Tuition & Financial Aid

Tuition
The 2012-13 tuition fee of $38,600 includes lunch, laboratory fees, and most field trip transportation. It does not include books and art supplies (average $500), transportation to and from school, tutoring, special testing, private or group lessons at The Rivers School Conservatory, ski team fees, optional school supplies, athletic store items, and other occasional charges.
Financing a Rivers Education
To make a Rivers School education affordable for as many families as possible, the school offers a variety of payment plans and financing options in addition to financial aid. Financial Aid is only available to families based on demonstrated financial need (Rivers does not offer scholarships based on merit).

Tuition may be paid in two payments no later than June 15 and December 1. Tuition refund insurance is recommended for all families. 

Two monthly payment plans are available. One offering is through Tuition Management Systems. The other offering is through TuitionPay, Administered by Sallie Mae. Tuition Protection Coverage is offered at no additional charge through the TuitionPay Monthly Payment Plan.

Three third-party lenders that we know of offer educational loans to families at reasonable interest rates. These programs are Sallie Mae K-12 Family Education Loan Plan, prepGATE Loan Program, and Your Tuition Solution.

Financial Aid
The Rivers School is committed to a financial aid program that makes a Rivers education available to qualified applicants regardless of their ability to pay our full tuition. In the current academic year, Rivers has awarded approximately $2.6 million in need-based financial aid.

Please note that the Rivers Admissions Committee operates on a need-blind basis. This means that financial need is not taken into consideration when determining whether or not a candidate will or will not be admitted to the school. Admission and financial aid are two separate processes.

Candidates are evaluated for financial aid based on demonstrated need as evidenced through the nationally standardized system for analysis offered by the School and Student Service for Financial Aid (SSS) based in Princeton, NJ. Although many new and returning families qualify for financial aid, Rivers is not able to offer assistance to all families nor can it offer full demonstrated need in all cases. Rivers does expect families to consider and utilize all available resources, including family income, loans, student summer jobs, etc. before applying for financial aid.

Our Financial Aid application deadline is January 15th. In order to request a financial aid packet, including a copy of our Financial Aid Policies and Procedures, please call the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at (339) 686-2253.

Families are able to access the NAIS website where they can download and print valuable resources such as the Business/Farm statement, Additional School Request form, Spanish-version PFS worksheet, and the newly redesigned Family Guide to Financial Aid. You and your families can access these forms directly at http://sss.nais.org/.