What is financial aid?

A Financial Aid (or Financial Assistance) program is offered by many independent schools. It provides families a needs-based money award that is offset against tuition fees. The money mostly comes from our generous community of donors. It is not a loan and does not need to be repaid.

What does ‘needs-based’ mean?

Needs-based’ (or ‘means-based’) is an award that is based on the financial position of your family. It is a variable amount and the academic potential of the student is not a factor.

How many students at SMUS receive financial aid?

Approximately 20% of the student population at SMUS receives a portion of financial aid, scholarship and staff bursaries. Although the financial aid budget is finite, SMUS has no cap on the number of students that receive financial aid. Students on financial aid are treated the same as full fee paying students.

Is my financial information kept private?

Your financial information is held in the strictest confidence. It is only made available to Senior Leadership Team members on the SMUS Financial Aid Committee.

Am I eligible for financial aid?

There are no restrictions on the Financial Aid program at SMUS. It is open to all grades, to both day and boarding students; Domestic, North American and International. Please see the Eligibility for Financial Aid page for more information.

How much money can an award be?

The Financial Aid program awards up to a maximum of 50% of the cost of tuition. The application process is a detailed assessment of your family’s financial position by a third-party organization (see the Application Process webpage). It considers several factors including dependents, income and assets. This means that until you have gone through the external application process it is impossible to define an award amount. As you might expect, there are too many variables to consider, so we encourage you to apply.

Should I apply for financial aid?

The school assumes that parents, to the extent that they are able, will bear the primary responsibility for financing their children’s education, sometimes at the expense of other discretionary expenditures. If you have looked at the Tuition Fees pages and feel like the fee would be a struggle to pay, you should apply.

How do I apply for financial aid?

See the Application Process for Financial Aid webpage.

How do I receive a financial aid award?

When you accept a financial aid offer, the award is applied as a credit to your SMUS account.

Is financial aid renewable?

Since it is common for financial positions to change, we require families to reapply each year for financial aid. It is likely that if the student is in good standing and your position does not change that you will continue to receive Financial Aid each year.

Can I apply for financial aid in the future?

We recognize that personal circumstances change, so each year all families can apply or reapply for financial aid.

Apply for Kindergarten

We are delighted you are considering SMUS for your child and welcome an application from your family. Kindergarten at SMUS provides a joyful and engaged start to your child’s academic journey.

Key Information

Kindergarten is the recommended entry point for the SMUS Junior School. A limited number of spaces become available in Grades 1-5 and we therefore highly recommend Kindergarten as your entry year to SMUS.
The Kindergarten admissions process begins each fall for the following school year. We suggest submitting your child's application prior to September, one full year ahead of your desired entry year. Should you be applying after November, we will be happy to have you apply for consideration for a possible placement or Wait Pool spot. Kindergarten play-based visits are held in person.
We invite you to contact Admissions to learn more about our Junior School and to hear about opportunities to join us at an Open House and tour the school.

Start Your Application

Applying to SMUS is a multi-step process. Before your child's application is reviewed by the Admissions Office, you will be asked to create an account through our Admissions Portal. This account will manage the admissions and assessment process of your child. Once you have created this account, you will be asked to complete and submit a series of forms and documents. Once you have gathered the supporting documents, this process should take you no more than 30 minutes to complete.

Admissions Portal

Help With Your Application

If you have any questions or have any difficulties with the Admissions Portal, please reach out to [email protected].

Application Fee

There is a non-refundable application fee of CAD $250, which is paid online by credit card through the Admissions Portal.

Financial Information

Information about tuition fees for Junior School is available from the Fees and Financial Support page.

The school assumes that parents, to the extent that they are able, will bear the primary responsibility for financing their children’s education. However, if you need extra help meeting the cost of tuition then you may wish to consider our Financial Aid program. An early application is advised but no offer of financial aid is made until you have an offer of a place at SMUS.

Campus Visit and Assessment

Campus Visit Invitation

Your submitted Kindergarten application will be reviewed by our Admissions office and you and your child will be invited to the Junior School for a campus visit. The visit includes:

A meeting with the Director of the Junior School.
A tour of the Junior School campus with a member of the Parent Welcome Committee. This is a great opportunity to hear about the experiences of a current parent.
Seeing a Kindergarten class in action.
An individual assessment of your child.

Assessment

The second step to the Kindergarten Admission process is a Play Workshop. This is a fun, small group setting where your child is invited for playtime in our Kindergarten room.

Review

The Admissions office will then assess your full application and notify you of the result. Your application will be placed in one of three categories:

Offer. Your application is successful and you have been offered a place at SMUS.
Wait Pool. Your application is placed in the Wait Pool and you will be notified should a space for your child become available.
Non-Acceptance. Your application is unsuccessful. This can be because of limited space or the Admissions office does not believe the program is the right fit for your child at this time.

If you have received an offer from the school, you will be given a time period in which to accept your offer.

To accept your offer, you will need to:

Contact our Admissions office stating that you wish to accept.
Pay a non-refundable CAD $2,500 registration fee. Because we are a school with limited places, this fee helps us ensure your commitment to the program.

If you need more information to make a decision, please contact the Admissions office.