SSS Information: How to Apply

To ensure that the awarding of financial aid is determined in an equitable manner among families, Breck utilizes the services of School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS), which is under the aegis of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Click here to access the SSS website. SSS will process a family's application, complete the analysis based on financial information provided by parents and, then, forward to Breck the "Report of Family Contribution" (RFC). The recommended amount is not binding on the school. To begin completion of your financial aid application for the coming academic year, please follow the steps as outlined below. 

Two options are available for completing the PFS application: online or via the U.S. Mail.

Applying Online

Families who applied for financial aid through SSS Online in the past will notice a new look on their website.  While SSS methodology remains basically the same and requires the same information from parents, you will find it more user-friendly and you will be able to track SSS's receipt of your documents and their progression through the system.

1. Go to the SSS website (click here) after November 1, 2010, but no later than February 1, 2011.
   
2. Follow the prompts for families to begin the application process.
3. You will be given a password that will allow you to complete the application, interrupt the process (if necessary) and, then, at a later date, return to your PFS to finalize and submit it. Know that you need to complete only one PFS for all children in the family who are applying to Breck.
4. The required application fee of $32 can be charged online.  
5. By signing and dating the PFS electronically, parents indicate that they have (1) filled out the PFS with the best available knowledge, and (2) agreed to inform the school of any changes in their financial situation or to provide additional information upon request. Any variance from this may jeopardize a student’s opportunity for a grant.  

Applying Via U.S. Mail

Request a financial aid packet from Breck.  If you have not already received a financial aid packet from Breck School and prefer to submit a hard copy application, please call the Financial Aid Office at 763-381-8204. Should your family situation dictate that the other biological parent complete a separate PFS, share that fact during your call, and we will send a second set of financial aid materials. If you prefer, provide the name and mailing information for the other parent, and we will mail the necessary materials under separate cover.

Complete the hardcopy PFS between November 1, 2010, and February 1, 2011.  Submit a copy to Breck’s Financial Aid Office, and be sure to make a copy for your records. Forward the SSS copy, together with the required $42 processing fee of to:

     SSS by NAIS
     Application Processing Center
     PO Box 449
     Randolph, MA  02368-0449

(If overnight mail is necessary, the address is SSS by NAIS, Application Processing Center, 437 Turnpike Street, Canton, MA  02021.)

Whether applying online or via the U.S. mail, the following information is vital to successful completion of the financial aid application process for Breck School.

• Complete by February 1, 2011: Currently enrolled and prospective families must mail to SSS (address above) (1) a photocopy of their 2010 Federal Income Tax form 1040, including all necessary forms and schedules (W-2s, 1099s) and (2) the (yellow) Business/Farm Statement. A photocopy of all of the above is to be forwarded as well to: Marion Jones Kennon, Director of Financial Aid, Breck School, 123 Ottawa Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN  55422. Be sure to mark the envelope "Personal and Confidential." 
  

• Complete IRS Form 4506-T: In addition to the above, all families must complete lines #1-4 and sign, BUT NOT DATE, the (Pink) Internal Revenue Service Form 4506-T.  Return it to Breck’s Financial Aid Office together with the information requested above. In those instances where lack of clarity or confusion exists in the financial aid process, this form will be used to obtain a photocopy or transcript of the family’s Federal Income Tax Form 1040 directly from the IRS. Because the nature of this form is time-sensitive, the date of request is not entered unless or until this step is necessary.

• Complete by February 15, 2011: Families making application for admission to Breck, and who are also making application for financial aid, as well as current families making application for financial aid for the first time, must submit to Breck’s Director of Financial Aid a copy of their 2008 Federal Income Tax form 1040, together with all W-2s, 1099s, accompanying schedules and (if applicable) the (Yellow) Business/Farm Statement.
  

If you have questions around the SSS process that require conversation directly with the SSS Customer Service Center, they welcome your call at 1-800- 344-8328. The Customer Service Center is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM EST, and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM EST.

Again, Breck’s Financial Aid Office welcomes your call at any time that questions arise pertaining to the financial aid program.

Please note that all dates, deadlines and information provided on these webpages pertaining to Breck School’s financial aid program and process for the 2011-12 academic year supersede those included in the current edition of the "Welcome to Breck" Admissions Viewbook (pages 38 through 41), and those listed in any other sources.

What Happens Next?

• To receive consideration, a financial aid applicant must be have been accepted and invited to enroll as a Breck student;
• The family must have completed the financial aid process and submitted all of the required documentation — both to the SSS processing center and to Breck’s Financial Aid Office — as outlined in the instructions. Established deadlines must have been met in timely fashion.
• SSS must have forwarded the parent's Report of Family Contribution (RFC) to the Financial Aid Director. The student’s financial aid file will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Director.  If necessary, the parent/s will be contacted for further documentation, discussion and/or explanation. The Financial Aid Director will then present the applicant's file to the Financial Aid Committee with a recommended grant amount.
• Grants or a letter of explanation regarding denial of an application for financial aid will be mailed to newly-accepted families with the acceptance and enrollment materials on the first Friday of April.  For currently-enrolled students, notification will take place between mid-March and the end of April.
• A family’s tuition deposit will be refunded in full if the Financial Aid Committee denies financial aid or if the amount granted is insufficient to enable the family to meet, in a timely manner, the total remaining financial obligation at Breck.

Helpful Hints

• Please note and observe dates and deadlines so that grants are not delayed or forfeited due to a late application, tardy required information and/or a depleted grant budget.
• You may begin the SSS by NAIS financial aid process as of November 1, 2009, even though your 2009 Federal Income Tax forms might not yet be completed or if you have not received your W-2s and/or 1099s. Utilization of pay stubs, household ledger information, and other sources will serve to provide needed information at this point in time.  SSS will enter, file, and hold your in-progress application information as "Incomplete" until all of the requested income tax forms and information have been received by SSS.
• Be sure to list Breck School on the PFS (Parents Financial Statement) application to receive your RFC (Report of Family Contribution) report form. The School’s Code: 1804.
• For application questions where exact amounts are unknown, use a good-faith estimate.
• On the PFS form, fill in numerical figures only. In spaces where the response is a zero amount, insert a "0" so that the individual processing your application at SSS does not interpret the absence of an amount as an item overlooked or disregarded.
  
• Some of the PFS items require a written explanation.  Where an item number is circled, it is to be listed on the last page of the application (under Item 32) and more detail shared.
  
• Any additional information or special circumstances the family would like to make known are welcomed through a letter to Breck’s Director of Financial Aid, but not to SSS.
• Be sure to print out or photocopy and retain a copy of your completed PFS for reference should SSS or Breck’s Financial Aid Office have need to contact you for discussion or clarification.