Mphs financial assistance sm

Affording a Manlius Pebble Hill education

Program mission Manlius Pebble Hill School cultivates children’s intelligence, confidence, and creativity. We want to offer all qualified students the chance to thrive here because we know our entire community benefits when families from many walks of life come together to learn and grow.

Often, families think they could never afford an MPH education, but discover that our financial assistance program makes it possible. Others believe their income is too high to qualify for assistance, only to learn that they’re eligible after all. Our decision-making process considers a variety of circumstances, including tuitions paid to other institutions, costs associated with caring for an aging parent, and other obligations­— and we provide support across a wide spectrum of income levels.

If you’d like to invest in a transformative MPH education for your child, we’re here to help.

Getting started Families applying for financial assistance begin by submitting the Parent’s Financial Statement (PFS) through School and Student Services (sssbynais.org). Typically, this statement is submitted alongside the admissions application to the School, allowing our Admissions team to inform families of eligibility prior to receiving an offer of admissions.

Manlius Pebble Hill uses the information collected by SSS as a starting point when determining financial aid awards, but we also consider our School’s financial assistance policy, practices, and available budget. We will include formal notification of financial assistance in the MPH acceptance packet so that applicants can consider this information before deciding to enroll.

Methodology The methodology created by School and Student Services (SSS) is designed to determine what each family can afford to pay toward the cost of tuition. SSS calls this the Estimated Family Contribution.

When a family’s Estimated Family Contribution is lower than the cost of tuition, that family is eligible for financial assistance. The amount of assistance offered depends upon the difference between what the family can afford to pay and the full cost of tuition, as well as the resources and budget the School has available.

Explanation of method SSS considers four key factors when determining a family’s Estimated Family Contribution and eligibility to receive financial assistance.

Income and assets:

Discretionary income:

This includes all sources of taxable and

Once allowances for standard living

non-taxable income reported on your

expenses are removed from a family’s

taxes. The most common sources include

income and assets, the remaining amount

salary, profits from business, Social Security

is considered discretionary income,

benefits, and capital gains. Typical assets

a percentage of which can be allocated

include bank accounts, investments,

toward tuition expenses. Typically, SSS

and real estate holdings beyond the

estimates a family can spend 25% of

family’s primary residence.

discretionary income on educational expenses, including tuition.

Standard expenses and debt: A certain portion of your income is

Number of children in tuition-based

protected to cover standard living

schools, including colleges or

expenses, including mortgage/rent,

universities:

car payments, groceries, medical/dental

The amount of discretionary income

expenses, and child care. Payments for

a family can spend on educational expenses

debt incurred from a parent’s educational

must be divided among the number of

expenses are also considered. Finally, if

children in tuition-based schools, including

there are unusual circumstances—for

siblings who are enrolled in college. For

example, care for a disabled child or

this reason, families typically qualify for

elderly parent—these can be considered

more financial assistance when enrolling

on a case-by-case basis.

multiple children.

Frequently asked questions Q Does applying for financial assistance

affect my child’s application for admission?

No. Our admissions committee reviews applications for admission based upon the student’s academic promise and contributions to the student body.

Applicants’ financial circumstances are not shared with the admissions committee.

Q If my child is approved for admissions,

will we automatically receive sufficient financial assistance to enroll?

The goal of the financial assistance program is to support the enrollment of talented and motivated students at MPH. While the School strives to allocate resources among all eligible applicants, MPH cannot always meet each student’s individual need. For this reason, we encourage prospective families to apply for admission and financial assistance prior to February 1 of each year for the best chance of securing available spaces in their child’s grade and financial assistance to support their enrollment.

Q If we did not receive financial assistance at the time of enrollment, can we reapply in subsequent years?

Yes. Families may submit a Parent’s Financial Statement through SSS during the regular enrollment or reenrollment period if their financial circumstances change in any given year.

Q If my child receives financial assistance upon enrollment, will we receive it in subsequent years?

MPH assumes that students who are eligible to receive financial assistance will continue to need that support through graduation. Unless there are significant changes to a family’s financial circumstances, the School will maintain a student’s financial assistance each year. To confirm continued eligibility, parents are required to submit the Parent’s Financial Statement through SSS annually in January.

Q If we did not qualify for financial

assistance when enrolling one child, will we be eligible to receive financial assistance if we enroll additional children?

