Financial Aid
n
1814, Emma Willard began educating young women in her home in Middlebury,
Vermont, launching the first and oldest school in the United States committed
to offering girls the same educational opportunities as those available to
boys. In 1821, the School moved to Troy, New York, and soon became known
as the leading school for girls in the country. As such, it attracted numerous
applications from girls whose families could not afford the tuition. Always
the visionary, Emma Willard knew that an investment in outstanding young
women who could not afford the education she offered was an investment not
only in them, but in the quality of her school. Accordingly, she provided
significant sums of her own money to needy girls for their educations, thereby
establishing one of the first financial aid programs for girls in the United
States.
Today, our financial aid program proudly continues this tradition of providing an extraordinary education for young women, regardless of their ability to pay. As in the 1820s, Emma Willard remains committed to the premise that a truly excellent school must support and maintain a strong financial aid program in order to attract and enroll the strongest, most diverse student body possible. Through a financial aid program that is based principally upon demonstrated financial need, but that also provides a small number of merit scholarships based on academic excellence or special talent, the School assists over 40 percent of the student body in meeting educational costs.
A first-rate education like the one offered by Emma Willard is unarguably expensive. Thanks to the school’s very strong endowment and alumnae support, more than 40 percent of Emma Willard’s operating costs are underwritten from resources other than tuition. This means that every family receives a substantial subsidy from the school. However, we recognize the considerable cost of an independent education and encourage families who believe that additional assitance will be necessary to apply for financial aid. Such assistance is based on the assumptions that the primary obligation for financing a student’s education lies with the family and that the family is willing to make significant adjustments in the use of its discretionary resources in order to meet educational costs. In order to provide financial assistance in an equitable manner, families seeking aid must complete the Parents’ Financial Statement of the School and Student Service for Financial Aid. In all cases, we look for evidence that a family’s commitment to their daughter’s education is at least as strong as the School’s.
Despite Emma Willard’s long-standing commitment to assist as many families who require financial assistance as possible, the demand each year exceeds the availability of resources for this purpose. While most accepted students receive a financial aid package at the time of admission, it is possible that, in a limited number of cases each year, an accepted candidate will be placed on a financial aid waiting list pending the responses of other students to whom aid has been offered.
In allocating the School’s limited financial aid resources, the financial aid committee considers a number of criteria. These include the strength of a candidate’s academic credentials, the quality of her extracurricular involvement, the strength of her recommendations, her potential to make a meaningful contribution to the life of the School, the diversity she will bring to the campus community, and the amount of need.
