Affording Chapin

At Chapin, we encourage students to fully engage in their school experience and we understand that these opportunities have costs beyond tuition. Knowing this, the financial aid committee may extend grants to mitigate certain costs that are not encompassed in tuition and fees. The examples of areas of support may include the following:

The Director of Transportation coordinates free metrocard distribution for students who live a half mile or more away from Chapin. Chapin also partners with Brearley to offer a Brooklyn bus service for an annual fee. The SNT bus, which is free of charge and provided by the Board of Education, services families who reside at least ½ mile from and within a 5-mile radius of Chapin in Kindergarten through Class 6.

Tuition assistance is available at all grade levels and based solely on need. The Chapin School is committed to its financial aid program and provided approximately $8.2 million in tuition aid for 21% of our student body in the 2023-2024 school year.

Please read Applying for Financial Aid for the 2024-2025 Academic Year before beginning the application process.

• Applicant Families: Submit the application and all pertinent documentation to School and Student Services by December 1, 2023.
• Current Families: Submit the application and all pertinent documentation to School and Student Services by November 1, 2023.

Deadlines are firm. It is important that you file all forms and provide all information on time. Your application is not complete and cannot be reviewed until all required documentation is received.

Steps to Apply:

1. Beginning September 1, 2023, go to the family portal of the Student & School Services website and complete the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS).

2. Both custodial and non-custodial parents must complete the PFS. If only one parent or guardian is listed on the PFS, please complete the Second Parent Information Form and return it to The Chapin School.

3. Upload the following documents to your application by the deadline above:

• 2022 Federal Income Tax Return, including all supporting schedules and business taxes where appropriate.
• 2022 Form W-2 and/or Form 1099
• Most recent pay stub and/or applicable statements of income

4. Upload the following documents as soon as they are available:

• 2023 Federal Income Tax Return, including all supporting schedules and business taxes where appropriate.
• 2023 Form W-2 and/or Form 1099
• Other applicable 2023 statements of income

Additional documentation? The School may request additional information to support your application. Documents you may be asked to provide include: terms of a Trust, alimony or child support agreements, details of a mortgage or personal loan, verification of educational expenses, scholarships, and grants, value of investment portfolios, explanation of indebtedness including photocopies of bank or credit card statements.

Additional information? We urge you to submit any additional information you feel is pertinent to your application that may not be fully explained in the other required documentation. Include this information on your PFS or send a letter directly to Karen Lee, Director of Admissions, Classes 6-12 and Financial Aid for Applicant Families, at kalee@chapin.edu. If you are a current parent, please send your letter to Komal Khokhar, Sr. Accountant and Financial Aid Specialist, at kkhokhar@chapin.edu.

Please note. If a student does not apply for tuition assistance when first admitted to Chapin, the family is not eligible to apply for three years. However, any student who is paying full tuition may apply for assistance should the need arise. The application must include a statement outlining the changes in circumstances that are responsible for the tuition assistance request. If the family circumstances have not changed significantly since the date of admission, no aid will be granted.

Funds are limited. If your file is not complete by the appropriate deadline, we may not be able to offer any tuition assistance.

How do I begin the process of applying for tuition assistance?

Beginning September 1, 2023, go to the family portal of the Student & School Services website and create a family account. Every family applying for tuition assistance begins by completing the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS).

• Current Chapin Families: Please submit all of the required components by November 1, 2023. If you need help completing your PFS, or with any part of the application process, please contact Komal Khokhar, Sr. Accountant and Financial Aid Specialist, at kkhokhar@chapin.edu or Jennie Leung, Controller and Director of Financial Aid, at jleung@chapin.edu.
• Applicant Families: Please submit all of the required components by December 1, 2023. These deadlines are firm and applications may not be considered after this date. We urge you to submit additional information you feel is pertinent to your application that may not be fully explained in the other required documentation section. If you need help completing your PFS, or with any part of the application process, please call Karen Lee, Director of Admissions, Classes 6-12 and Financial Aid for Applicant Families, at (212) 570- 4940.

How do I know if my family is eligible for tuition assistance?

While there is no income cap to apply for tuition assistance, the average household income of families who applied for tuition assistance for the 2023-2024 school year was $213,000. Chapin’s Tuition Assistance Committee uses the standardized calculation derived by a third-party company, School and Student Services (SSS), to guide our determination of the amount a family can contribute toward the costs of a Chapin education. Some of the items considered are gross taxable and non-taxable income, assets, liabilities, family size, cost of living based on area of residence, etc. After an allowance for living expenses and required taxes, the remaining funds are considered available for education on a sliding scale.

