We believe that qualified students who desire an education at Briarcrest Christian School should not be turned away because they cannot pay full tuition. Therefore, we have established a tuition assistance program to help families in need. Tuition assistance is awarded strictly on the basis of need in a completely confidential process. Briarcrest does not award any athletic or academic merit scholarships.

Tuition Assistance is not offered to Preschool and Junior Kindergarten students.

In order to be eligible to continue to receive need-based financial aid, a student must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA at Briarcrest.

How are my finances evaluated?
School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) is an independent organization that evaluates a family's ability to afford tuition. SSS provides the school with an analysis of the information supplied by the family. This analysis is used to compute the amount the family should be able to contribute toward tuition. The analysis is the primary tool that the School uses to decide the amount of tuition assistance granted. Unusual circumstances of each family situation are acknowledged and considered by the Briarcrest Tuition Assistance Committee in its final decision; however, the guiding principal of Briarcrest is the fair distribution of the limited tuition assistance funds available.

How are Admissions and Tuition Assistance related?
Admissions and the Tuition Assistance Program are completely separate. All new families must submit an application for admissions prior to applying for tuition assistance. Current families must re-enroll to be eligible for tuition assistance. Candidates for tuition assistance are referred to the Tuition Assistance Coordinator, who collects all pertinent forms, applications and fees.

Does application for tuition assistance affect admissions?
Admission decisions are based solely upon a student's qualifications.  The amount of tuition assistance awarded is based on a family's financial need and available funding.

How is Tuition Assistance funded?
Tuition assistance is funded through a number of sources: Annual Fund, the Annual Operating Budget, and other gifts and endowments. One of our Long Range Planning goals is to aggressively build tuition assistance endowments.

Who should apply for Tuition Assistance?
If the cost of a Briarcrest Christian School education is beyond a family's financial means, they should apply for tuition assistance. Income may not preclude the possibility of assistance since other dependents, other tuition costs, considerable debt (excluding consumer debt), unusual medical expenses, or some other extraordinary financial burden are considerations. The entire process is confidential. Within the limits of available funds, Briarcrest Christian School seeks to provide tuition assistance grants to all qualified students. Tuition Assistance is not offered to new Preschool and Junior Kindergarten students.

The School's policy for determining the financial need of students is based on the principle that both parents are responsible for the support and educational expenses of their children to the extent that they are financially able to assume that responsibility.

What if I am already at the school, but I have never applied for assistance?
Briarcrest Christian School accepts tuition assistance applications from returning families who have not received tuition assistance in the past on the same basis as any other family requesting tuition assistance. The same deadlines apply to returning students.

If I currently receive tuition assistance, do I have to apply again?
Yes. A family must make application for assistance each year and complete a new Parent's Financial Statement. Any student currently receiving need-based assistance may reapply as long as all current financial obligations to the school have been met. While a family must reapply for tuition assistance each year, they may reasonably expect to receive some assistance if a grant was given the prior year and if the family's financial circumstances are relatively similar to those of the prior year.

Who has access to my financial information?
Briarcrest is committed to protecting the privacy of its families; therefore, all information recieved by the Tuition Assistance Coordinator is held in the strictest confidence.  Financial information is never shared with the Board of Trustees, donors, faculty/staff members, or anyone else outside the Business Office.  The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association will recieve a copy of the summary of my Family Contribution from the School and Student Service for Financial Aid.   

Who is on the Tuition Assistance Committee?
The Tuition Assistance Committee is comprised of one member from the Board of Trustees and two administrators. The Committee strives to establish uniform criteria from evaluating parental ability to pay the total educational expenses of the student.  The ultimate responsibility for determining the amount of the grant offered for tuition assistance rests with the Tuition Assistance Committee of Briarcrest Christian School. 

How and when should I apply?
You must submit a copy of your completed 2009 Federal Income Tax form with copies of the W-2's, Form 4506-Request for Copy of Tax Return, Tuition Assistance Agreement along with the proper cover form to the Tuition Assistance Coordinator with you file the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) with SSS.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to complete the PFS application and submit to SSS (Princeton, NJ) as soon as possible and before the February 2 or March 2 deadline as outlined by the School.  (See Tuition Assistance Timetable below.)  The PFS form may be mailed or submitted online at sss.nais.org 

The SSS process takes about 4-6 weeks after reciept of your PFS.  Briarcrest will receive the Report of Family Contribution, which must be on file for the application to be considered.  Failure to meet the deadlines as established by the Tuition Assistance Coordinator will  place your application on a waiting list for consideration.

Click here for 2010-2011 Tuition Assistance Information

Click here for 2010-2011 Tuition Assistance Letter to Participants

Click here for 2010-2011 Tuition Assistance Notice of Application

Click here for 2010-2011 Tuition Assistance Agreement

Click here for Form 4506 - Request for Copy of Tax Return form