Financial Assistance FAQ

Urban partners with Clarity Tuition to assist with our evaluation of your detailed financial information; you can begin applying for financial assistance by creating a parent account, through which you will provide  all of your financial assistance application components. After families submit details about their finances, Clarity analyzes the data and recommends to the school an amount that each family can expect to pay for educational expenses. Urban’s Financial Assistance Committee uses this figure as the starting point for its financial assistance calculations. 

Details about financial assistance packages will accompany letters of acceptance to Urban. If you have any questions about your package or would like to appeal, please reach out to the Admissions team. 

Admission decisions and financial assistance decisions are made separately. While our financial aid budget is finite, we are deeply committed to making an Urban education accessible to students who are the strongest matches for Urban.

To provide full access to the range of opportunities at the school, Urban also supports non-tuition expenses based on the percentage of tuition-support a student receives. These expenses include:

• Books: 50-100% covered depending on the tuition package
• Transportation: Marin and South Bay Bus or other transportation needs
• Cafe allowance for students receiving 75+% assistance
• Global trips (France, Spain, Taiwan) and interest-specific trips (e.g. Journalism, Outdoor, etc.)
• Athletic uniforms, equipment, and sports clubs
• Summer courses and after-school figure drawing class
• SAT and ACT prep and tutoring
• Music lessons if directed to learn a new instrument
• Basketball and volleyball camp for middle-school siblings
• Prom tickets
   

When a student is directed to learn a new instrument:

• Urban pays the lesser of 30 lessons or one year of instruction
• The family pays for the lessons and submits a paid invoice to the CFO, ideally 1-2 times per year
• Urban returns the proportional amount of FA due to the family, typically via a FACTS credit though other options can be discussed

If a family finds itself facing an economic hardship during the school year, they can contact Urban CFO Diane Walters at 415 593 9535 or email dwalters@urbanschool.org to discuss their new financial situation and to determine the next steps. While there is a limited pool of funds available during a current school year, Urban will thoughtfully evaluate all requests and is committed to supporting families through difficult periods, within the limitations of each year’s budget.

Families who do not request financial assistance in their application year should not assume that financial assistance will be available in subsequent years. Families who expect to need financial assistance in years beyond 9th grade are encouraged to speak with Urban CFO Diane Walters at 415 593 9535 or email dwalters@urbanschool.org before they apply for 9th grade.

For applicants with divorced, separated, or unmarried parents, both parents must complete a separate financial assistance application for each household. If one parent does not complete a Clarity application, the application may not be processed. Once a financial assistance package is determined, the tuition obligation will be split equally between parents unless a different arrangement is governed by a legal document or the parents collectively work out how the obligation is to be divided between them. All parties are expected to communicate with each other as necessary and participate in good faith in submitting information. If a parent has remarried or has a partner, all income, assets, expenses, and debt of both adults should be reflected in Clarity, regardless if only the biological parent has financial responsibility for the applicant.
 

To ensure your financial assistance application is reviewed by the Financial Assistance Committee, you must complete your taxes by the deadline. If it is not possible because you are waiting for statements such as a K-1 which won’t be issued for several months, ask your accountant to prepare a draft of your taxes. A provisional financial assistance package will be made using the draft and the financial assistance package may be modified, up or down, once the final taxes are provided.

Clarity computes the total funds available for education and divides this amount by the number of children attending tuition-charging schools. This is the amount Clarity recommends you can pay per child and the figure is the starting point for Urban’s Financial Assistance Committee. For example, if you had two students in tuition charging school one year and the next year one student attends a college more expensive than Urban, it is unlikely that your financial assistance package from Urban will change. We expect that families will apply for assistance at each of the institutions their children attend. 

Financial Assistance is based on the total funds available for education divided by the number of children attending tuition-charging schools. This is the amount Clarity recommends you can pay per child and the figure is the starting point for Urban’s Financial Assistance Committee. If you had, for example, two students in tuition charging schools one year and only one student in a tuition charging school the following year, your level of assistance will decrease assuming your non-tuition-related level of income, assets, debt, and expenses remain about the same.

Rental income from non-primary properties, as well as the market value of property per Zillow or other online real estate tool, is included in the Clarity calculation. In general, rental income and the value of the property serve to boost a family’s income and decrease the amount of financial assistance.

