Tuition & Financial Assistance

The purpose of the financial aid program is to build an economically diverse community and to fill the gap between the cost of tuition and what a family can realistically be expected to pay toward tuition. WES does not give merit awards or scholarships.

Financial Aid awards are made without regard to race, nationality, ethnic origin, or student merit, and are determined on the basis of demonstrated need only. To help us reach our decision, the Committee works with School and Student Services (SSS) to process Financial Aid applications. SSS is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools. Read more at sss.nais.org.

After the application has been received, the Financial Aid Committee carefully examines the Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) and Report of Family Contribution (RFC) received from School and Student Services by NAIS (SSS); tax documents; and any new financial developments affecting your family.

The Financial Aid Committee also considers and asks that all families pay a portion of tuition, both parents work unless a reason is given as to otherwise, and divorced or separated parents submit all forms unless a special waiver is granted. The other key factors in determining specific awards were: the total number of financial aid applicants, the assessed need per application, and the overall financial aid budget.

WES’s Financial Aid Committee uses many items including assets, liabilities, age of parents, family size, and lifestyle choices when determining awards. WES does not provide aid to offset expenses deemed to be “lifestyle” choices. Many WES families sacrifice to send their child(ren) to WES and to contribute to WES’s Annual Fund, which funds a portion of the financial aid budget. These guidelines best ensure that financial awards are as fair as possible.

Families reapply for Financial Aid every year. From year-to-year, there are variances in all three factors, and these variances may result in recipients being asked to contribute a greater amount towards tuition in future years.

Covering Additional Costs
Additional costs of attending WES may include Tuition Refund Insurance, books, uniforms, after-school care, hot lunch, music rentals (Grades 4-8), tutoring, and other miscellaneous items. Additional funding may be available for your child to offset these additional fees and expenses—this additional support is based on how much financial aid you receive as a percentage of tuition.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Office of Admission and Financial Aid with any questions.

WES partners with School and Student Services by NAIS (SSS) to evaluate applications. Based on a family’s financial information, SSS provides us with an estimated amount that your family can contribute towards educational expenses.

If you have your 2020 federal income tax return (with 2020 W2s and all schedules included), then the application process takes on average 30 minutes to complete. SSS provides support service online and phone for any questions you may have. You may start and stop the application as needed.

Click HERE for the financial aid application.

• Currently Enrolled Families
  • Submit the online financial aid application to SSS by December 1, 2021 and submit 2017 W2s to SSS by February 1, 2022.
• Applicant Families
  • Submit the online financial aid application with all required documentation to SSS by February 1, 2022.

Complete the online application and upload a complete copy of your most recent federal income tax return (with W2s and all schedules included) to SSS. Please confirm with the Office of Admission and Financial Aid that your SSS application was filed by the deadline.

The PFS needs only be completed once; you may request that it be sent to all prospective schools.

Click HERE for the online application.

Upon admission or re-enrollment to WES, those families who applied for financial aid will receive a notification of the financial aid award with the admission decision or re-enrollment contracts via email.

Families need to review the FA award, calculate any required or optional additional fees and expenses (e.g, Hot Lunch and Extended Day), and determine if the award will be sufficient to make WES affordable. Families who would like to accept the financial aid award need to sign the financial aid award agreement and enrollment along with paying the enrollment deposit of $100.

If there are questions or concerns about the financial aid award, families should contact Director of Admission and Financial Aid Kim Bair to discuss further. Periodically, adjustments in awards are made with new information or clarification of the information submitted to SSS.

WES makes every effort to be fair both to financial aid applicants and to the entire WES community.

Never hesitate to schedule a financial aid consultation with Director of Admission and Financial Aid Kim Bair.

She can answer questions about how to apply for FA, what additional expenses your family should plan for, which tuition payment plan will best work for your family, and which additional FA benefits you may qualify for (e.g., reduce prices for Summer@WES and study trip stipends), and more. The more you know, the more confident you will be that the financial investment you are making works for your family and child.

Have a quick or long question about FA? Email us your question and we will get back to you in a jiff! You can call us too at 301-652-7878 ext. 201.

Thanks for your interest!

As of 2/23/2018 and provided by the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS).

The relatively new tax reform law passed in the final days of 2017 brings about a variety of changes in the tax structure that may have an impact on independent school families. As school associations, financial advisors, and legal counselors carefully research and report the provisions of the new tax law, we will provide you with periodic updates regarding this process.

The new tax reform law has expanded the provisions of the so-called 529 tax-advantaged college savings plan. The new tax code now allows $10,000 in annual tax-free 529 account withdrawals for tuition payments for students enrolled in independent schools, starting in 2018. Some school families may have already begun saving for projected college expenses through one of these plans; some other families may want to consider saving in this way, for pre-collegiate expenses as well as for college expenses.

A resource recommended by the New York Times and Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS) is Savingforcollege.com as an excellent source of information. This site is updated regularly, and it includes descriptions of individual state regulations as well as federal tax provisions. It includes a blog on the use of 529 plan funds for pre-collegiate educational expenses, and it contains a tab for “tools and calculators” that will enable families to project their possible tax savings.

As with all issues related to tax matters, each family’s circumstances are unique. Please consult an accountant, financial advisor, or tax attorney to review how the recent changes in the tax law might affect your family.