Tuition & Financial Aid

In order to qualify for tuition assistance, families must demonstrate financial need. Financial aid awards are given in the form of a grant that discounts the tuition to a rate that is within the family’s means. Families are not required to repay these grants.

For the 2025-2026 school year, Bement awarded $1,383,114 in financial aid to 37% of the student body. Aid awards are determined by level of demand and level of funding as set by our board of trustees. Generally, our financial aid budget has allowed us to award approximately 70% of a family's demonstrated need. For day students these awards typically range from $2,000 to $23,700. Domestic boarding students receive somewhat higher awards. Aid awarded has no repayment requirements.

The Bement School remains committed to providing need-based financial aid through a thoughtful, equitable, and mission-driven process. The school regards all financial aid information as strictly confidential and expects that financial aid recipients will respect this policy and maintain the confidentiality of this award.

Financial aid (or tuition assistance) is awarded to families based on demonstrated financial need. That need is determined by the information families provide through the financial aid application process. Bement’s financial aid budget allows us to meet approximately 70% of demonstrated need. That means if a family’s demonstrated need is $10,000, we try to award $7,000 in financial aid. We understand that leaves a gap and families do have to stretch to fulfill the financial obligation in order to enroll. We wish we could meet 100% of every family’s demonstrated need, but our limited budget and our goal to help as many families as possible does not allow us to do that at the moment.

The third-party financial aid application used by Bement, Clarity, determines need by using a formula that considers all areas of a family’s financial situation, including but not limited to both parents’/guardians’ incomes (taxable and non-taxable), number of dependents, number of children attending tuition-charging schools, living expenses, parents’/guardians’ age, retirement, medical expenses, debts, and unusual expenses. Because a family’s situation may change from year to year, families must re-apply for financial aid each school year. Bement is committed to ensuring that enrolled families (who continue to qualify for financial aid) receive aid throughout their years at the school.

The Bement School remains committed to providing need-based financial aid through a thoughtful, equitable, and mission-driven process. The school regards all financial aid information as strictly confidential and expects that financial aid recipients will respect this policy and maintain the confidentiality of this award.

Our school does not offer merit awards based on academic, athletic, or other talents demonstrated by the student. However, through the generosity of a former trustee, the school has established The Bement Bridge Grant Fund. This grant provides additional financial aid to cover the remaining balance due for tuition. This grant is available to a new lower school applicant in our local geographic area. In order to qualify, families must have a demonstrated need for full financial aid. There is no additional application process for this grant; by applying for financial aid through Clarity you will be considered for The Bement Bridge Grant. Bement commits to support this student’s tuition balance throughout her/his experience here. Each year, the Financial Aid Committee will renew the grant as long as the family continues to demonstrate appropriate financial need and Bement remains a good fit for the student. Bement’s Financial Aid Committee will use a variety of factors to determine the recipient of this grant if multiple families qualify.

No. Unfortunately our financial aid budget is limited and we re only able to allocate aid to domestic applicants. 

Applying for Financial Aid

The Bement School financial aid program is designed to make a Bement education possible for all families based on demonstrated financial need and the availability of funds. The Bement School is proud to use the Clarity Application to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts.

To get started, please go to the Clarity Application starting October 1 and create an account. Once you have set up and verified your account, please complete the five main sections of the application. You will agree to give Clarity permission to securely pull your prior year tax information (prior to the year during which you apply) through an IRS verification process.  

Every family’s financial circumstances are different, therefore Bement’s Financial Aid Committee encourages families to use the “Other considerations” section toward the end of the application to expand on the information entered, if doing so will provide a more accurate understanding of the family’s financial circumstances.

The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity Application is also mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. At the end of the application, there is a $65 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools. Bement is listed as The Bement School.

Please read the Clarity instructions carefully before signing, and note that late forms or omissions in the preparation of the Clarity application may jeopardize your family's chance of receiving or renewing an award.

Please remember to return to your dashboard after you complete and submit your Clarity Application, as Bement requires you to upload additional tax documentation including a copy of final pay stub for 2025.  

The deadline for completing the financial aid application including relevant supplemental documents is February 1. We may ask you to submit your 2025 W-2 when you receive it.

If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available as well as email support at support@claritytuition.com in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.

Step 1: Start your application

Go to Clarity:

You will be asked to create an account. If you are already register, simply sign in.  

*Remember, you don’t have to complete the form in one sitting. You will be able to save your progress and return at any time.

Step 2: Submit supporting documentation

In addition to your completed Clarity application, Bement requires supporting tax documentation.  While your 1040 and W2 documents from 2024 will automatically transferred from the IRS when you complete the verification process, you should upload to your account a copy of your final pay stub. We may ask you to submit your 2025 W-2 when you receive it.

