Tuition & Financial Aid

Learning Strategies (optional)

• Upper School - $18,200
• Middle School - $14,500

Executive Group:

• Upper School - $9,500

International Fees:

• International Fee (required) - $3,200
• Multi Lingual Support (optional) - $7,300

To make payment of tuition as convenient as possible, Dunn has two payment plan options:

Payment in full prior to August 1
9-monthly payments to Tuition Management Systems (Deferral fees and tuition insurance required)

Dunn School is committed to providing a quality education to qualified students who for financial reasons would otherwise be unable to attend the school. Dunn’s financial aid program is designed to bridge the gap between what a family can contribute and what it actually costs to attend the school. Dunn School offers financial aid on the basis of documented financial need of the family and the availability of funds.

Financial aid is available to students in all grades (6-12) at Dunn School.

Need-Based Financial Aid
Financial Aid at Dunn School is awarded based on a family’s demonstrated financial need. The purpose of our financial aid program is to remove financial barriers. Dunn School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of our financial aid program.

The issue of merit enters the financial aid process through the Admission process; only students accepted by the Admission Committee may be considered for financial aid awards. Applicants acceptable for admission and qualified for financial aid outnumber those whom we can afford to support. Although need is the first requirement for financial aid, the final selection of a new recipient is based on our evaluation of the student’s overall performance in relation to the mission and needs of the school.

Financial Aid Priorities
While being consistent with the school’s mission and the purpose of financial aid, the administration of financial aid awards will be guided by the following priorities:

• Applications from current financial aid recipients who complete all renewal requirements on time.
• New applications from currently enrolled students, not receiving financial aid, who complete all application materials on time.
• New applications from candidates for enrollment accepted by the Office of Admission, who complete all application materials on time.
• New and renewal applications completed after the specified deadlines, provided there are funds available. Amounts awarded to this final group may be reduced as our budget nears exhaustion.

Administration of Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Committee is responsible for the evaluation and review of financial aid awards. It is also responsible for adopting policy and procedural changes for the financial aid program.

Confidentiality
Dunn School will treat as confidential all financial information provided by families. Only those persons directly involved in the financial aid decision making process or in its administration will review this information. All financial aid awards are confidential agreements between the recipient family and the school. The identity of all students on financial aid will be held in confidence and restricted to the smallest number of persons possible.

Expectations of Financial Aid Recipients
Recipients of financial aid are expected to meet the same standards of performance as other students; they are not subject to special standards or other requirements that would treat them unequally. The Financial Aid Committee expects recipients to be active students who maintain an academic record commensurate with their abilities and remain in good  standing in all aspects of our community.

Normally, a family should expect that financial aid will continue throughout the student’s enrollment. However, the Financial Aid Committee reserves the right to reduce or refuse financial aid renewal for a student who experiences academic or behavior difficulty resulting in a delay of re-invitation for the following academic year (i.e. Hesitation Letter). In addition, the Financial Aid Committee may withhold review of financial aid renewal if the family does not meet the contracted tuition payment deadlines. If tuition payment is not received prior to the required financial aid evaluation deadline the student’s space at Dunn may be at risk and the subsequent financial aid award may be reduced or withdrawn.

Meeting Need
Dunn School will make every effort, to the extent permitted by its budget, to meet demonstrated need through financial aid awards. Families can expect that financial aid award levels will be consistent year-to-year as long as the financial need of the family remains the same, the application deadlines are met, and the financial aid resources of the school remain strong. If the family’s ability to contribute decreases, Dunn will make every effort to raise the annual level of aid awarded. Likewise, if a family’s financial situation improves greatly, the annual grant will be adjusted to reflect the positive gain

Availability
Financial aid is available to students in all grades (6-12) at Dunn School.

Evaluating Need
Dunn School follows the guidelines of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Principles of Good Practice for Financial Aid Administration. Financial Aid decisions are based on a family’s ability to finance their child’s education based on the methodology of Clarity Tuition.

Within the limitations of its budget, and according to its own financial aid policies, Dunn uses the Clarity recommendation as a guideline in determining individual awards.

Dunn School has adopted the following policies and computation guidelines:
 
Parental Obligation
Recognizing that each family bears the primary responsibility for financing a student’s education costs, it is the position of Dunn School that biological/legal parents whether separated or divorced retain the obligation to contribute to the education of their children. Expectations are regardless of any legal agreements, including custody, pre-nuptial, alimony, or child support.  In the case where a parent is “absent” or his/her parental rights have been terminated, the School must receive a statement to this effect from a lawyer, member of the clergy, school official or other third party for verification.

If a biological/legal parent has remarried, Dunn will require all paperwork, including tax documents, from both individuals, bearing in mind the obligations the other individual might have to his or her natural children.  

All forms will be sent to the custodial parent, and the custodial parent should forward them to the non-custodial parent. If the non-custodial parent refuses to submit the necessary information to the Financial Aid Office, the application for aid may not be processed.

Multiple Tuition Charging Schools
If one or more child in a family attends a tuition-charging institution, Dunn requires that families apply for aid at each of the institutions their children attend. It is important to note that Clarity computes the total funds available for education then pro-rates the available funds in proportion to the tuition expenses for each child.

Student Assets
Savings, investments, or other assets in a student’s name are considered available resources for use in funding a student’s education at Dunn.  When determining available resources, the students’ assets will be equally distributed over their years at Dunn, plus four years of college/university.

Other Financial Resources
Any financial support that may be available beyond the parents’ own income and assets must be reported on the PFS and Dunn Parent Questionnaire for consideration by the school. These include resources that might be expected from grandparents or other relatives, church funds, direct scholarship grants, etc.  Identified funds will be included in the calculation of family contribution, decreasing the financial need of the student and therefore the amount of a Dunn financial aid award.

Business and/or Farm
If either parent owns a business or farm, the business or farm should be listed as an asset in Clarity and the required schedules must be submitted with the Tax Return. Tax documents for partnerships and corporations are also required (Schedule K-1, Form 1065, Form 1120, or Form 1120S).

The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to request additional information, including but not limited to, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and any other information relevant to the business, if necessary to determine financial status.

Business losses and expenses that do not affect cash flow (such as depreciation and home office write-offs) may be disallowed when computing financial need.

Any adjustments in income as a result of these add-backs will be treated as non-taxable income.

Award Appeal Process
While the Financial Aid Committee will consider appeals, it must do so within the limitations of available funding.

Appeals to the Financial Aid Committee must be made prior to the submission of a signed enrollment contract. All appeals must be made in writing with a full explanation of any mitigating circumstances or information not addressed during the initial process. The Committee will review the appeal and notify families of the decision in writing.

Recognizing that each family bears the primary responsibility for financing a student's education costs, NAIS's Principles of Good Practice for Financial Aid Administration are designed to serve as guideposts in the development of professional policies and orderly procedures among schools. Through these principles, NAIS affirms its belief that the purpose of a financial aid program is to provide monetary assistance to those students who cannot afford the cost of attending an independent school. Furthermore, these principles reflect the standards of equity and fairness NAIS embraces and reassert NAIS's ongoing commitment to access and diversity.