The board of trustees reviews the cost of educating a student within our schools and evaluates a fair amount that allows operational costs, inclusive of salaries, facilities, and daily operating costs to be covered. We are a non-profit entity and any increase in tuition rates are discussed thoroughly with transparency and fulfillment of schools’ and students’ needs in every decision.

There is a processing fee for the admissions application as well as a $35 fee to apply for Variable Tuition. This covers the cost of the 3rd party to review your financial eligibility. Some school courses have additional material fees and clearly state this by each course description in our course manual.

It is recommended that you pay for tuition in one of two ways. 

Either you can pay the entire cost of tuition for the year in one lump sum, or you can set up a payment plan that automatically processes equal payments at regular intervals. This can be set up to accommodate your family’s needs with the help of our tuition/ finance office. If you are awarded a Variable Tuition grant, it is applied automatically to your tuition rate so you are only invoiced your portion to commit to covering your tailored annual amount.

We are committed to doing our part to ensure that no family has to choose between financial security and pursuing their preferred place of education. Variable Tuition helps remove financial barriers that may have otherwise prevented families of a variety of socio-economic backgrounds from considering Cathedral for their child. Thus we support our mission of offering an excellent Catholic education to all who desire one.

Any family who feels that full tuition creates undue financial stress are encouraged to apply for Variable Tuition. We leave the decision to apply up to each family. A wide range of families with a variety of circumstances qualify to receive a Variable Tuition grant, from those who can pay close to the full rate to those who receive significant aid. Our third-party processor evaluates income, assets, unusual expenses (i.e. caring for an extended family member or medical expenses), the size of the family, and a variety of other factors. We encourage everyone to apply if tuition feels out of reach for any reason.

A student must first be admitted to a Catholic Community School before being awarded a Variable Tuition grant. However, the family can apply and submit both the enrollment application and Variable Tuition application at the same time. For already enrolled students, a Variable Tuition application can be submitted at any time. There is no deadline to apply; grants are awarded year-round on a first-come, first-served basis.

Through the Variable Tuition application process, a family’s financial information is securely collected online by FACTS, a widely used grant aid processor similar to the FAFSA process for college grants. Many factors are considered when determining eligibility, including income, assets, unusual expenses, and the size of the family. From this, we receive an Estimated Family Contribution (EFC) that reflects what the applicant can reasonably afford. Our tuition team at CCS then tailors a grant to cover the remaining cost of tuition with the goal of matching the family’s total contribution with the recommended EFC. For example, a family with three students may have a total of $22,000 in tuition. After applying for Variable Tuition, FACTS calculates their EFC to be $9,000. If we have sufficient funds available to provide a $13,000 grant to cover the remainder of the cost, we will set the family’s total tuition contribution to $9000.

Grants for Variable Tuition are funded by generous donors who value Catholic education and wish to make it affordable and accessible to all. The majority of grant funding for Cathedral Middle and High School comes from named scholarship funds through The Cathedral Education Foundation. Additionally, parishioners in the St. Cloud area Catholic parishes contribute a percentage of their weekly gifts to our schools to help families attend our school.

It is possible. Because our grants are funded through generous donors in our community, demand for grant money could exceed our funds. However, we have never denied anyone financial aid due to lack of funds.

No. We believe every family should make a financial investment in their child’s education. Our commitment to providing Variable Tuition means that we are further sharing that investment with you.

No. If you received a grant this year, you can expect to receive the same grant next year. However, if the grant awarded is not sufficient, or if your financial situation changes significantly, you should re-apply.

We use FACTS, an online, third-party, confidential, and secure application portal, to collect information and help us determine a grant award. We use a third-party processor in the evaluation process in order to conduct a completely objective evaluation. Once you have entered your information and it has been received and processed, an EFC (Estimated Family Contribution) is recommended to the tuition team at the Catholic Community Schools office where it is handled with the utmost professionalism and confidentiality. We then do our best to contribute a matching grant to cover the remaining tuition cost.

Families who have completed the Variable Tuition application and submitted all required documentation will typically receive a grant decision within 20-30 business days.

Yes. We recognize that a family’s financial circumstances, or our funding to award more grants, may change.

It’s possible that the application didn’t cover all aspects of your situation. If you believe your family needs more assistance, we encourage you to reach out to us.

Yes. We know it is in our students’ best interests to remain with their peers within the CCS school system year after year. Thus we do our best to meet returning students’ needs. However, we try to accommodate all new applicants to keep an education within Catholic Community Schools accessible to as many families as possible.

No. All families regardless of religious affiliation are encouraged to apply if they have the need.

There is no specific discount for having multiple children enrolled at CCS schools. However, family size is one of the weighted factors that contributes to determining the EFC (Estimated Financial Contribution) of each family.

No. We believe that an equitable, need-based system of financial aid is more aligned with our mission.

Not necessarily. We realize that every family has a different financial situation, and through the Variable Tuition application process we are able to determine a contribution in line with your family’s unique circumstances and needs. If full tuition feels out of reach for any reason, we encourage you to apply.

 Yes. An application for enrollment should be submitted prior to or simultaneously with applying for Variable Tuition. However, an admissions decision will always be made first and separately from Variable Tuition.

No. Admission applications and Variable Tuition applications are evaluated separately. We do not base our admissions decision on whether a family is applying for Variable Tuition.

The Catholic Community Schools tuition office team is available to answer questions regarding the Variable Tuition application and grant process. For more information, email tuitionoffice@catholiccommunityschools.org.