Emma Willard School is a place to discover what it means to look within yourself and see your future on the horizon. By seeking out a school where you belong, you already show that you are ready for something more than the high school experience.
Emma Hart Willard founded her school on the basis of providing girls with a first-class education equal to that of men—one that challenged, inspired, and enabled them to serve and shape their worlds.
More than 200 years later, Emma Willard School proudly continues to carry on this mission.
Emma Willard School's curriculum focuses on three pillars: Intellectual Flexibility, Purpose & Community, and Equity & Justice. Our academic program offers more than 140 courses, including Emma's own unique Advanced Studies options. Personalized study programs enable students to dive deep into a topic or field of their choosing, and gain hands-on experience.
Education at Emma isn’t limited to the classroom—it’s woven into the fabric of our community. With students from around the world and across the United States, and faculty and staff with a wide breadth of life experiences, you will broaden your perspective the moment you walk onto campus.
Bonds created in the residence and dining halls, while practicing for an athletics match or arts performance, at one of our many cherished traditions, and all the little moments in between, define the Emma experience.
Emma Willard School offers tuition assistance to qualified students based on the financial need of the family and the availability of funds. For the 2022-2023 academic year we awarded nearly $5.9 million in need-based grants to Emma students. We are committed to making an Emma experience accessible to as many families as possible. It may surprise you to learn how affordable Emma’s quality education really is.
2022-2023 Financial Aid Statistics
Average Award - Boarding
47,333
Average Award - Day
25,306
Average Award
44,157
Number of awards
134
Percent Receiving
42%
All financial aid offered is in the form of a grant and does not need to be paid back. The amount each family receives varies considerably depending on a family’s financial circumstances. To apply for financial aid, please visit the SSS website and submit your Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) by February 1st (January 18th for returning families). The majority of our financial aid budget is offered to families who have submitted their PFS and required income tax documents by the deadline. Our ability to provide grants to late applicants is dependent upon our budget.
Start the Conversation
No two families are alike financially, so we offer one-on-one counseling on how you can afford an Emma education for your daughter. Talk with us directly, and we would be happy to answer your questions.
Please contact: Sarah Borom Accountant and Financial Aid Coordinator sborom@emmawillard.org 518.833.1798
Applying for financial aid can be a daunting process and we hope to demystify certain aspects with our FAQs section. We seek to use our financial aid dollars judiciously in effort to serve the families of as many deserving Emma Willard School students as possible.
The Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS) and required income tax documents are due on January 18 for returning students and February 1 for new applicants. Funds are extremely limited beyond the first initial round of awards, making it critical to meet the aforementioned deadline.
Consideration for budgeted dollars is given in the following order:
Applications from current recipients who have completed and submitted all required documents on time.
New applications from currently-enrolled students, if completed on time.
New applications from candidates for enrollment, if completed on time.
New and returning student applications completed after the specified deadlines, as long as funds remain available.
Complete the PFS online by way of the School and Student Service (SSS) by NAIS website. We require the following documents be submitted with your PFS in order to be considered for financial aid for the 2023-2024 academic year:
2021 or 2022 income tax return, including business tax return if applicable, and all supporting schedules and wage statements (W-2, 1099, etc.).
2022 wage statements (W-2, 1099, etc.), when available. You have the ability to login to a submitted PFS at any time to upload a new document or update information.
You have the option to either upload the required documents to your PFS or mail them to SSS, but uploading is faster. If your preference is to mail the documents, after you have completed and submitted your PFS, you have the option to submit required documents to SSS by mail. Justlog into the Family Portaland click on the “My Documents” tab in the upper right corner. Click the “Print Cover Sheet” link on that page to print the customized cover sheet. Make sure to mail your documents at least 10 days before the PFS due date. You will find our regular and overnight mail addresses on the cover sheet as well.
Any documents received by Emma Willard School will be forwarded to SSS by NAIS for attachment to your PFS and may delay on-time completion and review of your PFS.
Qualification for financial aid depends on a number of factors. Income, assets, obligations, number of dependents, ages of parents, the number of children attending full-time tuition charging institutions are just some of the factors that impact the level of financial aid a family may qualify for. We follow the financial aid guidelines established by SSS for Financial Aid in determining need. After parents submit their completed PFS, SSS reviews the information provided and uses a formula to calculate how much a family can afford to spend on a child’s education. This information is shared with both the family and the schools to which they are applying.
The Financial Aid Committee at Emma Willard reviews this recommendation along with the information included in the PFS and supporting documents provided, and makes the final decision on the amount of financial aid to award.
Yes, but on an extremely limited basis. We require all international students seeking financial aid to complete the international student financial aid profile form and submit it with the PFS.
Applicants acceptable for admission and qualifying on the basis of financial need to outnumber those whom we can afford to support. Therefore, we must make choices based on individual merit. Although need is the first requirement for financial aid, the final selection of a new recipient is based on our evaluation of the student’s overall academic and personal strengths.
We seek to meet each family’s demonstrated need as closely as we can. However, we expect those who will avail themselves of our assistance to share the effort to extend our resources as widely as possible by contributing as much as they can to their own daughter’s education. Thus we encourage and utilize parents’ offers of payments beyond amounts calculated within SSS guidelines.
Yes. Qualification for financial aid depends on many factors beyond income and we encourage you to apply if you are unsure if you may qualify. Your daughter’s chances for acceptance to Emma Willard will not be impacted by submitting an application for financial aid.
In cases of divorce or separation, Emma Willard School requires information from both natural parents and any stepparents. Each parent must complete and submit a PFS, as the family’s ability to contribute is based on both natural parents’ and any stepparents’ financial information. Please contact us to discuss your particular circumstances if you feel they are extenuating.
Parents of returning students will be notified of any award decision when reenrollment contracts are released at the end of February. Any amount awarded will be reported within the enrollment contract.
Parents of prospective students will be notified of any award decision when they are notified of our admission decision. This communication will be made on March 10 and any award amount will be reported within the enrollment contract.
The amount you can reasonably afford to contribute toward meeting the cost of an Emma Willard education is reviewed annually. Your contribution may increase, decrease, or remain the same depending on the change in your financial circumstances from year to year. We make our awards based on the most currently-available tax information. This is why we require you to reapply for financial aid each year.
Emma Willard School offers a 10-month payment plan administered by Smart Tuition. This plan allows families to make interest-free tuition payments on a monthly basis and may cover all or part of the costs at Emma Willard School. There is a $50 non-refundable fee to enroll in the plan, which runs from May 10, 2022 to February 10, 2023.
Scholarships
All scholarships granted by Emma Willard School are awarded on the basis of financial need and the availability of funds. There are no merit based awards. Many of these awards are endowed, in full or in part, through the generous contributions of individuals and foundations.
Together with Emma Willard School, the Shelby Cullom Davis family has established a program for international students to attract highly motivated potential future leaders. Emma Willard School will grant up to five need-based boarding scholarships for 2021-2022.
As a Davis Scholar financial support continues throughout the student’s college years, provided she attends one of the Davis Scholar colleges.
We work with access organizations to help ensure that all students have access to an excellent education. We currently have students from the following access organizations or sending school programs which support educational access for underrepresented students in the U.S.
Welcome to Emma Willard School, a private day and boarding high school for girls in Troy, NY, and a leader in girls' education for over 200 years.
PLEASE NOTE: All visitors to campus must check in with Campus Safety, which can be found at the red flag entrance to Sage Hall (Pawling Ave. entrance).