Are decisions regarding admission and tuition assistance related?

Chapin’s admissions committee initially makes its decisions among all applicants without regard for financial matters. Tuition assistance decisions are only made after a student has met our admissions criteria.

Who will see the information we provide in our tuition assistance application?

All information received by Chapin is held in strictest confidence. Tuition assistance-related information is restricted to only the Tuition Assistance Committee.

Two of my children are current Chapin students, and my third child will be entering Chapin this year. Can I expect to receive financial aid for all three students?

Chapin is committed to creating a strong school community through socio-economic diversity. To help achieve that goal of diversity we limit the amount of tuition assistance awarded to any one family, Chapin will only support two students from any family except in situations with highly unusual circumstances.

What is Chapin’s policy regarding divorced or separated parents?

Both custodial and non-custodial parents must complete the PFS and provide required documents. The Chapin School considers the assets of both parents or legal guardians before making any award and cannot be bound by the assertion that one parent has disclaimed responsibility for educational expenses. It is the position of The Chapin School that separated or divorced parents or parents who have never married retain the obligation to contribute to the educational expenses of their children, whether or not there is a legal agreement between them to do otherwise. We request that both parents file an application to provide a realistic picture of family resources. Non-involvement in a child’s life and, thus, exemption from financial responsibility may require satisfactory documentation by the custodial parent. In the case that yours is a single-parent household, you will have the opportunity to share this information on your application via SSS. Our policy is comparable to many other independent schools and colleges.

Our family doesn’t seem to fit any traditional pattern. How do we know who should complete the application?

It is not a given that the custodial parent always completes the PFS. In some cases the non-custodial parent is the primary financial provider. In another situation, where the parents are separated but not divorced, they may complete the PFS together or separately. If you have any questions in this area, please phone Komal Khokhar in The Chapin School Business Office at (212) 570-4958 (Current Families) or Karen Lee in the Admissions Office at (212) 570-4940 (Applicant Families).

Only one parent works outside the home. Must both parents be employed to receive financial aid from Chapin?

Financial responsibility for one’s children rests first and foremost with the family. Accordingly, Chapin presumes that when applying for tuition assistance, both parents are employed. Chapin recognizes that every family has its unique set of circumstances that may impact decisions that are related to employment and financial matters. If there are circumstances that preclude a parent from working outside of the home, such as caring for young children, an income will be imputed for the stay-at-home parent when applications are being reviewed. Other considerations and/or exceptions may be, for example, prevailing medical reasons. If you require further information, please contact: Komal Khokhar in The Chapin School Business Office at 212-570-4958 (Current Families) or Karen Lee in the Admissions Office at 212-570- 4940 (Applicant Families).

I have decided to quit my job and start my own business or possibly attend graduate school while my child is at Chapin. Will it affect my tuition assistance?

The School maintains a policy of not subsidizing with tuition assistance a parent’s voluntary reduction of income, i.e., voluntarily terminating employment or separating from employment to become self-employed. We assume that a parent who is enrolled in graduate school will continue to earn income and has arranged to fund his or her education without depending heavily on family resources.

Is tuition assistance automatically renewed?

Families requesting tuition assistance must apply yearly as the Financial Aid Committee re-evaluates all grants. Tuition assistance is based solely on a family's financial resources. Therefore, the Financial Aid Committee may adjust its award accordingly should a family's financial circumstances change, e.g., job loss, employment change, and income increase.

Is it possible to appeal our Chapin tuition assistance allocation?

Yes. If you feel that you have omitted, or not appropriately clarified, specific financial information, mentioned in your initial application, you may submit additional details in writing. Please note that while appeals will be considered, not all requests will be met. Chapin’s tuition assistance committee must abide by policies that ensure the School is equitable, unbiased, and provides need-based tuition assistance.

If I decide not to apply for tuition assistance when my child is first admitted, will I have the opportunity to apply the following year?

If a student does not apply for tuition assistance when first admitted to Chapin, the family is not eligible until the student has attended Chapin for three years. However, if your family experienced a financial hardship, or your financial circumstances have changed since your student's initial enrollment, please contact Komal Khokhar, Sr. Accountant and Financial Aid Specialist, at kkhokhar@chapin.edu or 212-570-4958.