Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition Rates
Tuition for the 2008-2009 academic year is $33,100.

The full cost of books and lunch is included in the annual tuition.  Depending on a student's interests and needs, there may be some additional incidentals with an extra cost.

General Information
An independent school education is a significant investment in your child's future, and we realize that affording a Dalton education can be a challenge for many families.  Dalton recognizes that the primary financial responsibility for a student's education rests with his or her family, and the school naturally assumes that families will do what they can to pay school costs, including maximizing parents' earnings, adjusting spending priorities, and managing assets.  To supplement family resources for those whose ability to pay school costs is limited, financial aid, based on the demonstrated need of a family, is available.  Dalton is strongly committed to a generously-funded tuition aid program that is designed to ensure that its educational offerings are open to academically qualified applicants. 

Dalton encourages the families of all applicants to carefully evaluate their own ability to pay school costs for the coming year and in future years.  If a family thinks they will need financial aid, they must apply at the time of admission to be considered for financial aid.  Only due to extenuating circumstances, such as job loss, will consideration for financial aid be granted at a later date, including subsequent years, if the request is not made with a student's initial application for admission.

Eligibility for financial aid is based on a family's demonstrated need and all financial aid is given in the form of grants which do not have to be repaid.  Dalton granted over $6 million in need-based aid to approximately 20% of the student body for the current school year.  The amount of aid received by families ranges from partial to almost full tuition assistance, and families from a wide range of income levels have qualified for assistance based on individual family circumstances. 

An application for aid will not prejudice an application for admission.  Decisions regarding amounts of financial assistance are determined by the Financial Aid Committee after the Admissions Committee determines eligibility for admission.

How to Apply for Financial Aid
When completing the application for admission, check the appropriate box on the back of the application to indicate that you are requesting financial aid.  The Financial Aid Office will subsequently forward all the necessary forms to you with detailed instructions and deadlines.  In order to determine the financial need of a family, Dalton requires submission of a Parents' Financial Statement (PFS), a complete copy of their most recent federal tax return, and a signed IRS 4506-T form from the parents or guardians of each applicant for financial aid. The deadline for submission of all financial aid materials for applicant families for the 2008-2010 school year is December 8, 2008.

If a student is offered a place at Dalton, his/her family will receive information about any financial assistance they are eligible for with the letter of acceptance to Dalton.