The SSS methodology factors in the number of children enrolled in tuition-based schools. Therefore, families who do not qualify to receive financial assistance for one child often become eligible when enrolling multiple children. MPH strongly encourages prospective families to complete a Parent’s Financial Statement so that the admissions team can inform them of their eligibility to receive assistance supporting all children eligible for admission to MPH.

Family Contribution Calculation

[ Example One ] In this family of four, the parents are married, working full time, and filing taxes jointly. Parent A makes a salary of $125,000 per year, and Parent B makes an annual salary of $35,000. The family does not have any unusual or high debts.

They have two school age children. One child is currently in college requiring a tuition payment of $35,000 per year, and the second is looking to enroll in grade 9 at MPH.

Award calculation:

Family Income: $160,000

Assets: $120,000 in retirement $4,000 in checking

Two children in tuition-based Schools (including the child applying to MPH)

Estimated family contribution: $14,300

Note: MPH students appearing in this brochure are not necessarily those receiving financial assistance.

Family Contribution Calculation

[ Example Two ] In this family of five, Parent A earns $140,000 per year, while Parent B does not work outside the home. The parents are married and file taxes jointly. They have no unusual or high debts. They currently have three school age children. Two attend the local public school, and they wish to place their youngest child, who is gifted academically, in grade 6 at MPH.

Award calculation:

Family Income: $140,000

Assets: $200,000 in retirement

$5,000 in checking $10,000 in savings

One child in tuition-based school

(the applicant to MPH)

Estimated family contribution: $17,000

Tuition and fees Manlius Pebble Hill combines intensive academics,

Tuition structure for 2017-2018:

inspiring arts and athletics, and an unwaveringly

Grade

Tuition

Pre-k

$12,750

supportive school community. The results—our vibrantly intelligent, deeply considerate students— speak eloquently for themselves. That’s why our

K $12,750 Grades 1-5

$19,800

Grade 6

$20,400

Grade 7

$21,000

Fostering education at such a high level requires

Grade 8

$21,500

expert faculty and staff, innovative programming,

Grade 9

$22,200

and top-of-the-line facilities. To this end, the MPH

Grade 10

$22,900

Board of Trustees, in consultation with our

Grade 11

$23,400

administration, establishes tuition costs each year.

Grade 12

$23,750

parents see MPH tuition as an investment in their children’s long-term success and well-being.

In partnership with FACTS Tuition Management, we offer a variety of payment plans to help families budget the cost of enrollment throughout the year. Families can select their preferred payment plan at the time of enrollment.

Family Contribution Calculation

[ Example Three ] In this family of two, the parent is widowed, and the family lives on an annual income of $74,000 per year. There is some debt associated with medical bills, and the parent received a modest settlement from the spouse’s life insurance policy. The child is applying for admission to grade 7 at MPH.

Award calculation:

Family Income: $74,000

Assets: $2,000 in checking

$27,000 in savings from life insurance

Debts: $38,000 in medical debts

One child in tuition-based school (the applicant to MPH)

Estimated family contribution: $5,400

Our financial assistance policies

MPH awards financial assistance to currently enrolled students for the duration of

their program, provided they continue to demonstrate need.

Families receiving assistance are required to complete the Parent’s Financial

Statement (PFS) through SSS annually to confirm continued eligibility. Financial

assistance may be adjusted in the event of significant changes to a family’s

financial situation.

Financial assistance is awarded based solely on demonstrated need, and is not

contingent upon academic or behavioral merit beyond the School’s standard

admission requirements.

Financial assistance is awarded to currently enrolled students before being

awarded to new applicants, provided families submit their PFS annually by the

School’s deadline. Families who do not submit their PFS by the deadline risk

losing financial assistance for the following year.

Financial assistance is confidential. Information is shared only with the admissions

office, the business office, and key administrators on a need-to-know basis.

Decisions regarding financial assistance are made by the financial assistance

committee and the admissions office. An appeal process is available to families

who need to request additional assistance or believe their application for financial

assistance requires further review.

MPH does not discriminate in the administration of its financial assistance policies because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or age.

We invite your family to join us on an extraordinary educational journey.

For more information on the admissions and financial assistance application process, visit mphschool.org/affordingmph.

Academically adventurous, intellectually inspiring | Independent pre-k through grade 12 education in Central New York