Tuition Assistance Program
The goal of the Tuition Assistance Program is to balance the needs of our families with a commitment to keeping the school financially healthy. Please meet the timelines below and follow the guidelines in order for Austin Jewish Academy (AJA) to consider your request.
Minimum Tuition: AJA allocates tuition assistance to applicants based solely on demonstrated financial need, and every family is required to pay the minimum tuition for the school year as set by the AJA Operating Committee. The minimum tuition is set at $7,000 per student. Please note that tuition assistance is not awarded for any school-related fees, which must be paid in full by each family, regardless of the level of tuition assistance.
Eligibility: Tuition assistance applications can only be processed following the payment of the required tuition deposit of $700, and only if the family is current with their tuition payments as required under their current tuition contract. Tuition assistance for new families can only be processed in conjunction with a submitted application for enrollment.
The Tuition Assistance Application: To provide each family with a fair assessment, AJA contracts with a third-party company called FACTS Management Grant & Aid to perform the financial evaluation and make the tuition assistance recommendations.
The Process
By January 31, 2025 complete the FACTS Grant & Aid Application and upload your 2023/2024 income tax information along with your 2023/2024 W-2 forms. *NOTE: tuition assistance applications must have the status of “Complete” by January 31, 2025. If you earned any 1099 income, please also submit your 2023/2024 Form 1099. The application is available at Online.FACTSMgt.com/Aid.
● After you submit all required tax documents, FACTS will review your application, and make their tuition assistance recommendation. If FACTS requires additional tax information, you will be notified by FACTS via email.
● Once FACTS has made their tuition assistance recommendation, the Business Office will email you a grant award letter by February 14, 2025.
● You have until February 17, 2025 to accept or appeal the grant award by signing and returning the award letter to the Business Office.
● If a new documentable financial change has occurred after the grant award is accepted, you must present said information to the Business Office within seven days.
Note: Failure to adhere to these deadlines and timelines could result in the forfeiture of the tuition deposit and could jeopardize the tuition assistance application as well as the student’s spot in the class.
AJA Privacy Policy:
AJA is committed to protecting the privacy of each family’s financial information and takes steps to maintain confidentiality subject to the guidelines listed below and any applicable state or federal regulations.
● Access to family financial information that is submitted with the tuition assistance application is limited to the AJA Tuition Assistance Review Committee, AJA’s Business Officer, and FACTS personnel.
● Access to tuition assistance amounts is also available to the Head of School, Assistant Head of School, and the CPA firm who performs the AJA annual independent financial audit.
● Access to aggregate statistics is available to the AJA Board of Trustees and AJA Administration, and may be discussed publicly. Note that aggregate statistics will not allow individual family names or assistance levels to be discernible.
Please contact Susan Snyder, Business Officer, at susan.snyder@ajaschool.org or (512) 735-8368 if you have any questions about the tuition assistance policy or procedure. We look forward to working with you.