Financial Aid Process

Families may be requested by the Financial Aid Committee to supply additional documentation and/or have personal meetings as needed. The Office of Financial Aid will print necessary copies of documents for the applicant's file. All files and documents are kept secured and are strictly confidential.

The School distributes financial aid grants simultaneously with admissions acceptances. Families will receive notifications in early February.

For families that receive financial aid, they are automatically enrolled in the ten payment plan, which runs from June 1 through March 1.

This year, our financial aid budget is approximately $7.4 million. Currently, 15% of the student body receives financial assistance.

No. The RCDS financial aid program is entirely comprised of grants. There are no loans in our financial aid grants.

No. Financial aid grants consider the entire expense of attending RCDS. This factors in "extra" costs such as books and other expenses. Furthermore, all students who receive financial aid in Grades 7-12 (regardless of the grant amount) receive a new loaner laptop computer from the School as part of their financial aid grant. Although the computer is technically owned by RCDS, the student has use of this computer at home and during all vacations. Families will be billed annually for insurance on the laptop. Finally, RCDS is also pleased to support school-related trips for students who receive financial aid. The School will support approved trips for students who receive financial aid at the same percentage as their financial aid grant (e.g., a family who pays 50% of our tuition would be asked to pay 50% of any school-related trip).

The School looks to support qualified students who will be able to contribute to school life in many ways. RCDS has students who receive financial aid in all divisions of the School (Lower, Middle, and Upper). Historically, the School has had a larger concentration of students who receive financial aid in the Middle and Upper divisions, but all families are encouraged to apply. There are limited funds for Lower School students and no financial funds available for Pre-Kindergarten. Currently, our students who receive financial aid come from approximately 20 different communities in Westchester and Fairfield Counties, as well as Manhattan and the Bronx. Our families also come from a range of incomes and qualify for varying amounts of financial support.

The first step in applying for financial aid is to indicate your interest in financial aid on the Online Application for Admissions (this will automatically waive RCDS' application fee). Please note, our admissions literature addresses the financial aid process in general, but it can be helpful to speak with someone in our Office of Financial Aid. To learn more about the financial aid application, please contact Ariana Wimpy at (914) 925-4522 or ariana_wimpy@ryecountryday.org. 

Rye Country Day School uses the external organization Clarity 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. All of the application information combined gives RCDS an informed sense of a family's financial need. It is important to note that although RCDS uses Clarity as a guide in this process, actual grants are always recalculated locally and distributed by the Financial Aid Office at RCDS.

Rye Country Day School takes the privacy and security of your personal information very seriously. Clarity is certified for both GDPR and SOC2 and uses enterprise-level security standards including end-to-end encryption of all personally identifiable information. For more information, please refer to Clarity’s Privacy Policy. 

Our students who receive financial aid come from a wide variety of family structures, and ultimately every family's situation is considered on a case-by-case basis. However, RCDS does have a clear policy for considering aid in separated/divorced situations. The Financial Aid Committee does consider financial resources from all parents/guardians (non-custodial and step-parents included) that are available to applicants.

The School distributes financial aid grants simultaneously with admissions offers. Since most of our admissions decisions are communicated in early February, our financial aid application process must commence well in advance of this date. The due date for a completed financial aid application for prospective students is December 15.

Financial aid and admissions are two separate processes at RCDS; our Admissions Committees do not consider—and are unaware of—financial need when evaluating the qualifications of an admissions applicant. While the financial aid budget is generous, it is limited. Applications for financial aid that are submitted after the December deadline can only be considered subject to the availability of funds. Sometimes RCDS is unable to make aid grants to all qualified students based on budgetary constraints.

Generally, yes. As long as a family's financial situation remains relatively unchanged, families should anticipate that their percentage of tuition support will remain relatively constant throughout their experience at RCDS. Grants can change in either direction depending on significant changes in a family's financial circumstances. Families will need to submit a Clarity application each year in order to qualify for financial aid. However, Clarity retains your information from previous applications, so it will be even easier to reapply. 

No. Furthermore, the identities of our students who receive financial aid are confidential. The Financial Aid Committee, administration, and select employees are made aware of student financial aid status in order to support families. 

At any time during the financial aid process, please feel free to contact financialaid@ryecountryday.org. Our goal is to make this process as efficient and clear as possible.