Financial Aid

Approximately 26% of GDS families receive need-based financial aid, and more than $2 million is allocated for financial aid each year.

Financial aid (FA) at Greensboro Day School is a strategic tool to position GDS as an affordable option to a broader population and serves to enhance the socioeconomic diversity of the school. Financial aid at GDS entails strictly need-based awards available for qualifying families with students in kindergarten through grade 12.

GDS follows the NAIS Principles of Good Practice for Financial Assistance as a guidepost for the school’s FA policies and procedures. All FA decisions for student applicants are determined by the Financial Aid Committee after student applicants have been admitted to the school by the GDS Admissions Committee. The Financial Aid Committee will not review FA applications for families who have not been admitted by the Admission Committee.

Greensboro Day School uses an outside vendor, Financial Aid for Student Tuition (FAST), to determine a family’s financial need. Based on the financial information families submit, FAST provides GDS with its estimate of the amount each family can contribute to educational expenses. This estimate provides a starting point to help us make a fair and objective decision on financial assistance.

begin Your Financial Aid Application

Financial Aid Process

Apply for Admission

If your child is not currently enrolled at Greensboro Day School, you must first apply for admission before applying for financial aid. New families will not be offered an FA grant unless they have completed the admission process and been accepted.

Admission application for the 2024–25 school year

Applications for the 2025–26 school year will open on October 2, 2024.

Complete the FAST Application

The FAST application opens for online submission in December. Please ensure your student billing account is current before beginning your FAST application, as we are unable to offer a need-based financial assistance award to current families with outstanding account balances. All parties of divorced/separated families must submit all information listed on the FAST application. Please understand that without your most recent tax forms on file with FAST we will be unable to offer you a need-based award.

Begin Your Financial Assistance Application

Financial Aid Decisions

Financial Aid Considerations

Greensboro Day School’s financial aid (FA) policy is based on the principle that the primary responsibility for the cost of a child’s education resides with the family and that FA must be based on demonstrated need, not on willingness or unwillingness to pay. This means that the family will be expected to draw upon all available sources of support, including use of income from both parents and/or others where appropriate.

When considering need-based grants, we consider a number of factors:

Separated, Divorced, or Remarried Parents: We expect all parents/guardians to contribute to the cost of education. All parents/guardians (including divorced, separated, and partners) are required to submit financial documentation when applying for FA. Regardless of the personal or legal relationship between the individuals listed, the school will consider the assets of both natural parents before making any award and cannot be bound by the assertion that one parent has disclaimed responsibility for educational expenses. If either parent has remarried, we will also consider the assets of the stepparent, always bearing in mind the obligation of the stepparent to his or her own natural children. It is necessary for both natural parents and their current spouses, if any, to fill out a financial assistance application. If information from both custodial and noncustodial parents is not provided, the Financial Assistance Committee will not be able to consider that family’s request for aid.
Trust and/or College Funds: Trust funds and/or funds or accounts earmarked for college are considered student assets and are treated accordingly. While it may not be possible for a family to tap the principal of such funds, the existence of the funds means that more of the family’s current income is available for tuition.
Employment: FA decisions are based on dual incomes for a two-parent household. Exceptions would include families with young children not yet in school or other dependents in the home needing full-time care, or a physical/health limitation that prevents a parent from working. If a parent chooses not to work without having any of these exceptions, the school will add the equivalent of a $23,000 salary to the family’s total income for the year.
Multiple Children/Siblings: The need-based financial aid process takes into limited consideration any older children in college, but does not take into consideration a parent’s undergraduate or graduate school tuition. Need-based aid is for the accepted child only and does not necessarily increase if a sibling enrolls the following year nor does it decrease if a sibling withdraws.
Additional Expenses: An FA grant only assists with the cost of tuition. Families are responsible for additional expenses that may include (but are not limited to) books, athletic supplies, academic tutoring, lunch, after-school classes, etc. Expenses other than tuition vary by grade and division.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does financial aid have any bearing on the admission process?

All admission decisions are made based on student merit and without regard to a family’s ability to pay tuition, so applying for financial aid does not affect an applicant’s chance for admission. Once a student has been accepted for admission, families who have completed their financial aid application within the proper timeline will have their financial aid application reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee.

How is financial need determined?

Is financial aid automatically renewed each year?

Will a change in family finances result in a change in financial aid?

Do student athletes receive preferential treatment in the awarding of financial aid?

Does GDS participate in the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship program?

Greensboro Day School does not participate in the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship program for three primary reasons:

Academic excellence is the hallmark of a GDS education, and we aim to maintain our autonomy from government regulations. Engaging in programs with attached conditions (“strings”) risks our independence, mission, and academic autonomy.
Increasing reliance on government-managed funds as a revenue source heightens the long-term financial volatility risks for the school.
The state’s recent shift from a pure need-based scholarship program to a voucher program has altered the socioeconomic diversity focus of the Opportunity Scholarship program.

How does GDS support families who want to attend GDS but find tuition prices to be a financial challenge?

We remain fully committed to supporting families who have demonstrated a need for financial support, and our Board of Trustees is also fully committed to this vision. During the current 2023–24 school year, GDS granted over $2.8 million in need-based financial assistance to 25% of our student body. Need-based financial assistance is a tool that we will continue to use to retain and attract families to GDS. Details about our financial aid process can be found on this webpage.

Contact Us

Stephanie Thornlow

Student Billing Manager and FA Coordinator

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GDS is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools (NCAIS).

Greensboro Day School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, disability (to the extent that reasonable accommodations are possible), sex, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, or any other programs administered by the school.

Greensboro Day School does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its programs, services or facilities, including admissions, enrollment, and access to educational programs offered by the School in accordance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.