Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition

The 2011-2012 tuition for boarding students is $45,450 and for day students is $32,575. Tuition, however, provides only part of the cost of educating a student at Deerfield. Presently the total cost amounts to over $77,000 per student annually; the difference is made up through the Academy’s endowment along with annual contributions from alumni, parents and friends.

Tuition covers instruction, room, board, use of laboratory equipment and material, physical training and athletic privileges, studio art supplies, band and chamber music instruction, admission to all athletic contests and almost all weekend campus entertainment. International programs may be offered at additional expense. The only mandatory fees beyond tuition are $940 for books, $700 for technology and $405 ($170 for day students) for the infirmary and health care.

When a student is accepted at Deerfield, parents will be asked to confirm the acceptance and forward a $2,500 deposit within four weeks. (The required deposit for students receiving financial aid may be less.) This deposit is non-refundable and will be credited to the tuition bill. Deerfield does award need-based financial aid for qualified applicants.

Payment

Tuition is payable in two installments on August 1 and December 1. Alternatively, parents may subscribe to an installment payment plan through EDSI (Educational Data Systems, Inc.). Information concerning these plans is available from the Admission Office and will be sent to all parents.

Deerfield is committed to enrolling a talented and diverse student body. We believe that the cost of an independent school education should not be a deterrent to prospective families. We are, therefore, determined to provide each student the opportunity to attend, weighing each family’s ability to pay and offering generous financial aid. To achieve this goal the Academy awarded over $7,000,000 in financial aid to 35% of its students for the 2011-2012 school year. The average grant equals 80% of tuition.

Our financial aid program is designed to bridge the gap between what a family can afford and what it actually costs to attend Deerfield Academy. Our program is need based; a careful analysis of a family’s financial situation is the basis for all awards. Every student is eligible to apply for financial aid. There are two general, broad categories of needs and grants:

Financial Aid

Full Need Grants

In 2011-2012 over 24% of our financial aid recipients received full need grants. These full need grants include 99% or more of tuition coverage as well as other forms of assistance. These can include coverage for laptop and school book purchases, travel allowances, stipends for school supplies, music, and dance lessons and other school related events and trips. Typically, students who receive full need grants and grants close to this amount come from families with total income under $80,000 per year and with few additional assets.

Middle Income Grants

Deerfield has been a leader in the effort to make education affordable for middle income families for over a decade. These grants vary in size but are utilized to make Deerfield an affordable option for families with incomes that range from $80,000–$250,000. Home ownership, family size, regional cost of living adjustments, and other factors are considered in the evaluation of a family’s ability to pay. A family’s income falling in this range is not  guaranteed assistance, but Deerfield is committed to consider all factors in our evaluation process.

International Financial Aid

Admission to Deerfield is competitive and is especially difficult for non-U.S. citizens who need financial aid; however, despite our very limited financial aid budget for non-U.S. citizens, Deerfield does award financial aid to a few foreign students each year. It is important to emphasize that non-resident aliens fall into this category. To apply, please follow the procedures for financial aid.

Financial Aid Application Process

US Citizens

1. File a financial aid application with School and Student Services (SSS) online at www.sss.nais.org. You may also file a paper versin with SSS, but it is more expensive and will delay your application processing. Call Deerfield Admissions to request a paper version. The application must be filed with SSS by January 20, 2012.
2. Send signed copies of your 2010-2011 1040 (with all schedules) and W-2s to SSS by NAIS in Randolph, Massachusetts. (Business owners must also complete a Business and Farm Statement found online at SSS.) These must be submitted to SSS by February 10, 2012.

International Citizens

1. Follow the same procedure as described above to file a financial aid application online at www.sss.nais.org or call Deerfield Admissions to request a paper version.
2. Although the standard U.S. documents for income and taxes are not relevant (except for resident aliens), we still expect some indication of income and assets. Send appropriate documents proof of income and taxes paid to SSS by NAIS in Randolph, Massachusetts.

Late applications will be considered upon receipt.

It is important to note that the Admission and Financial Aid Committees make decisions regarding admission to the school and eligibility for financial aid independently. Since admission is a separate process, all families who are interested in financial aid are encouraged to apply. For approximately 50 percent of our families, applying for financial aid is just another step in the process of applying to independent schools.