Step 3: Complete your application

Complete the financial aid process by the application deadline, February 1. Since the total demonstrated need of our applicants exceeds Bement's financial aid budget, our funds can be depleted quickly. Knowing the total need by the time of our first meeting helps us distribute the awards in an equitable manner. In the event that funds become available later, some applicants on the financial aid wait list might then become eligible for financial aid awards.

Step 4: More Information

For additional information and resources, please check the following link to go to the complete Family Application Guide from Clarity with step by step instructions:

If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact Kimberly Loughlin in the admission office.

You should begin applying for financial aid at the same time you apply for admission. To get started, please go to the Clarity Application and create an account. The application us available starting October 1 and it typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity Application is also mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. At the end of the application, there is a $65 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools. Bement is listed as The Bement School. Complete your application by February 1.

 

Financial aid applications are due February 1 in order to be considered in the first round of decisions.

Please read the Clarity instructions carefully before signing, and note that late forms or omissions in the preparation of the Clarity application may jeopardize your family’s chance of receiving or renewing an award.

We have chosen Clarity as our financial aid application provider in order to better serve both our current and prospective families. We are confident that this change is going to make the process of applying for financial aid easier for families.  Clarity removes the need to upload your completed tax returns by transferring them directly from the IRS. This reduces the amount of information that you will need to enter manually and makes it possible to complete the application quickly and efficiently.

Clarity offers Family Information Webinars to assist you with the application process. 

Please note that webinars are recorded and will include an open Q&A with families.

This year's Family Application Information Webinars:
September 23, 7pm Pacific Time
September 24, 6pm Eastern Time
October 21, 7pm Pacific Time
October 22, 6pm Eastern Time
December 9, 8:30pm Eastern Time

Bement takes the privacy and security of your personal information very seriously. Clarity is certified for both GDPR and SOC2 and uses enterprise-level security standards including end-to-end encryption of all personally identifiable information. For more information, please refer to Clarity’s Privacy Policy. 

Families can generally expect to receive the same amount of aid if their financial circumstances remain the same. A significant change in a family's financial profile may change the financial aid award. Families must reapply every year.

Yes, every family must apply for financial aid each year. You will need to submit a Clarity application each year in order to qualify for financial aid; however, Clarity retains your information from previous applications, so it will be even easier to reapply. Families can generally expect to receive the same amount of aid if their financial circumstances remain the same. A significant change in a family's financial profile may change the financial aid award. You may begin your application in Clarity starting October 1.

The Financial Aid Committee may impute an income for a non-working parent when reviewing the financial aid application if there are no children under school age in the home. This policy does not require the parent to work but attempts to adjust the level of need by accounting for the minimum income that a parent could earn if they chose to work. Families are welcome to provide additional information about the circumstances of the non-working parent in the “Other considerations” section of the Clarity application.

Bement requires that all parents contribute to the cost of their child's education to the extent of their ability and the assets of both parents are considered. Both the custodial parent and the non-custodial parent must fill out separate Clarity Applications and submit tax documentation. If you are unable to do so, please contact the school before applying. When a parent has remarried, the assets of the stepparent are also considered as a resource and should be included in Clarity.

Please note that all information submitted in your application for financial aid is held in the strictest confidence.

New families at Bement can expect financial aid awards along with admission decisions on or by March 10. Returning families will receive financial aid awards along with their re-enrollment agreements on or by February 15.

It is important for the integrity of the application process for our financial aid committee to review each family’s financial aid application the same and as objectively as possible. The application process is not perfect. We have applied industry-standard guidelines and allowances across all applications so they are reviewed the same. However, the process relies on the information that families enter and share with us in good faith. Accordingly, Bement’s responsibility is to review each application individually and make a good faith determination of each family’s demonstrated need and award aid in accordance with our policies. Every family’s financial circumstance is different and we take time to consider this in order to allocate aid to as many families as possible who demonstrate financial need. For all families who qualify for aid, Bement attempts to meet 70% of their demonstrated financial need.

In most cases we only admit students whom we are able to fund through our financial aid budget. However, each year we put a small number of students on a financial aid waiting list. Sometimes a student is denied admission because we are unable to provide the financial aid for them as the financial need may exceed out financial aid budget available.

If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available as well as email support in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.

There is also a quick reference guide here to walkthrough the application.

In addition, Clarity offers Family Information Webinars to assist you with the application process.  Please note that webinars are recorded and will include an open Q&A with families.

This year's Family Application Information Webinars:
September 23, 7pm Pacific Time
September 24, 6pm Eastern Time
October 21, 7pm Pacific Time
October 22, 6pm Eastern Time
December 9, 8:30pm Eastern Time