Need help with Catholic school tuition?
Deadline to apply for tuition grants is April 16

March 22, 2007

Families seeking assistance for Catholic school tuition are encouraged to fill out an application for tuition grants.

More than $690,000 was raised for Catholic school tuition assistance for the 2007-2008 school year in the Diocese of Sioux City through the Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation and that means more families than ever before will receive help with the cost of tuition.

Families may qualify for tuition grants through the Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation if their income does not exceed three times the federal poverty guidelines.

For the first time ever, all families seeking any form of tuition assistance offered by the schools will be asked to complete an application through a third-party review process conducted by FAIR (Financial Aid Independent Review, Inc.) based out of Rosemount, Minn.

Families will fill out one form to apply for funds through the Msgr. Lafferty Tuition Foundation, Catherine Birzle Education Scholarship (for diocesan high school students) and local school tuition assistance money.With this process, families - regardless if they have students in more than one Catholic school - will fill out just one application form.

Tuition assistance application forms are on hand at every Catholic school in the diocese. These forms include an application, instruction sheet and an envelope to mail the application and supporting tax documents to FAIR. In order to complete the application process, persons must have completed their taxes for 2006.

Once the grants have been submitted for final processing, families will receive an award letter directly from FAIR.

These grants will be applied to the 2007-2008 school year and not this present year's tuition. The money will be directly deposited into the students' tuition accounts at the schools. The grants do not go to families.

The firm deadline for applications is postmarked by April 16. The final grant distribution decisions will be made on May 5.

In addition to sending in an application via traditional mail, families may opt to fill out a form on-line at www.fairapp.com - with this process they must have the ability to pay the $17 application fee electronically by credit or debit card. They must also have a return e-mail address. If families do not have the capacity to pay the $17 fee, they should contact their local school or pastor.

For more information, contact your local Catholic school principal, development director or school business manager. Individuals may also seek information through the Office of Education at the diocese.