Rye Country Day School (RCDS) offers financial aid to qualifying families with students entering Kindergarten through Grade 12. Our financial aid program is need-based, which means the School does not offer academic, athletic, or merit-based scholarships of any kind. Financial aid is granted to families of qualified admissions candidates who demonstrate financial need. Please note that there is no financial aid offered for Pre-Kindergarten students.

This year, our financial aid budget is approximately $5.9 million. Currently, 16 percent 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 lunch, 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 $60 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 percent of our tuition would be asked to pay 50 percent 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 twenty 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. Please note, our admissions literature addresses the financial aid process in general, but it can be helpful to speak with our Financial Aid Officer, Courtney Doucette, by phone or in person if you would like to complete a financial aid application (PFS).

RCDS uses School and Student Services (SSS) to establish financial need. For more information about SSS, call the family help line at (800) 344-8328 or visit their website at www.solutionsbysss.com. Financial aid applicants need to complete the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS), which must be done online. SSS will notify the Financial Aid Officer when the PFS is completed. The School also requires that applicants submit a copy of all federal IRS forms submitted in the previous year, as well as the most recent W2 forms. All of these documents combined give RCDS an informed sense of a family's financial need. It is important to note that although RCDS uses SSS as a guide in this process, actual grants are always recalculated locally and distributed by the Financial Aid Office at RCDS.

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 SSS portal (in order to start your PFS) opens in early October. The due date for a completed financial aid application (PFS) for prospective students is December 15.

If your financial aid application (PFS) is completed by the aforementioned deadline, then the answer is almost always "no." 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 (PFS) 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 must complete the PFS and submit supporting documents each year.

No. The identity of students who receive financial aid is kept in confidence at RCDS. Beyond the Financial Aid Committee, only Senior Administrators have access to financial aid status. No one has access to any financial documents except for the Financial Aid Committee.

At any time during the financial aid process, please feel free to contact Courtney Doucette, Financial Aid Officer, at 914-925-4542 or courtney_doucette@ryecountryday.org. Our goal is to make this process as efficient and clear as possible.