Understanding Tuition and Financial Aid at Sacred Heart Schools

Sacred Heart schools, encompassing institutions like Sacred Heart Academy (SHA) and Sacred Heart Parish School (SHS), are committed to providing a quality education to a diverse student body. Recognizing that tuition costs can be a significant factor for families, these institutions offer various avenues for financial assistance, scholarships, and payment plans to make education accessible. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of tuition fees, associated costs, and financial aid opportunities at Sacred Heart schools.

Tuition Costs and Associated Expenses

The cost of attending Sacred Heart schools extends beyond the base tuition fee. It's crucial to consider additional expenses that contribute to the overall cost of education. These expenses can vary depending on the specific school (academy or parish school) and the student's individual circumstances.

General Expenses at the University

While the provided text primarily concerns K-12 Sacred Heart schools, it also includes information about university expenses that provide a broader context for understanding educational costs. These are not direct charges from the University and may likely vary from student to student. For off-campus students renting, estimated living expenses for housing and food are around $14,300 per year. The average first-year student might spend $1,200 on books and course materials for the academic year.

The University supports a laptop acquisition program to provide the most current technology. Transportation costs, including trips to and from home, and miscellaneous personal expenses like clothing, haircuts, and entertainment, should also be factored into the budget. Families borrowing federal student loans should also include estimated loan fees and/or origination fees, which vary depending on the student's exact loan amounts.

All students are generally required to have health insurance. Students may be billed for the University's health insurance plan but can waive the charge if their own health insurance meets the qualifications for coverage.

Read also: SHU Tuition and Fees

Meal Plans

For resident students (on-campus), a specific meal plan may be required. At the university, it's the "Big Red" plan, which is required for all first-year resident students (on campus). Commuter students may also have a required meal plan, such as the "Jefferson Meal Plan" at the university.

Financial Aid and Scholarship Opportunities at Sacred Heart Academy (SHA)

Sacred Heart Academy is dedicated to attracting and retaining talented student scholars and strives to make the SHA experience as affordable as possible. To support these commitments, SHA offers a range of merit-based and need-based scholarship opportunities.

Alumnae Scholarship

The Sacred Heart Academy Alumnae Scholarship is a four-year scholarship awarded annually to a young woman who exemplifies the true character of Sacred Heart Academy. The ideal candidate displays a desire, along with the academic ability, to succeed and become a contributing member of the Sacred Heart Academy community and subsequently the Alumnae.

Dear Neighbor Scholarship

The Dear Neighbor Scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition need-based scholarship awarded annually to a young woman from the surrounding areas who displays a desire, along with the academic ability, to succeed and become a contributing member of the Sacred Heart Academy community.

Delanie Fekert Memorial Scholarship Award (DFMSA)

The Delanie Fekert Memorial Scholarship Award is a four-year need-based partial scholarship awarded annually through the generosity of the Delanie Fekert Foundation to a young woman who displays desire, faith in God, and a strong work ethic, along with the academic ability to succeed and become a contributing member of the Sacred Heart Academy community. The Delanie Fekert Foundation created this generous scholarship award to honor the life and legacy of Delanie, a 2015 SHA graduate, who died tragically.

General Financial Aid Information for SHA

Families seeking financial aid must apply yearly to be considered for aid for the next school year. Returning families can typically log in to their existing tuition accounts and find the financial aid application. It's important to note that the combination of external grants, aid, and scholarships along with financial assistance and scholarships from Sacred Heart Academy may not exceed the cost of full tuition. All full scholarships and financial assistance awards from Sacred Heart Academy will be adjusted by any outside aid, grants, and scholarships received.

Tuition assistance is granted based on demonstrated need and the family’s record of meeting obligations to the school, if applicable. All applicants need to complete a Tuition Assistance Application Form, which must be fully completed to be considered. Tuition assistance funds are limited, so an application is not an assurance of assistance.

Financial Aid at Sacred Heart Parish School (SHS)

Sacred Heart Parish School also strives to make education affordable for families.

Affordable Tuition through the Sacred Heart Parish School Foundation

The Sacred Heart Parish School Foundation has provided the school with funding for books, technology, and keeping tuition levels affordable since 1983. The Foundation’s goal is to use its endowment earnings to provide a consistent source of income that is not dependent on enrollment or fundraisers.

While steps are taken to ensure that the tuition at Sacred Heart is as affordable as possible, the school recognizes that it can put a strain on some budgets. Their tuition assistance program is in place to help families send their children to Sacred Heart because they believe those who want a quality Catholic education should have that opportunity.

Read also: A Guide to SHU Admissions

Active Parishioner Rate

To receive the Active Parishioner Tuition Rate at Sacred Heart Parish School, you must submit the Active Parishioner Rate application with your registration. An active parishioner is defined as one who attends Mass regularly, participates in Parish activities, and contributes in an identifiable way for the financial well- being of the Parish.

To qualify for the Active Parishioner Rate, families must:

Be a registered member of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish.
Regularly contribute financially to Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in an identifiable way.
Attend Saturday Vigil or Sunday Mass at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish at least one year prior to the registration deadline for admission to school.

If your student is admitted to Sacred Heart Parish School there is an Active Parishioner Rate application to fill out annually during registration.

The Clarity Application for Tuition Assistance

Sacred Heart Schools utilize the Clarity Application to streamline the tuition assistance process. The application is mobile-friendly and typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. Families can save their progress and return at any time. There is a fee to submit the application, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge.

Deadlines

Families applying to Sacred Heart Schools, as well as current SHS families, who are requesting tuition assistance for the upcoming school year must submit the Clarity application and all supporting documents by the specified deadline.

Tax Documents

The Clarity Application simplifies the submission of tax documents. Your tax documents from a specific year will automatically be transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification step of the Clarity application, so you will no longer need to upload those documents manually. You may need to upload your W2 tax documents in Clarity for the most recent tax year.

Tuition Assistance Committee Evaluation

Upon receiving the Clarity recommendation, the school’s Tuition Assistance Committee evaluates the recommended award based upon the demonstrated financial need of a family and the school’s budgetary constraints.

Renewal of Tuition Assistance

SHS requires families who receive tuition assistance to submit a Clarity application each year in order to qualify for tuition assistance; however, Clarity retains your information from previous applications, so it will be even easier to reapply. As long as the student remains at our school, tuition assistance will be renewed each year according to demonstrated need and if the family has met all of the filing deadlines. Changes in circumstances such as income, family status, and the number of children attending SHS may result in increases or decreases in an award. However, unless there is a significant change in either a family’s economic status or a tuition increase at SHS above 10 percent for the school year, awards will be renewed at the previous year’s amount.

Privacy and Security

Sacred Heart takes the privacy and security of your personal information very seriously. Clarity is certified for both GDPR and SOC2 and uses enterprise-level security standards including end-to-end encryption of all personally identifiable information.

Payment Plans and Other Considerations

If the remaining balance or monthly payment still seems a bit too high, there are other long-term options. Families have the option of financing their share through federal and private educational loan programs.

Payment Plans

With the University's deferred payment plans you can easily budget the remaining cost in 10 monthly payments.

Deductions

When calculating the total cost, remember to deduct any financial assistance scholarships and grants you receive. To determine the total amount you should deduct, add together similar awards on your letter, for example: Trustee Scholarships, Pell Grants, SHU Grant-in-Aid and SEOG. Also, deduct the amount of Direct Loan(s) you intend to borrow. Finally, deduct any other payments you plan to make.

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