Financial Aid

Financial aid is a decrease of tuition costs, formulated on the basis of need. Although financial aid is often referred to as a “grant” or “scholarship,” Shattuck-St. Mary's does not award “merit scholarships” (i.e., a monetary award based on either academic or extracurricular merit). All students who receive financial aid must have a demonstrated need as determined through the application submitted to Clarity.

Anyone may apply for financial aid. There is no income ceiling or minimum. For the 2023-2024 academic year, SSM awarded over $6 million in financial aid to 55% percent of our students. All awards were based on demonstrated need.

To get started, please go to the Clarity Application and create an account. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity Application is also mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. At the end of the application, there is a $60 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools.

If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at support@clarityapp.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.

We encourage all families who feel they need financial aid to apply. While the admission and financial aid processes are separate, there are times when budget constraints lead to “need aware” admission decisions.

All families need to apply for financial aid each year and submit updated tax returns.

Financial aid is awarded based on a family’s demonstrated need, as determined by a collaboration between the School and Clarity, and SSM’s Financial Aid Committee. Calculations are based primarily on:

• The incomes of both parents
• The family’s assets
• The number of dependents in the family
• The number of children in tuition-charging schools (SSM does not include graduate school tuition for family members in our computation).
• Additional documentation that may be requested

It is very unlikely. We aid as many students as we feel we can continue to support through their years at SSM. Our first obligation is to our currently enrolled students. There is little chance that a student enrolling without aid would be awarded aid in any subsequent year without significant changes in that family’s financial circumstances.

SSM requires complete financial information from both the custodial and non-custodial parents. This information is collected in an attempt to determine the ability, not the willingness, of each parent to financially support their child’s education. If the whereabouts of the non-custodial parent is unknown, a good-faith effort must be made to locate him or her. In most cases, a letter from a third party (such as a lawyer, social worker, or minister) will be required to verify that the non-custodial parent has no contact with the applicant.

Parents who are self-employed, or who own a business or farm will be required to submit documentation, including their business taxes and their income tax. 

One set of forms is sufficient, even if your children are applying to different grades in the School. There is no sibling discount.

No, the financial aid grant does not cover the cost of joining a Center of Excellence.

While it is not common, there are occasions that will prompt a student’s withdrawal from SSM. Depending upon the reason for the withdrawal, the school offers a financial tool to families to recoup a portion of paid but unused tuition. This tool is the Tuition Protection Plan (TPP). It is optional to families choosing to pay tuition in full in May and required for families choosing the 10-month payment plan. The annual cost for the TPP is $2,300 for boarding students and $1,650 for day students.

Click here to read about the Tuition Protection Plan.

International families applying for financial aid are able to apply through Clarity. Clarity supports international applicants and will request documentation based on what country you reside in.

If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at support@clarityapp.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.