financial aid Application Process

Instructions for Parents of Students Applying to CDS

Your Timing and Ours

Your application for admission and your application for financial aid occur in parallel. In this way, we can deliver both a response to your application for admission and a response to your financial aid application at the same time. 

The earlier you apply, the better you position yourself. While our financial aid budget is generous, we begin making grants early in the admission season, continuing to do so until we have exhausted our budget.

Our advice:  apply early.

Application Deadlines

  • November 15:  Lower/Middle/Upper School applicants who complete both the admission process and the financial aid process by November 15 will receive a Winter Decision (notification early January).

  • February 15:  Lower/Middle/Upper School/Key School applicants who complete both the admission process and the financial aid process by February 1 will receive a Spring Decision (notification early March).

  • After February 15, we will process applications for admission and financial aid on a rolling, space- and funds-available basis. However, financial aid funding is generally no longer available; if any is available, it is extremely limited.

 

How You Can Apply for Financial Aid

Our policy requires that ALL PARENTS submit a Parents' Financial Statement (PFS).

Listed below are the financial aid application steps to complete by November 15 for a Winter decision and by February 1 for a Spring decision:

  1. Submit the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) via the School & Student Services (SSS) portal, directing your application to Carolina Day School, school code # 2123. Please note that there is a $55 application fee which you will pay electronically.

  2. After submitting your PFS, upload items listed below.

    • Upload (as a pdf) your 2019 tax return.

    • Upload (as a pdf) your 2020 tax return.

    • Upload (as a pdf) your 2019 W-2.

    • Upload (as a pdf) your 2020 W-2.

    • If you are a business owner, please upload 2019 and 2020 business tax return(s) and K-1(s).

Need more help?

SSS Parent Helpline 1-800-344-8328

SSS 2021-22 How to Apply for Financial Aid FLYER (ENGLISH/SPANISH)   

SSS 2021-22 PFS Workbook and Instruction Booklet  

How will you know when your application is complete?

Log back into the SSS portal to ensure you have submitted both your PFS and all supporting documentation.