All tuition assistance at Albuquerque Academy is based on financial need and does not require repayment. Partial and full tuition grants are available. The amount of assistance for which a student is eligible depends on the financial resources of their family.

Albuquerque Academy evaluates family financial resources according to policies grounded in fairness and equity and following the National Association of Independent Schools’ best practices for financial assistance programs. First and foremost, families are expected to use their own resources to make a maximum and honest effort to pay for their child’s tuition at Albuquerque Academy. Tuition assistance may help some families cover the gap between what they can be expected to pay — based on the evaluation of their financial information — and the full tuition expense.

The decision to enroll your child at Albuquerque Academy may require you to reframe your financial priorities and expectations and adjust how you spend your discretionary income on a year-to-year basis.

Complete and submit an application through the Clarity website, sign the IRS forms to release tax transcripts, pay the $65 processing fee, and upload all other requested documents by the published deadline.

Current families who were not awarded tuition assistance at the time of enrollment but would like to apply for assistance for the upcoming school year should contact Emily Kienzle, director of tuition assistance, before submitting their application on Clarity.

Tuition assistance covers:

• Tuition
• Lunch
• Required course materials and textbooks purchased from our bookstore
• Some or all of the cost of some school trips
• A calculator
• Some of the cost of the Chromebook for students in grades 6-7
• Some or all of the cost of a laptop for students in grades 8-12

Assistance does not cover approximately $350-450 related to fees and other supplemental expenses for:

• $100 per student non-refundable enrollment deposit
• Dues for the parent association
• Tuition refund insurance annual premium
• Fees charged by the student billing system
• Student accident insurance annual premium (required if your child has no health insurance coverage)
• Incidentals and supplies needed for class and extracurricular activities

Eligibility is dependent on financial need. We partner with a web-based third party, Clarity, to verify information, assess financial capacity, and calculate an estimate of what a family can be expected to pay (aka the “family contribution”) using key financial factors (most, but not all, are in the bulleted list below). If the amount a family is expected to pay toward the tuition is less than the full annual tuition expense, a student has financial need and is eligible for tuition assistance.

Considerations for eligibility:

• Income including wages/salary earned by adults in the household(s) that support the student, rental income, social security, child support, and other types of taxable and nontaxable income
• Assets such as real estate equity, bank accounts, 529 accounts, investments, and business assets
• Debt
• Financial obligations related to living expenses, healthcare costs, and tax liabilities
• Profit and losses for self-employment or privately held business interests
• Household size
• Enrollment of other children in tuition-charging schools

Need-based grants are awarded to selected incoming students at all grade levels who apply and qualify for tuition assistance. While we would like to provide assistance to every admitted student with demonstrated financial need, our resources are limited and unable to support all who qualify. After admissions decisions have been finalized, but before admission decisions are sent to families, the Tuition Assistance Selection Committee meets to prioritize potential award recipients based on the strength of their admission profiles. Typically, incoming students who are selected to receive assistance are ranked among the top students accepted for admission. Children can be admitted and qualify for assistance yet still not receive an award because of their relatively lower rank within the admitted-student pool.

Tuition assistance is typically renewed each year for returning students who demonstrate, through their updated tuition assistance application, that financial support is necessary to continue enrollment.

It is our goal to award 100% of the amount for which the admitted student qualifies.

Because grants are awarded to families across a wide range of income levels, providing such a number would not accurately convey who is served by our program. Many financial factors in addition to income, such as net worth, family size, and number of children in tuition-charging schools, are considered in the evaluation of a family’s financial need. Families who have more than one child enrolled at Albuquerque Academy may qualify for assistance at relatively higher household income levels.

We are happy to schedule a personal consultation with you to discuss your financial situation and if it makes sense for you to apply.

Both biological parents — and their current spouses and/or partners, if any — must submit separate applications through Clarity, regardless of whether one parent has disclaimed any responsibility, legal or otherwise, for educational expenses. The financial resources of step-parents or partners will be considered in the calculation of financial need on a case-by-case basis.

We understand that issues with non-custodial parents/guardians can be complicated. Please contact us if extenuating circumstances exist regarding your child’s other biological parent.

Although parents are not required to be fully employed, they do have the primary responsibility to pay tuition. We expect a minimal level of income, equal to one full Academy tuition, from each parent. If a parent earns less, then an income equal to one full Academy tuition is attributed to that parent in the calculation of family contribution and proposed grant. Exceptions are granted to parents with a disability, caring for a preschool child or disabled dependent, and of retirement age.

Students who receive an “admit” decision will receive one of the following tuition assistance decisions. An “admit” decision does not mean that an enrollment spot will be held open indefinitely for your child. Please read all correspondence carefully to understand the requirements and deadlines that must be met to reserve an enrollment spot.

• Tuition Assistance Awarded: Your child has been selected to receive a grant.
• Tuition Assistance Waiting Pool: Due to limited resources, no grant is awarded even though your family qualified for assistance. The TA wait pool allows accepted students who did not receive an award with their initial notification to remain eligible for any funds that become available later in the spring or summer. The TA wait pool does not hold a child’s enrollment spot beyond the enrollment contract deadline for newly admitted students.
• Does Not Qualify: No grant is awarded. What your family is expected to pay toward the tuition expense (the” family contribution”) was enough to cover the full cost of tuition.
• Incomplete Application: No grant is awarded. Your family’s application was not submitted or was missing required documents. To avoid this result, check your email frequently and comply with all requirements and requests.

Students who receive an “Admission Waitpool” or “Deny” decision will not receive a tuition-assistance decision.

On the day admission decisions are released, new applicant families will be informed if they received a tuition-assistance grant as part of their admission decision posted on the ChargerHub admission portal. Most returning families currently receiving assistance will be notified on January 31 when re-enrollment contracts are available for the following academic year. All tuition assistance grants are listed in the enrollment contract.

It depends. As long as your child remains at our school, we plan to renew their tuition assistance each year according to your family’s financial need (as determined through Clarity and our own policies) and as resources allow. Changes in income, net worth, family status, the enrollment of other children at tuition-charging schools, and/or other financial considerations may result in an increase or decrease in an award amount from year to year. In the past, grant amounts have typically remained similar from year to year for families with no major changes in their financial circumstances.

Yes, even though we budget on a multi-year basis with the assumption that we will support students through their entire tenure at the Academy, a family must reapply every year by the deadline. The most important thing a family can do each year is adhere to all deadlines and make a complete disclosure of all financial circumstances.

It is our community’s value that we care for fellow Chargers in need. In this spirit, we will do our best to work with families who experience unexpected financial stress or believe they may need assistance after the initial year of their child(ren)’s enrollment. Unfortunately, our ability to provide such assistance may be limited by the resources available.

Please contact the Tuition Assistance Office for action items needed to request a change in your assistance.

Only staff in the Tuition Assistance Office has access to the applications, and each student’s tuition assistance status is kept private at all times.

Yes, appeals will be accepted from families who experience unexpected financial changes after they submit their enrollment contract. The availability of funding may limit our ability to meet the revised financial need assessed during the appeal process.