Financial Hardship Tuition Payment Options

List of 12 frequently asked questions.

• Who can apply for emergency need-based financial assistance?

  We encourage any Dalton family who has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and who is concerned that they will not be able to continue their child’s enrollment at Dalton without financial support from the school to complete the application for temporary support.

• I am reluctant to apply for financial aid.  I feel privileged in many ways and don’t want to take opportunities away from families who may need them more.  What should I do?

  If you are faced with the difficult choice of asking for some help or withdrawing your child from Dalton, we hope that you will choose to explore your options for assistance.  Our Financial Aid Committee will be very thoughtful in assessing need and allocating limited funding, but please let us worry about that and trust that we will aim to be equitable and thoughtful in our allocations.  We would rather you ask than to stay silent and jeopardize your child(ren)’s experience at Dalton.

• My current emergency is just a short-term cash flow issue, and I only need some flexibility with making my payments.  Is this possible?

  YES!  When circumstances warrant, we will work with you on this. If you have suffered a temporary but critical financial impact, we want to be responsive and, in many cases, can offer individual payment options.  Call Diane DiMuro, Billing Manager, at 212-423-5440.  During her 35 year tenure, Diane has shepherded many families through financially difficult times in order to keep their kids at Dalton. 

• What about tuition loans?  Are they available?

  Loans specifically for K-12 education are not as readily available as they are at the college/university or graduate school level, and there are no federal subsidy programs for such loans. Some private companies do offer loans for K-12 education. Dalton does not include institutional loans as part of our financial aid program (all financial aid awards at Dalton are grants that do not need to be repaid).

• How much is a typical emergency grant?  How do you assess need for assistance, especially in times like this?

  Emergency need-based financial aid grants vary in amounts, depending on both available funding and a family’s individual need for assistance. A family’s need for assistance is determined by a review of assets, non-discretionary expenses, and debts, as well as current income, and a subsequent calculation of what they can afford to contribute toward tuition given their resources and obligations. Families are generally expected to prioritize a significant portion of their available resources toward education before assistance from Dalton can be considered.  We do acknowledge that in these quickly changing times it may be difficult to immediately adjust some household budget items (such as housing costs) that were based on prior income levels, and we will take these recent, unexpected circumstances into account in the short term.

• Who will see the information I provide in an application for financial aid?

  This information is kept confidential among our Financial Aid Committee, which consists only of key school administrators. Family-specific financial information is not shared with faculty members, Board members, donors, or among parents who maintain separate households.

• My 2019 income was high/sufficient, but that has changed dramatically recently.  What income information will you use to determine my family’s need?

  The PFS (Parents’ Financial Statement) will ask you to report on both 2019 income and your projections for 2020. This will help us to get an idea of what your income situation looks like now, as well as how that has changed as a result of recent disruption. We do ask for 2018 and 2019 tax returns to identify your typical sources of income and what your baseline income was before recent events, but in most cases, we will rely more heavily on new information and estimates you provide for us about your current situation.  We will also ask you to provide documentation of recent changes (furlough/termination letters, response to your small business’s PPP loan application, pay stubs, etc.).

• How long does it take to complete the PFS?

  We recommend setting aside 2-3 hours to complete the application, especially if it is your first time completing it and if your finances may be complicated. You may start, save, and return to the application at any time.

• What if I have not yet filed my 2019 tax return?

  We do require verification of prior-year income as part of our assessment of family need.  However, we understand that due to the timing of the current pandemic, some businesses or individuals may have had to delay the preparation of these documents. Depending on the situation, we may be able to accept a draft copy of your tax return or some additional documentation in its place and allocate a temporary grant to be confirmed later by receipt of your tax documents. Please contact Jennifer Pease to discuss the details of your situation and determine what can be done in lieu of this required documentation.

• How are my financial status and my ability to pay evaluated if I am separated or divorced?

  Both custodial and non-custodial parents must complete the PFS, and parents who are separated or divorced should each complete their own PFS and submit their own documentation to account for separate household expenses. Because our financial aid is determined based on a family’s ability —and not willingness — to pay, the school requires submission from both natural parents (if living/involved in a child’s life) and cannot be bound by the assertion that one parent has disclaimed responsibility for educational expenses in a legal agreement or otherwise.

• Will having savings or owning our apartment mean that we will not qualify for tuition assistance?

  Not necessarily. Nearly 40% of our current financial aid recipients actually report ownership of their home. The PFS (Parents’ Financial Statement) will ask you about assets you have such as real estate, savings, and investments, and they are taken into consideration, as resources in savings or access to home equity can often help to supplement a family’s income to pay for household expenses, especially during periods of reduced income. But in most cases having some modest equity in your primary residence or having a moderate amount of savings will not disqualify you for financial aid.

• If my family receives emergency financial aid for the coming school year, what does this mean for future years?  What if I still need assistance after this year?

  We are working hard to respond to the current crisis and make more emergency aid available for 2020-2021 than we had anticipated. We all hope that the current economic disruptions will be short-lived and will revert to normalcy soon. You may re-apply for further emergency tuition assistance for the 2021-2022 school year if the situation extends longer than anticipated, and we hope to help families for as long as they need it. Please note that any temporary emergency aid grant amount provided for this year is not a commitment from the school beyond the 2020-2021 academic year.