I attended public elementary, middle, and high schools growing up. It wasn’t until after graduating college and working in education that I asked my parents (who both attended parochial high schools) “Why didn’t my sister and I attend private or independent schools?” My dad answered, “We could have paid for high school, or helped you pay for college!” I completely understood his rationale and thanked him for their support! After thirteen years in independent schools managing financial aid, I can’t help but wonder—if my parents had been better informed, might they have realized an independent school education was within reach? As a result of my own family’s experience, I’d like to pass along a few things that I have learned in my role overseeing financial aid at UPrep.

As part of UPrep’s mission, we seek to create a diverse student community. We recognize that for some students for whom our school would benefit, and vice versa, affording the full cost of attendance is not possible. For this reason, financial aid (FA) is an essential element of our mission, allowing us to serve families from various socioeconomic backgrounds.

The cost of an independent school education is a significant investment for families. Many families I encounter have sticker shock when they see tuition north of $47,000. As a proponent of life-long learning, I encourage families to go further than finding out the cost of attendance and educate themselves on what the median cost of tuition is with financial aid. At UPrep, the median tuition cost with FA is $5,030 per year. UPrep awarded 4.93 million dollars in tuition aid for the 2025–2026 school year. Nearly 20 percent of our student body will receive FA with a median grant (or award) of $42,835 this year. Grants range from 10.6 percent to 99.8 percent ($5,000 to $48,590), and annual household incomes range from just over $33,000 to north of $250,000.  

UPrep offers a need-based (tax documents are collected to verify income and assets) and percentage-based FA Program. If a family qualifies for FA, that percentage is not only applied to tuition, but also non-tuition expenses such as textbooks, food, instrument rentals, dances, and domestic and international Global Link trips, to name a few. Discounted non-tuition expenses for FA recipients aligns with our mission and allows families of varying income levels to fully participate in the UPrep community both in and outside the classroom.

UPrep offers an online application through Clarity, which is a newer FA platform aimed at literally clarifying the application process for families and schools. The company supports 1200+ peer schools across the country and offers an adaptive application that takes around 30 minutes to complete. The application is available in English and Spanish and can be completed on a mobile device. We believe Clarity has developed an inclusive and customer-focused product for all.

To learn more, please check out the profiles of different families who receive FA at UPrep. If you think UPrep is the school for your child, my hope is this blog helps you better understand how our need-based, percentage-based FA Program promotes an independent school for everyone. Please note the application for admission and the financial aid application processes are separate but related. For more information, visit our financial aid FAQ page. 

In closing, I believe it is important to share that the UPrep FA Program is confidential. This means a very small number of administrators at the school are aware of which students are accessing FA. Teachers, advisors, and coaches are not privy to this information, ensuring that all students are treated the same regardless of socioeconomic status.

Learn more about UPrep admissions.