Yes. Urban families reapply for financial assistance each year through Clarity Tuition so that any major changes to a family's financial situation can be reflected in the student's financial assistance package, though most students receive a similar amount each year if the need remains the same. Financial Assistance packages are calculated based on the most recent two years of tax returns and unique family financials. Some factors that may change a student's financial assistance include change of job status, and the number of children in a family attending tuition-charging schools.

In an effort to create a space for students to discuss and explore the breadth of their experiences, a group of students created the Financial Assistance and SocioEconomic Status (FASES) affinity space. Learn more here: www.urbanschool.org/about/belonging.

Urban families reapply for financial assistance each year through Clarity Tuition so that any major changes to a family's financial situation can be reflected in the student's financial assistance package, though most students receive a similar amount each year if the need remains the same. Some factors that may change a student's financial assistance include change of job status and the number of children in a family attending tuition-charging schools. Please review the checklist for Returning Families to familiarize yourself with the key deliverable dates which are a little earlier than for our incoming 9th grade families.  

Yes. To ensure evaluation of your most current financial information, you must complete your taxes by the deadline. If it is not possible because you are waiting for statements such as a K-1 which won’t be issued for several months, ask your accountant to prepare a draft of your taxes. A provisional award will be made using the draft and the award may be modified, up or down, once the final taxes are provided.
 

Because Urban fully allocates 75% of its financial assistance budget to returning families (the remainder is for incoming 9th grade families) who are already receiving assistance, it is extremely difficult to receive a financial assistance package that matches your demonstrated need. Families who expect to need financial assistance in years beyond 9th grade are encouraged to speak with Urban CFO Diane Walters at 415 593 9535 or email dwalters@urbanschool.org. 

Urban has a limited pool of financial assistance available to support families with changing economic circumstances. If you find yourself facing an economic hardship, please reach out to Urban CFO Diane Walters at 415 593 9535 or email dwalters@urbanschool.org to discuss your new financial situation. After the initial conversation, you will be asked to complete our financial assistance application process through Clarity. Urban will thoughtfully evaluate your request and is committed to supporting our families through difficult periods to the extent possible within our budget.

Clarity computes the total funds available for education and divides this amount by the number of children attending tuition-charging schools. This is the amount Clarity believes you can pay per child and the figure is the starting point for Urban’s Financial Assistance Committee. For example, if you had two students in tuition charging school one year and the next year one student attends a college more expensive than Urban, it is unlikely that your financial assistance package from Urban will change. We expect that families will apply for assistance at each of the institutions their children attend. 

Yes. Financial Assistance is based on the total funds available for education divided by the number of children attending tuition-charging schools. This is the amount Clarity suggests you can pay per child and the figure is the starting point for Urban’s Financial Assistance Committee. If you had, for example, two students in tuition charging schools one year and only one student in a tuition charging school the following year, your level of assistance will decrease assuming your non-tuition-related level of income, assets, debt, and expenses remain about the same.
 

For applicants with divorced, separated, or unmarried parents, both parents must complete a separate financial assistance application for each household. If one parent does complete a Clarity application, the application may not be processed. Once a financial assistance package is determined, the tuition obligation will be split equally between parents unless a different arrangement is governed by a legal document or the parents collectively work out how the obligation is to be divided between them. All parties are expected to communicate with each other as necessary and participate in good faith in submitting information. If a parent has remarried or has a partner, all income, assets, expenses, and debt of both adults should be reflected in Clarity, regardless if only the biological parent has financial responsibility for the applicant.

Rental income from non-primary properties, as well as the market value of property per Zillow or other online real estate tool, is included in the Clarity calculation. In general, rental income and the value of the property serve to boost a family’s income and decrease the amount of financial assistance. If property was sold and you are no longer receiving rental income, your financial assistance package will likely not increase because you received income received from the sale of the property. Depending on the amount of the sale, it is likely your financial assistance package will decrease because of the income received when the property was sold. 

In an effort to create a space for students to discuss and explore the breadth of their experiences, a group of students created the Financial Aid and SocioEconomic Status (FASES) affinity space. Learn more here: www.urbanschool.org/about/belonging.