Variable Tuition
Variable Tuition (VT) is our in-house financial aid program, made possible through the generosity of our Montgomery Catholic community. Any family, new or current, with students in K5-12, may apply for VT if they are concerned about affording the full tuition rate at MCPS. MCPS utilizes a third-party, confidential service (Blackbaud Financial Aid Management) to facilitate the VT determination. Factors considered include income, assets, unusual expenses, and the size of the family.
We encourage families applying for VT to FIRST check their eligibility for the CHOOSE Act and Scholarship Granting Organizations, as they can provide significantly more aid than our in-house VT program and should be considered first.
Returning Families:
- If you are a returning family and need to apply for Variable Tuition, you should apply once you enroll your student(s) and pay the non-refundable $250 registration fee for the next school year.
- You must complete enrollment and pay the registration fee for your student(s) to be considered enrolled and to be eligible to apply for Variable Tuition.
- Click here to navigate to Blackbaud Financial Aid Management to complete the application.
There is a $30 application fee. - Deadline for Returning Families: March 1, 2027
– Late submissions will not be reviewed until after all other applicants have been awarded
and potentially could result in no awarding due to lack of funds. - Once financial assistance is finalized (typically in April or May), a “re-generated” contract that incorporates appropriate aid amounts will be created for you to review and sign, replacing the original tuition contract. This will secure your rate for the upcoming school year.
New Families:
- If you are a new family accepted to MCPS later than our Spring deadline, you can apply for Variable Tuition. Email Jessica Frazier to get the process started.
- Once accepted, you will receive an online tuition contract for each student you are enrolling.
- You will need to sign the contract and pay the non-refundable $250 registration fee to be considered fully enrolled and eligible to apply for financial aid
- After your student(s) is fully enrolled, you can complete the online Variable Tuition application by clicking here to navigate to Blackbaud Financial Aid Management to complete the application and pay the $30 application fee.
Before you apply for Variable Tuition (VT):
- Student is in a grade eligible for VT (K5 – 12th). Financial aid is not provided to students in K3 or K4.
- Student is fully enrolled in MCPS for the upcoming school year (contract signed and $250 non-refundable registration fee paid).
- Family has checked eligibility / applied for the CHOOSE Act and/or Scholarship Granting Organizations, as they can provide significantly more aid than our in-house VT program and should be considered first. **If you enroll after the spring deadline or enrolling during the current school year, it would be past the deadline to apply for the CHOOSE Act or Scholarship Granting Organizations.**
Blackbaud Application Information:
- Blackbaud Application Fee: $30 (NOTE: this fee is NOT paid to MCPS)
- Documents required to be uploaded to your application:
- Most recent paystubs
- Most recent W-2 forms for all jobs
- Most recently filed federal tax return (1040)
- Most recently filed business tax return: 1120, 1120S, 1065 (if applicable)
- Supplemental income documentation: Social Security income, Welfare, Food Stamps, Child Support, 1099-M Forms, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment, Veterans Benefits, Housing Allowance, etc.
- If you are unable to provide any of the aforementioned items, you must submit a Special Circumstance Letter indicating which document(s) you are unable to provide and why.
- NOTE: applications submitted without documentation will not be processed
- Deadline for submitting the application and supporting documents: March 1, 2027*
**If you are a new family accepted to MCPS later than our Spring deadlines, you can apply for Variable Tuition. Email Jessica Frazier to get the process started.
How it Works:
- Applications are submitted directly to Blackbaud, who evaluates the supporting documents and provides a confidential report with recommendation to the MCPS Business Office.
- In April/May, the MCPS Business Office will notify families of the financial aid (VT) offered and will re-generate a tuition contract to incorporate that amount.
- If you accept the offer, you would sign the new contract, replacing the original tuition contract and securing that rate for the upcoming school year.
- If you do not accept the offer and need to un-enroll your student, you will be released from your original contract.
Important Notes on Financial Aid:
- MCPS works with its available resources to make the school accessible to as many families as possible.
- Financial Aid will never cover 100% of a student’s tuition. All families at MCPS are required to pay a portion of the standard tuition as an investment in their child’s education, and all families are required to pay the annual $750 capital assessment fee.
If you are ready to apply for VT, click here to access the application:
https://studentfinancialaid.blackbaud.school
- Have a prior year account?
- Sign in using your existing information and your application will roll over into the next school year.
- You can verify if there are any changes to your contact information, then proceed to upload current supporting documents.
- First time applying for VT?
- Create your account by entering an email address as your username (this is the email address where Blackbaud will use to contact you in the event that your application is “On Hold” for missing documentation).
- Once you create your username and password, you will receive a verification email.
- Next, please click the verification link to verify that you are the account holder, and you will then be able to log in using the username and password you created.
- Refer to the following page for detailed online instructions and FAQs from Blackbaud
- Submitting your Documents:
- Each document must be uploaded separately under the appropriate document type.
- Reminder: applications submitted without documentation will not be processed
- Your application is not considered complete until it moves to “verified” status in Blackbaud.
If you have questions or need help uploading documents to your application, please contact
Blackbaud:
- Phone Support: (800)-360-8027
- Email Support: financialaidsupport@blackbaud.school
- Live Chat Support: once logged into your account, click the icon in the lower right corner of your screen
Online Instructions from Blackbaud
- Section 1 – Household Information
- Parent/Guardian: Enter the parent or guardian’s contact information.
- Dependent: Enter all dependents that live in the household. (For dependents in college, select the “attending another private school” status option.)
- Section 2 – Selecting A School
- Enter your school’s five-digit code (MCPS is 14049).
- Once a school is selected, select the student(s) you wish to apply for aid at MCPS.
- Select the upcoming grade for the student and expected tuition for the upcoming year (MCPS Tuition & Fees are posted on our website).
- Section 3 – Income & Expenses
- Enter any income the household receives; employment, business or supplemental.
- If the work status is selected as ‘employed’, ‘self-employed’, ‘unemployed, receiving benefits’, or ‘disabled, receiving benefits,’ you will be required to enter this income source in the appropriate section before moving through the application.
- Please enter all expenses as they pertain to your household.
- Section 4 – Assets & Debts
- Enter all assets and debts as they pertain to your household.
- Section 5 – Special Circumstances
- Check off any special circumstance that pertains to your household.
- If no option available best describes your household’s circumstance, please check ‘other’ and describe your situation.
- This information is confidential and will only be available to designated School Administration and Blackbaud Financial Aid Management.
- Section 6 – Submit
- If your school uses family school codes, please make the appropriate selection.
- Agree to Smart Aid’s terms and conditions, then click SUBMIT to complete your online application.
Please be sure to enter all fields with accuracy because once an application has been submitted and paid for it can no longer be edited by a parent. However, if changes are necessary a written statement with the change (including the application ID), should be sent to: financialaidsupport@blackbaud.school
Frequently Asked Questions from Blackbaud
Q: Who should complete this aid application?
A: Whomever the child resides with should complete this application whether it is a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or legal guardian. There is a section within the application where you can enter contributions from non-custodial parents and relatives.
Q: Why do I need to input my spouse’s information if I am remarried and they are not legally
responsible for my children?
A: Blackbaud Financial Aid Management’s calculation works off of the total household income, therefore including all income, whether the party is legally responsible for your children or not. Our system, however, does take into effect your spouse’s expenses as well as their income. It is important to list all expenses that are asked for within the application.
Q: I do not have the required tax documents. HELP!
A: Include the most recent tax documentation you have available. If you are asked for a specific line from a tax document that you have not yet completed, please estimate the projected amount
