Financial Assistance

Berry College Elementary & Middle School welcomes a community diverse in economic, social, and ethnic backgrounds. The mission of our school’s need-based tuition assistance program is to offer financial support to students who would not otherwise be able to attend BCEMS. We are committed to supporting as many students and families with financial need as possible while ensuring the health of our resources and our ability to see these students continue their education at BCEMS through 8th grade.

Funding for tuition assistance is supported through the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, the BCEMS annual operating budget, the BCEMS Middle School Scholarship Fund, and the Berry Half Marathon.

Tuition assistance is intended to support tuition fees only and is not available for additional optional programs including school lunches, after school care, and after school Enrichment Programs.

Applying for tuition assistance is completely separate from applying for admission to BCEMS. A family’s ability to pay for private education is considered by FACTS, an online service chosen by BCEMS to help families feel confident that their request for financial aid is being treated objectively and professionally. FACTS services over 11,000 schools nationwide and is respected for excellent customer service. All tuition assistance decisions and financial information is held in the strictest confidence. Need-based assistance requires families to reapply and submit supporting documentation to the FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment