Admissions

Tuition and Financial Aid

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Blackbaud Smart Tuition

Families, your student account information is processed by Blackbaud Smart Tuition (aka Smart Tuition, Blackbaud Tuition, or BB Tuition). Please use the(se) link(s) to get enrollment instructions, see FAQs and find out about the mobile app.

Smart Tuition General Enrollment Instructions

General Information - FAQ's

Download Mobile App
Payment Plan
For payment plan questions, please contact Jennifer Cody Murphy, Business Manager, at 843-715-8507.

OPTION 1: Payment in full to Hilton Head Preparatory School by June 1.

OPTION 2: Installment or credit card payments through Smart Tuition. The options listed below require participation in the Tuition Refund Plan (3% of the tuition, boarding and ESL total as applicable) and an Installment Fee of $150.

ABOUT SMART TUITION
*Instructions for Installment and Credit Card Payment Enrollment with Smart Tuition*
1. Tri-Annual payments (Jun, Oct, Feb)
2. 10 Monthly payments (Jun-Mar)
3. Credit Card payments
Tuition Refund Plan

The tuition refund plan is made available through A.W.G. Dewar's to protect the yearly financial obligation under the terms of the enrollment contract. The program insures fees (prepaid and due) in the event of separation according to the terms of the policy. Participation in the program is required unless the full annual charges are paid by June 1 (or upon enrollment if after June 1), in which case the plan is elective. The premium rate is 3% of the tuition, boarding and ESL total as applicable.

2020 - 2021 Tuition

For costs related to enrollment at Hilton Head Preparatory School, please contact Sarah DeMaria, Director of Admissions, at 843-715-8505.

Enrollment Deposit: A non-refundable deposit, made payable to the school, is due with enrollment contract. It will be applied to your tuition.

Enrollment Fee: All new students in grades 1-12 are charged a one-time Enrollment Fee, which is not part of tuition or the enrollment deposit.

Technology Fee: To ensure the funding of computer and library technology development, updating and maintenance, there is an annual fee applied to all students.

Financial Aid Procedures

Hilton Head Preparatory School's financial aid program supports the beliefs that a Hilton Head Prep education should be made available to as many highly-qualified students as possible and that maintaining an economically diverse student body is important to our school. Financial aid is provided in the form of a tuition reduction and is awarded based solely upon a family's financial need. We understand that because completed tax returns are required, the February 15, 2021 deadline may be challenging. However, in order to make awards in late March, this deadline is important.

We understand that cost matters and that each family presents its own unique circumstances. Our financial aid office will work with you to help make a Hilton Head Prep education affordable. In late 2017, legislation for 529 plans changed. Families are now allowed to withdraw up to $10,000 from qualified 529 plans to use towards private, secondary school tuition for their children.

Non-Discrimination Policy

Hilton Head Preparatory School admits students of any race, color, national, ethnic, or religious affiliation to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship program, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

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Application Deadline
Families may begin the process online at sss.nais.org beginning November 15, 2020.

The deadline for submitting the application and supporting materials to SSS and submitting all materials to Hilton Head Prep is February 15, 2021. This deadline is important; although late applications are accepted, funds may not be available.
Families should also submit the following directly to the Hilton Head Prep Financial Aid Committee by February 15, 2021:
1. A cover letter to the Financial Aid Committee outlining the reasons for applying and/or any unusual family or financial circumstances. This is an opportunity to address the committee and help the committee understand more about a family's individual situation and need.
It is the parents' responsibility to complete the Financial Aid application process by the given deadlines. The primary responsibility for financing a student's independent school education rests with the family. This noted, Hilton Head Prep's Financial Aid program makes every effort to help all eligible applicants.

For questions about the application process or paperwork, please contact:

Sarah DeMaria, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, at 843-715-8505.

For questions about qualification or appeals, please contact: Jon A. Hopman, Headmaster, at 843-671-2286.
Financial Aid Application Process
1. Mark the appropriate financial aid box on the Application for Admission.
2. Complete and submit the Parent Financial Statement (PFS) form to the School and Student Service for Financial Aid online at https://sss.secure.force.com/familyportal.
3. Submit copies of the following documents to SSS and Hilton Head Prep:
4. SSS will make recommendations regarding the amount of financial aid a family needs, however, it is the responsibility of the Financial Aid Committee to review the calculations and to make the final award. Decisions are influenced by the availability of school resources, the number of qualified applicants and overall budgetary constraints.
Guidelines

Each year the Board of Trustees establishes tuition, the overall budget for the school and a budget for the total amount available for financial aid. Using this as a guideline, the Financial Aid Committee evaluates applications and makes awards to as many families as possible.

To ensure impartiality, Hilton Head Prep uses an outside service, School and Student Service (SSS) to evaluate applications. Using their assessment and the other materials submitted, the Financial Aid Committee determines how much assistance can be offered to a family based on the school's overall budget. Awards are made to students in good standing based upon the family's financial need. (Please note that SSS will provide you with a copy of their recommendation to Hilton Head Prep, but you must request it at the time of your application.)

Families are encouraged to start the application process in November, but should submit their application to SSS no later than February 15, 2021.

Parents of new students should complete admissions and financial aid applications concurrently; financial aid applications are considered only after a new student has been accepted.

All families receiving aid must re-apply each year.

In separated or divorced families, each parent or guardian must submit an application.

*Financial aid is for tuition only.

Frequently Asked Questions

List of 3 frequently asked questions.

Who will see my personal information?

Parents' Financial Statements, copies of tax returns, pay stubs, and W-2's are filed with School and Student Services by sss.secure.force.com/familyportal, a secure national clearinghouse that processes financial aid for many independent schools. At Hilton Head Preparatory School, the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid will review your information to make sure it is complete. It will then be reviewed in confidence by the Financial Aid Committee.
If I apply for financial aid will it affect my child's chances of admission to Prep?

Applying for financial aid will not affect your child's chances of admission to the school. The Financial Aid Committee and Admissions Committee are two different groups. The Admissions Committee reviews every applicant in terms of their academic preparedness and fit for the community without any consideration of the family's financial status.
If my spouse and I are separated or divorced, do we both need to fill out the Parents' Financial Statement?

Hilton Head Preparatory School expects parents to contribute to the educational costs for their children to the full extent they are financially able. This principle applies to all parents, even those who are separated or divorced. Both parents are expected to file all of the necessary forms and to comply fully with all of the guidelines and requirements of the aid process. Thus, tax returns and forms are required of all parents. The custodial and non-custodial parent must each fill out the SSS Parents Financial Statement. Remarriage of either natural parent creates a new family unit with new relationships, but since the parents still have a parental obligation, the income and assets of the entire family unit (including new family units and step-parents) are viewed as relevant for the purposes of calculating a family's level of need. Hilton Head Preparatory School considers the obligations of the parents to their new family situation in determining the award, but will not allocate the award on a proportional basis among the families. The responsibility for communication and payment lies with the custodial parent.