Financial Aid FAQs

  1. What is Financial Aid? Financial Aid is monetary assistance given to a person or family for an intended reason, based upon a program’s intent and requirements.
  2. What is SSS, and what role does it play in the financial aid process? SSS (School and Student Service for Financial Aid) is a program sponsored by NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), of which Breck is a member. SSS collects and analyzes a family’s financial information from their PFS (Parents Financial Statement) form. SSS then provides to Breck a Report of Family Contribution, which only recommends a dollar amount that parents should contribute toward the cost of their child’s education. Breck’s Office of Financial Aid considers the RFC report in conjunction with the School’s policies regarding financial aid.
  3. How does SSS determine a family's degree of need? SSS considers a number of factors such as income, assets, liabilities, unusual circumstances, and size of family in determining a recommended family contribution.
  4. What does it cost to submit an application to SSS?  Regardless of the number of children in a family pursuing admission, the fee for submitting an application online is $35. Parents applying online may charge the fee on a credit card. If parents prefer to  complete and submit a hard copy of the PFS form, the fee is $47. (The form  is available online through SSS by NAIS.)
  5. Are students receiving financial aid required to work on campus or expected to maintain certain performance standards different from students whose parents pay full tuition? Breck does not subscribe to the concept of a work/study program for any of its students.  All students, whether paying full tuition or receiving financial aid, are held to the same academic and other performance standards.
  6. If only one parent works outside of the home, will the student be considered for financial aid? If a parent chooses not to work outside the home or resigns a position to return to school or start a business, it is considered a voluntary decision. Breck cannot subsidize this decision. In such situations, the parent will be "assigned" a salary on the PFS form.
  7. Who will review my financial aid application and determine the amount of assistance that my child will receive? Once the Director of Financial Aid receives and reviews the SSS Report of Family Contribution, a recommendation will be made to the school’s Financial Aid Committee based upon the School’s policies and availability of funds. Each year, more families apply for admission to Breck and qualify for financial aid than the budget can accommodate.  When this occurs — given the nature of "need-blind" acceptance — a student can be accepted for admission and offered a place in the desired class but not offered aid.
  8. If a family did not make application for financial aid at time of entry to the school, or if application was made at that time but aid denied, is it permissible to make application in a subsequent year? A family may apply for financial aid in any year they feel necessary. Failure to have demonstrated a need in a previous year does not automatically preclude qualifying in a subsequent year. The assumption is that the family has the financial resources to afford tuition in subsequent years. Families of seniors who have never before applied for aid are not eligible.
  9. Is financial aid granted at all grade levels? Financial aid is not available to rising seniors who are not current grant recipients. This holds true if parents had not applied to SSS the previous year or if they did so and aid was not granted.