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 $8.3 million in tuition aid for 20% of our student body in the 2024-2025 school year.

Chapin uses the Clarity Application to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses and debts.

• Applicant Families: Submit the application and all pertinent documentation to School and Student Services by December 1, 2024.
• Current Families: Submit the application and all pertinent documentation to School and Student Services by November 1, 2024.

Steps to Apply:

1. Before beginning your application, we encourage you to refer to Clarity’s Reference Guide. The guide will provide you with a quick overview and tips. A Spanish translation of the guide can be found here.

2. Beginning September 1, 2024, go to the family Clarity portal to create an account and submit your application. As you go through the application, Clarity’s Family Application Guide which will provide step by step instructions on how to answer questions.

3. In a dual household, both custodial and non-custodial parents must complete an application. If only one parent or guardian is listed on the application, please complete the Second Parent Information Form and return it to Karen Lee, Director of Admissions, Classes 6-12 and Financial Aid for Applicant Families.

4. Clarity removes the need to upload your W2 and 1040 by transferring them directly from the IRS. In addition to your W2 and 1040, Chapin requires your most recent pay stub. This is the only document you will need to upload by the deadline.

Additional documentation? In rare cases, 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? Families can also submit any additional information that is pertinent to the application that may not be fully explained in the other required documentation. Please 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, 2024, go to the Clarity portal to create an account and submit your application. 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.

Please remember to return to your dashboard after you complete and submit your Clarity Application, as Chapin requires you to upload additional documentation including your most recent paystub. 

Current Chapin Families: Please submit all of the required components by November 1, 2024.
Applicant Families: Please submit all of the required components by December 1, 2024.

If you need help completing your application or have any questions about the application, please see the contact information below.

Family Support Contact Information
All available in English and Spanish
The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish using the drop-down in the lower left corner

Standard (April through September)
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET

Extended Peak (October through March)
Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET AND weekends, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
In-app support through the “Help” button in the lower left corner
Email: support@clarityapp.com
Phone: 206-210-3752

Are deadlines firm?

Yes, deadlines are firm and applications may not be considered after the specified date. 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.

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 2024-2025 school year was $229,400. Chapin’s Tuition Assistance Committee uses the standardized calculation derived by a third-party company, Clarity, 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 an application on Clarity 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. 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 application. 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.