Tuition Assistance

The Waldorf School of Louisville wishes to make Waldorf education available to all who seek it. We are committed to providing Tuition Assistance (TA) for students whose families are unable to fully meet tuition costs; however, we believe the financial responsibility of a student’s education rests primarily with his/her/their family. The following information should help you determine possible next steps– and if so, what are the steps required to submit an application.

Important Financial Assistance Information

WSL’s Tuition Assistance is awarded to Grades students and Early Childhood (EC) students who reach the age of 5 years of age before December 1, 2025 and attend five (5) full days/week. Applications of students that do not meet the age or program criteria and previously received assistance will be accepted.

The TA award does not cover other school fees (Afterschool, Supply,  Music Lessons, etc. )

TA applications must be renewed annually

For planning purposes, as a general rule, WSL seeks to allocate similar TA awards from one year to the next, except when there may have been significant changes to a family’s financial situation.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Complete applications received by February 21st (closed of business) will be given first priority, and a second round of awards will be made to applications received after that date, as funds allow.

As a general rule, the average TA award ranges from a 25-40% reduction in tuition (not including fees). TA awards in the EC are only available for EC students who reach the age of 5 years of age before December 1, 2025 and are enrolled in a five(5) day program.

HOW TO APPLY

The Tuition Assistance application is available https://sssandtadsfa.my.site.com/familyportal . In order to assess a Family’s ability to pay tuition, the school partners with a third-party provider, currently TADS, to obtain an accurate and impartial analysis of each Family’s financial need. The partner code (school code) is 1055

A TA application is considered complete, and will be included in the first round of awards, if the following are submitted by February 21, 2025:

• A completed enrollment contract via TADS.
• A copy of the most recent completed tax return and other supporting documents as requested, uploaded to our Financial Assistance portal. Tax returns more than 2 years old will not be accepted; i.e. by February 21st 2025, the school requires (as a minimum) a tax return for the year ending 12/31/2023.  Families where all children have obtained 1st Grade Level will be expected to have income from all parents.  Income from unemployed parents will be inputted. 
• A tuition deposit of $500 paid on TADS or with a check in the WSL office

If there is anything further you would like the committee to consider, please submit a letter (WSL c/o TA Committee via email (TA@Waldorflouisville.com) explaining your situation.  Without submission of all items outlined above and required on the application, the application is considered incomplete, and an award will not be made.

Awards are based on financial need. If other sources of financial support are available (such as from a non-custodial parent or grandparents), it is critical that this information be disclosed in the Additional Comments section of the online application.

Once an award is made, the Family must acknowledge acceptance within two (2) calendar weeks. After that deadline, the funds will be returned to the TA pool for other applicants.

If an award has been made, and the Family is still unable to afford the revised tuition, please review the appeals process in the awards letter.

Financial Assistance Timeline for 2025:

January 8: Returning and new Families may begin to apply for Financial Aid.

By February 21: Returning and new Families’ enrollment commitment and TA deposits (of $500) are due.

February 21: The TA application deadline. All Families who have completed applications by this deadline will receive an TA decision on or before March 14, 2025.

This first round of awards will deplete the largest part of the TA budget, and Families with greater need are encouraged to apply by the February 21 deadline.

After February 21: All TA applications received after this date will be accepted on a rolling basis. Awards will be made based on available funding but available seats in the classroom cannot be guaranteed.

To secure your child(ren)’s place for Fall 2025, within two weeks of receiving the TA award notification, the WSL office will need to receive:

• An email indicating TA award acceptance or intent to appeal
• A complete Tuition Agreement on TADS for each child

If your award is not sufficient to meet the tuition costs for the 2025-26 academic year, the deposit will be returned only if the family notifies the school in the two week calendar period. 

As you may be aware, our school does not have scholarships or endowment funding. We offer tuition assistance for families that seek help, and qualify, with paying the full fees. The school does not have a separate revenue source for these awards.  The Board reviews and receives a recommended budget from the finance committee where the tuition contribution to revenue is calculated by forecasting the gross revenue and subtracting the financial aid awards.  It is the duty of the tuition assistance committee to allocate awards in accordance with policies and best practices that are within these parameters and align with the school’s mission.  In order to qualify for financial aid, the child must already be accepted at the school.

We are happy to discuss the process with you. For more information, please email the Committee at TA@waldorflouisville.com