumstances. Our goal is to provide the flexibility required to respond to each family's circumstances and fully meet the need where it exists. Awards are need-based and range greatly, though all families are expected to pay some part of the cost of a Sacred Heart education.

No. Convent of the Sacred Heart requires families receiving financial assistance to reapply each year through TADS. Every application is reviewed annually and the school will continue to award an appropriate level of aid if there is continued demonstrated financial need; the family is current on all payments; and the family has met all of the filing deadlines. Families may expect an increase in aid based proportionately on an increase in annual tuition. However, changes in contributing factors such as income, family status, and the number of children attending private institutions may result in increases or decreases in an award.

Parents need to file only one Parents’ Financial Statement in the name of the oldest child applying to or attending Convent of the Sacred Heart and should list the other children in the proper place on the TADS form.

If your circumstances change after you submit the TADS statement, please contact the Financial Aid Office and submit your new information. Do not submit a new TADS statement. The Financial Aid Committee will review the new information. Awards will be based on your need and our remaining resources.

Sacred Heart believes that parents are obligated to pay for the educational expenses of their children to the extent that they are able. The school is not bound by any divorce agreement specifying a parent's responsibility for educational expenses or any assertion that one parent has disclaimed, legally or otherwise, any responsibility for educational expenses. The Financial Aid Committee will consider the assets of both natural parents, if living, before making any award. If either parent has remarried, the Committee will also consider the income and assets of the stepparent, always bearing in mind the obligation of that stepparent to his or her own natural children. In view of this policy, it is necessary that both natural parents and their current spouses, if any, fill out separate TADS forms. If this information is not provided, the Financial Aid Committee will not grant an award to the student.

Since it is our belief that families bear the primary responsibility for financing the education of their children, it is our policy to expect both parents to contribute financially. There are circumstances such as caring for a disabled or elderly parent or a preschool child that might exempt a family from this policy. Each application and circumstance is evaluated individually. When a parent is not working it will be important for the family to provide an explanation of why that is the case. Please include this in writing when submitting your Personal Financial Statement letter to the Committee. In the absence of an explanation, the school reserves the right to consider the potential for income to be earned by a non-working parent.

We understand that your current Income Tax Return may not be prepared by our application deadline. Therefore, we ask you to estimate your tax information on the TADS application and then submit your Form 1040 by April 15th to TADS. If there is a great discrepancy between your estimate and the actual, the Committee will revisit and possibly revise your financial aid award.

Contact Danielle Amico in the Financial Aid Office, who will determine whether your family’s income level enables you to qualify for a fee waiver. If so, you will be given a fee waiver code to use when you apply with TADS. Because our supply of waivers is limited, we may not be able to honor all requests.

New students whose financial aid files are complete will receive the award amount along with their acceptance letter. Returning students will receive notification of their awards via the re-enrollment contracts, which are released in February.

Convent of the Sacred Heart offers three different payment plans, in addition to the required annual enrollment deposit: A one-time payment due in June; a two-time payment in June and December; or a monthly installment plan that requires both registration and an annual enrollment fee. The monthly plan allows parents to spread tuition payments, interest-free, over a 10-month period. These options will be more fully explained when you are offered an enrollment contract. For further information at that time, please contact the Convent of the Sacred Heart Business Office at (212) 722-4745 ext 135.

Requests for assistance with Parents Association events and the School Benefit should be directed to Elizabeth Santini, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. Requests to cover specific Upper School related expenses, such as the school ring and yearbook, should be directed to Amanda Codina, Upper School Dean of Students. Expenses related to pre-season or spring training should be directed to Lauren Thomer, Assistant Athletic Director for Competitive Sports. Assistance with our Lower School after-school program is provided on a sliding scale consistent with each family’s tuition aid. This aid only applies to two after-school class each term (fall, winter and spring) and is handled directly through the Business Office.

After receiving your award, you have a two-week time frame in which to appeal the decision. Please write to the Financial Aid Committee explaining your appeal. Include specific reasons for the appeal and provide documentation of further need. Families should indicate the amount of additional aid for which they are making an appeal. Appeals will be reviewed and, if awarded, granted in March.