York welcomes remarkable students of all backgrounds, regardless of their families’ ability to pay full tuition. Our Financial Aid program ensures that York continues to deliver our commitment to socio-economic diversity as well as providing affordability and the highest-quality education for our students.

School and Student Services

To make the fairest and most equitable estimates of a family's ability to pay tuition, we utilize School and Student Services (SSS), which analyzes individual financial statements and recommends an amount that each family can afford to spend on a child's education. School and Student Services estimates the amount you can contribute to school expenses and forwards that estimate to York. It’s one form per household, for any number of applicant children.

After the SSS evaluation is sent to York, it is reviewed and adjusted using the family's prior year and current federal tax forms, taking into account the higher cost of living in California. The Financial Aid Committee reviews the materials and determines the level of assistance to be offered. In the case of divorced or separated parents, the school asks each natural parent to complete a confidential PFS financial statement.


Parent Financial Statement 

The first step to apply for a customized tuition is completing the Parent Financial Statement. The PFS gathers relevant information about your family size, income, and expenses. You may use estimated financial information to complete the PFS—you do not need to wait for your taxes to be done. Please provide plenty of detail about unusual circumstances and complete the form as soon as possible. Be sure to print a copy for your records. For detailed instructions, consult the PFS Workbook (also available in Spanish).

Applicants for the 2024-25 school year will also need to provide a copy of your 2023 federal tax return (Form 1040, W-2s, and all schedules or Form 1040A). First time applicants for assistance should also provide 2022 returns. The deadline for tax returns is February 20, 2024 for both returning families and first time applicants to our accessible tuition program. Tax returns may be uploaded directly to SSS at solutionsbysss.com/parents or dropped off in the York School Business Office.

Other forms needed:
IRS Form 1098T for 2023–Tuition Statement for dependent children in college (if applicable). A copy of the form (supplied by the educational institution) may be submitted directly to SSS as part of your PFS application or dropped off in the York School Business Office.

Promptness in meeting deadlines is essential. Requests for assistance received after these dates will be considered only if funds are still available.


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Financial Aid FAQs

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF CUSTOMIZED TUITION AND HOW IS IT DETERMINED? 
A family’s customized tuition is determined by applying to our Financial Aid Program and then qualifying for a customized tuition amount. Customized tuition reflects the tuition your family pays to attend York as determined by qualifying. Need is the difference between school tuition and your family’s ability to pay the educational expenses. The Parent Financial Statement (PFS) gives an objective picture of how much you can afford to contribute toward education. York’s Financial Aid Committee reviews the estimated family contribution provided by School and Student Services (SSS) and makes adjustments based on the family’s current federal tax returns. A cost of living adjustment (COLA) is also applied to reflect the higher cost of living in California.

CAN YOU GIVE ME A BALLPARK ESTIMATE OF WHAT MY FAMILY’S CUSTOMIZED TUITION WILL BE?
Yes. For prospective families, we are providing a tuition estimator that makes it easy for families to gain understanding today of what your customized York tuition might be for the coming school year.

DOES APPLYING TO YORK’S FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM JEOPARDIZE THE ADMISSION DECISION?
No. York School accepts students on the basis of personal and academic merit. When reviewed by our Admission Committee, student files contain no information about applying to our tuition program. York’s Financial Aid Committee works to provide a customized tuition to as many accepted students as possible. 
 
WILL MY INFORMATION BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL? 
Yes. York School adheres to a strict policy of confidentiality with regard to all admission, personal, and financial information. The School expects families to keep all information about tuition confidential as well.
 
ARE MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED?
York School accepts students on the basis of personal and academic merit. Determinations of customized tuition through our financial aid program are based on demonstrated financial need.

WHY DOES THE SSS FAMILY REPORT HAVE A DIFFERENT EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION THAN THE SCHOOL?
Because our Financial Aid Committee recalculates all assistance applications to correct errors and apply York’s policies, the family contribution may differ from the one contained in the SSS Family Report and from figures determined by other schools. For example, York will apply a cost of living (COLA) factor, will impute income for a parent able to but not currently working (unless they care for pre-school, disabled, or elderly family members), and will disallow losses attributable to second homes, investment properties, hobby businesses, and certain types of depreciation. On the other hand, York may allow certain expenses that are disallowed in the SSS calculation. If you feel that your financial circumstances are not adequately reflected in the PFS, you are encouraged to submit more detailed information and meet with the Tuition Coordinator. 

IF A FAMILY QUALIFIES FOR A CUSTOMIZED TUITION, WILL THE ENTIRE FINANCIAL NEED BE MET? 
The customized tuition a family is expected to pay is determined by both financial need and the availability of York School funds. Parents are expected to contribute according to their means; all families are expected to pay a portion of tuition—there are no full tuition grants. 

WHEN WILL WE BE NOTIFIED ABOUT WHETHER WE QUALIFIED FOR A CUSTOMIZED TUITION? IF ACCEPTED, IS MY CHILD GUARANTEED A CUSTOMIZED TUITION?
The Admission notification date is March 10. A family’s customized tuition will be communicated in conjunction with acceptance to York. Despite the strong commitment to our tuition program and to enrolling an economically diverse student body, it is possible the number of accepted applicants who qualify for a customized tuition might be greater than York is able to support. Therefore, some students who have been admitted to the school could be placed in the financial aid waiting pool. It is not unusual for additional funding to become available during the spring and summer, and that funding is directed to those in the waiting pool. 

IS FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL TUITION?
Because international financial documentation comes from different economic systems, it is difficult to determine an appropriate customized tuition for international students. We can only consider customized tuition applications from families who file US tax forms to the IRS. Both parents must file US tax forms to be eligible for a customized tuition.

DOES MY FAMILY NEED TO REAPPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID EACH YEAR? 
Yes. Renewal of customized tuition is based on continued financial need, so completed PFS forms and tax returns must be submitted in a timely fashion each year. 

AFTER WE REVIEW THE CUSTOMIZED TUITION OFFER, IS THERE AN APPEAL PROCESS IF WE FIND WE STILL CANNOT PAY TUITION?
Yes. In some cases, additional information helps to clarify the financial picture and can lead to a change in a family’s customized tuition. In other cases, the additional information does not result in a change. Many find it helpful to meet with the Tuition Coordinator to discuss their particular situation.
 
IF MY FAMILY DOESN’T QUALIFY FOR A CUSTOMIZED TUITION, SHOULD WE APPLY AGAIN?
Yes. While every attempt is made to meet financial needs, requests for customized tuition frequently exceed available funding. Priority is given to returning students with demonstrated financial need; if you have need, but funds were not available, please consider applying again. If you did not qualify, please reapply if your financial situation changes.

ARE THERE COSTS IN ADDITION TO TUITION?
Textbook costs vary by grade and the type of courses being taken. New books typically cost $400-$500 per year and may be purchased through our online bookstore, Amazon, or other booksellers. Book lists for the coming year and summer reading (with ISBN numbers) are available at the end of each school year.
 
York also has a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy that requires all students to bring an internet enabled device—computer, netbook, etc.—to school each day. The Business Office can assist families in ordering equipment at reasonable rates. Please speak with the Admission team for more details.