Help Keep Them Enrolled
It is estimated that 50% of private schools in the United States are out of compliance with their 501(c)3 requirements. One of the primary reasons why is the way in which they verify and process financial aid applications.
Anyone who wants to apply for financial aid must be allowed to do so. However, this does not mean that every applicant qualifies for aid. A school cannot be selective in who receives a financial aid application. While most schools (96%) give out some sort of financial aid, only about half use a formal application. When a school verifies an application for tuition assistance it must do so the exact same way for each applicant, not showing bias to the documents it requests or the process it conducts to verify those documents. Every award granted from the school must be based on the same formulas, calculations, and criteria. 
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We manage the tuition aid application process for your school, providing affordable, up-to-date, and on-time assessment of family financial conditions. Our concise and comprehensive verification process that assures accuracy of need, takes the guesswork out of granting tuition aid and keeps schools in compliance with IRS requirements.
Know What a Family Can Truly Afford
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Our online application process calculates, analyzes, and verifies a family’s financial situation by reviewing their income and comparing it to their basic, necessary living expenses. Our final analysis provides the school an easy-to-read report including a monthly dollar amount that the family should be able to reasonably pay toward their tuition. This enables and empowers the school to make informed and unbiased financial aid decisions.
Because we honor the value of the personal relationship you have with your parents, we ask the difficult questions so you don’t have to. Meanwhile, parents feel safe providing their personal and financial information to CFS. Their data is secure and confidential (their information is not shared elsewhere), providing a rich user experience for your school and your families. "Is Your Tuition Assistance Program Legal" remains our most read article and will help your school leadership understand the importance of using a third party service, such as CFS, to analyze all tuition aid applications. Families who are unhealthy in their finances will likely leave your school within just a few short years from being accepted. This is why we are committed to financial wellness education as an integral part of our tuition aid verification program. We want your school families to have the financial stability to manage tuition payments all the way to graduation. DOWNLOAD OUR CFS FACT SHEET. How Our Program Works
Your school signs up by calling us at 303.339.0050. Typically, within one-two days you will have received your login credentials giving access to your school administrative portal where you will oversee the process of each tuition aid applicant. |
OUR HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
CFS first hit the market in 1995 under the direction of founder, John Shelhamer. Noticing that the only other tool available at the time was rather cumbersome, John developed a manual instrument and was able to provide reports within two days which were faxed to the schools. Some time after, an online application was created and eventually an admin portal for schools was added for them to access their reports. In late 2020 we will roll-out our first major update in several years. Our new and robust system will receive a name change to BeneFAQ (Benevolent Financial Aid Qualification). As far as we know, we were the second program of its kind to be be formed. Thanks to our hundred of school clients and thousands of school parents who have used our system, CFS is still going strong today!
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Our online manual and simple 40 minute online overview will have you up and running with ease. Our customer service team is always here to help you free of charge. We will provide you all the information you need to share with your parents so they are aware of the program and what they need to do to apply.
Parents will access their portal login through a direct link you provide or place on your website, create an account in our system, pay the appropriate fee, and begin filling out our application and income verification worksheets (as applicable). Applications may also be downloaded, printed and submitted via email or mail. We ask to see pay stubs and tax returns, letters of explanation for special circumstances and assets that appear extravagant, and ask parents how they will pay the rest of their tuition bill should they receive aid.
You make the tuition aid award determination! Our final analysis provides the school an easy-to-read report including the monthly dollar amount that the family should be able to reasonably pay toward their tuition. We call this the FACT Report (Family Anticipated Contribution Total). If family circumstances change throughout the year, you can ask us to correct figures and generate a new report. Take the guesswork out of awarding tuition aid.
Our comprehensive FACT Reports will give you valuable insight to the overall financial health of an applicant family, allowing you to better serve them, provide financial training resources for them, and to guide them to financial freedom.
* The following stats are based on a 7 year study of CFS applicants
Debt to income ratio of the average tuition aid applicant
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Applicants without the financial stability to make tuition payments all the way to graduation (even with the help of tuition aid). Another 26% can manage, but with difficulty.
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Applicants who discovered ways to improve their financial condition
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Applicants who are single parents
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"SchoolRIGHT's tuition aid verification is real quick, real-time, and real accurate."
Harbor Light Christian School | Harbor Springs, Michigan
25 YearsVerifying and assessing private school tuition-aid applicants.
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92% Usability RateThousands of parents consistently provided feedback on the simplicity of our process.
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93% Accuracy RateSchools report the performance
of our results match family need. |
We've helped over 40,000 applicants and have an ease of use rating by parents of over 92%!
