Mission Statement
Catlin Gabel believes socioeconomic diversity enriches the educational experience for all its students and is committed to offering a robust need-based financial assistance program. Although families bear the primary responsibility for financing their child’s education to the extent they are able, the school provides need-based assistance to help bridge the gap between a family’s resources and a child’s total educational experience.
Eligibility
Need-based financial assistance is offered by Catlin Gabel and is based on a family’s demonstrated need as calculated by our third party provider School and Student Services (SSS). Parents complete the online application or Parent Financial Statement (PFS). With the PFS information, SSS produces a Report of Family Contribution (RFC) estimating the amount a family can contribute towards the cost of their child(ren)’s tuition or the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The SSS methodology considers many aspects of a family’s financial situation including but not limited to: the incomes of both parents (taxable and non-taxable), assets held by the family, qualifying debts and expenses, number of dependents, age of both parents, and the number of children attending tuition-charging schools (up to and including four years of undergraduate college/university studies). Allowances are made for living expenses, retirement, taxes, medical costs, unusual expenses, debts, and a modest standard of living.
The Catlin Gabel financial assistance committee reviews the RFC and, if necessary, makes adjustments upon review of final tax documents, consideration of special circumstances, and other professional judgment guidelines designated by the school. We then calculate need-based tuition as the difference between the total published tuition amount and the family’s EFC per student. Our overall financial assistance is finite, therefore our goal is to meet at least 85% to 95% of demonstrated need in order to serve as many families as possible.
Our policies ensure that we apply uniform guidelines to every family who applies for need-based assistance and that decisions are made without regard to student’s race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability, or age and in compliance with existing state and federal laws or regulations in addition to the school’s principles of equity and inclusion.
| Need-based tuition calculation example (per child) |
| Published Tuition |
$34,300 |
|
| Less: SSS EFC |
($17,500) |
Must Apply Online |
| Demonstrated Need |
$16,800 |
|
| Need-based Financial Assistance |
$15,120 |
90% of $16,800 |
| Need-Based Tuition ($34,300 - $15,120) |
$19,180 |
Payment Plans available |
Allocation of Financial Assistance
The financial assistance committee appointed by the head of school decides and finalizes all need-based financial assistance decisions. This committee prioritizes the applicants as follows:
- First consideration is to returning students who are currently enrolled with financial assistance. This is to provide families with need-based tuition the assurance that resources will be available as long as they continue to qualify or until their child(ren) graduate or withdraw. Extraordinary changes in income, family status, or the number of children in tuition-charging institutions may increase or decrease need-based tuition from year-to-year.
- If financial assistance resources remain, the committee then reviews returning students who have newly applied for need-based assistance due to a temporary financial hardship or a qualifying change in circumstances (see examples below).
- Finally newly admitted families in all grades are given consideration for need-based financial assistance. New students entering ninth grade who qualify may also apply for the Palma Scholars Program, which is administered by a separate admission committee and is merit-based. Students are eligible to receive both need-based financial assistance and the Palma Scholarship.
Program Expectations
Families are expected to fully disclose all assets and income each year so that any significant increases or decreases in a family's ability to pay tuition can be reevaluated annually by the financial assistance committee. This allows our limited resources to be allocated where the need is the greatest. The committee endeavors to keep each family's level of need-based tuition as consistent as possible and notify families of pending changes in advance so they may plan accordingly.
Families are expected to continue paying the same general level of tuition for the duration of enrollment. New applications for or increases in financial assistance in subsequent years will be considered if there is a qualifying change in circumstances. Limited assistance may be available for families facing a temporary unexpected financial hardship. Families who feel they are able to afford only the first year or two of a Catlin Gabel education should review their financial situation with the Financial Assistance Office prior to enrolling.
Need-based financial assistance for students attending Catlin Gabel are contingent upon the student successfully completing each school year and the payment in full of all financial obligations set forth in the Enrollment Agreement and/or re-enrollment commitment.
Financial Assistance Funding Sources
Financial assistance is funded through a combination of resources including restricted annual giving, restricted and unrestricted endowment income, and general operating income. In accordance with our mission of working towards socio-economic diversity, the school has committed 14% of its operating budget to need-based financial assistance.
Because of these income sources, our policies and procedures ensure that the school is doing its due diligence on behalf of both our donors and tuition paying families. In addition, we reserve the right to share limited student data regarding academics and co-curricular involvement with our donors for the purposes of reporting on scholarship allocations and continued fundraising.
Catlin Gabel receives no outside funding from state or federal sources and is not supported by any religious organizations.
Special Considerations
Examples of a qualifying change of circumstances include but are not limited to:
- Enrolling additional children at Catlin Gabel or another tuition-charging school or institution. The School will consider outside daycare/school programs for a younger sibling only if it allows both parents to work. The school will also consider up to four years of undergraduate school for an older sibling.
- Change in family size.
- Parent becoming disabled.
Examples of a temporary financial hardship include but are not limited to:
- Loss or reduction of employment.
- Extraordinary medical expenses due to injury or illness.
- Caring for sick/aging grandparents who need financial or other assistance. Family must show payments to nursing care, hospital/doctor bills, and/or reduced work capacity.
Employment Requirements
Catlin Gabel expects both parents to earn income beginning when all children in the household reach first grade to remain eligible for need-based assistance. At this point, if one parent chooses not to work or decides to return to school, an annual income based on a 40-hour work week at the current Oregon minimum wage will be applied to the application for a limited time. Exceptions are made in the case of disability, for which documentation must be provided, as well as sudden or unexpected job loss where the parent is actively seeking employment. We evaluate other unique situations on a case-by-case basis.
Divorced Parents or Separate Households
Financial need is determined based on the student’s entire family’s ability to pay tuition not their willingness to pay; therefore, Catlin Gabel requires both parents (custodial and non-custodial) and their spouses or domestic partners, if any, to participate in the financial assistance application process. Each household must complete a separate, confidential PFS and provide required tax documentation. Exceptions to this policy will be considered only for extraordinary circumstances and on a case-by-case basis. Neither the school nor SSS will share confidential information between households.
Additional Resources
