TUITION ASSISTANCE

The Cambridge School expects parents to pay the educational costs for their children to the full extent they are financially able. This principle applies to all parents, even those who are separated or divorced. The Cambridge School is not bound by, and will not honor, any decrees, agreement, or legal document excusing a parent from financial responsibility for a child’s education. The Cambridge school will neither be bound by a parent who has disclaimed financial responsibility for the student. Both parents are expected to file all of the necessary forms and to comply fully with all of the guidelines and requirements of the tuition assistance process. Therefore, tax returns, forms, and pertinent documents are required of all parents. The custodial and non-custodial parent must each fill out the FACTS Grant & Aid application.. Re-marriage of either natural parent creates a new family unit, but since the parents still have a parental obligation, the income and assets of the entire family unit (including new family units and step-parents) are viewed as relevant for the purposes of calculating a family’s level of financial need. The Cambridge School considers the obligations of the parents to their new family situation in determining the award, but will not allocate the award on a proportional basis among the families. The responsibility for communication and payment lies with the custodial parent.

The Cambridge School’s policy is to decline to subsidize tuition assistance for a parent’s voluntary reduction in income (i.e. voluntarily terminating employment, choosing to start a business, voluntarily replacing full-time work with part-time work, etc.). It is assumed that the parent has considered the impact such a choice would have on his/her ability to afford the educational costs of The Cambridge School, and that such a change could potentially prevent a child from enrolling or returning to school. This situation results in a calculation of need on the basis of the family’s income prior to the voluntary reduction. Returning to school, for professional or graduate work, or to change careers, is considered a voluntary reduction in income and is treated as such.

The Cambridge School expects families to do their utmost to provide for their students’ educational costs. Where one parent elects not to work and has children who are in school full-time, the Tuition Assistance Program Committee will re-calculate need using an estimated, minimum income for the non-working parent. Note that this policy does not require the parent to work. It only attempts to adjust the level of need by accounting for the minimum income that the parent could earn if he or she chose to return to work. The rationale for this policy is similar to that for voluntary reductions in income (see above). If a parent can document that he or she is disabled or otherwise unable to work (caring for an ailing or aged parent, for example), this policy would not apply.

Trust funds and/or funds or accounts designated “For College” are considered student assets. While it may not be possible for a family to access and use the principal of such funds, the existence of these funds means that more of the family’s current income is available for educational costs of The Cambridge School.