Financial Assistance FAQs

After your family has adjusted its assets and spending habits to appropriately prioritize private school education, consider applying for assistance if you feel that the cost of the published tuition is still out of reach. Please also review the available payment plans.

Contact the Mary Yacob, Director of Financial Assistance, if you would like to provide a broad overview of your income and assets for an estimated eligibility status.

Families are expected to continue paying the same general level of tuition for the duration of enrollment. If there is a qualifying change in circumstances such as enrolling additional child(ren) at Catlin Gabel or another tuition-based school, new applications for or increases in financial assistance in subsequent years will be considered. 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. Read more on our Affording Catlin Gabel page under 'Financial Assistance Eligibility and Policies.'

Deadlines follow your admission application deadlines. For families with multiple children applying, please submit by your financial assistance application at your earliest admission deadline. The admission process and the financial assistance process happen simultaneously. Do not wait until after your admission decision to apply for financial assistance. 'Key Dates & Deadlines' are listed on our Apply for Financial Assistance page.

We will deliver admission and financial assistance decisions to admitted families on the same day allowing time to fully consider the admission offer and meet enrollment agreement deadlines. Need-based assistance is available for all grades.

Catlin Gabel admission committees and financial assistance committees are separate processes and comprised of different individuals. Initially, the admission committees determine whether an applicant meets the standards for admission without regard to the family’s need for financial assistance. However, with a comprehensive yet finite budget, financial need becomes a consideration when offers of admission are made.

Financial need is one of many considerations taken into account when selecting students for admission. Other factors include but are not limited to: available spots in each grade, gender ratio, enrollment goals, etc. Our advice to families in need of financial assistance is to apply to Catlin Gabel with confidence that their admission decision will be based on merit and if admitted, the school is committed to providing an appropriate level of funding to enable their child to attend.

No. Families must renew annually for need-based financial assistance. However, as long as a family’s financial profile remains similar from year-to-year and can be demonstrated through the application process, financial assistance will be renewed.

Every family is expected to contribute to the cost of their child(ren)’s education to the extent they are able. In order to serve the most families, the school endeavors to meet an average of 85% to 95% of a family's demonstrated need for tuition assistance.

So that students have access to the full Catlin Gabel experience, additional financial assistance is available for laptops (Upper School only), textbooks, learning center services, Middle & Upper School robotics, bus service, clubs and enrichment programs, outdoor education, and global education. Assistance is available for many of these programs whether or not a student is receiving tuition assistance.

There is also assistance for food services for those who qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Financial need is determined based on the student's entire family's ability to pay tuition; therefore, Catlin Gabel requires both parents and their spouses or domestic partners, if any, to participate in the financial assistance application process. Each household must complete a separate Parent Financial Statement (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.

If you review the financial assistance decision and feel that the tuition is still not affordable, you may appeal. Please send your request in writing to Mary Yacob, Director of Financial Assistance within three business days of receiving your financial assistance decision. Appeals must include new information that was not available to the committee during the initial review of your application.

IMPORTANT: Please include estimated dollar amounts. The committee will then review the appeal and decide if an adjustment can be made based on the information provided and available resources.

The committee safeguards the confidentiality of all financial information supplied by families. Documents are closely tracked and locked away daily. The school’s IT office ensures that our online and network systems are protected by the latest technology and standards available. SSS also has security protocols that can be found on their website under Information Security.

For help with your Parent Financial Statement, please contact the SSS helpline directly at
800-344-8328 or email sss@solutionsbysss.com. SSS representatives are available Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. ET. Extended hours January through March. Spanish-speaking representatives are available during posted hours.

• SSS website for parents
• Mary Yacob, Director of Financial Assistance and Enrollment Operations
• Applying for for financial aid (PDF)
• PFS Online Workbook (provides question-by-question help and tips on uploading documents)
• Cuaderno de Trabajo y Manual de Instrucciones
• Tax Primer for Parents (PDF)
• Tax Primer for Self-Employed Parents (PDF)
• Submitting Required Documents
• Family Guide to Financial Aid (PDF)
• Guía Familiar para Ayuda Financiera (PDF)
• Financial aid guiding principles for families
• SSS Parent Webinars

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 by allocating a significant percentage of the operating budget as well as gifts and donations towards the 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 at Catlin Gabel.

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 first complete the online application or Parent Financial Statement (PFS) and then uploads required tax documents. SSS then verifies the income and tax data and 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 such as a cost of living adjustment. We then calculate need-based tuition as the difference between the total published tuition amount and some or all of the family’s demonstrated financial need. 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.

In addition to the school’s principles of equity and inclusion, 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.

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:

1. 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) graduates or withdraws. 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.
2. 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 'Special Considerations').
3. 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.

Families are expected to fully disclose all assets, income, and changes in financial circumstanes each year of enrollment to be reviewed by the financial assistance committee. This allows the committee to allocate the school's limited resources equitibly and where 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. We may make immediate adjustments if a family’s financial changes are significant.

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. Please see 'Special considerations' tab below.

Tuition is a long-term investment, and therefore should be considered very thoughtfully before enrolling at the school. 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. Furthermore, upon enrollment, students who have arranged for tuition to be paid by non-parent/guardian family members, trusts, or other entities, are expected to continue under this agreement for the duration of enrollment. If there is a qualifying change in the financial circumstances of the contributing family member, trust, or other entity, the student may be eligible to apply for financial assistance. Changes include, but are not limited to, extraordinary medical expenses, financial hardship, employment changes, or significant financial losses which can no longer sustain tuition expenses. Depending on the circumstances, the school may still expect some level of continued tuition support in addition to any financial assistance for which the student may qualify. For the purposes of due diligence, the financial assistance office would require documentation from the original payer to demonstrate the change in circumstances in support of the financial assistance application.

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 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 19% of its operating budget to need-based financial assistance.

Because of these funding sources, our policies and procedures ensure that the school is doing its due diligence in the administration of the financial assistance program. 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

• Enrolling additional children at Catlin Gabel or another tuition-charging school or institution. The School will consider outside daycare/school programs for a sibling prior to first grade only if it allows both parents to work. The school will also consider up to four years of undergraduate college or university for an older sibling.
• Change in family size.
• Unforseen decrease of household income with becomes permanent.
• Parent/guardian becoming disabled.

• 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.

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. Eventually, both parents will be expected to earn reasonable income. 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.

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.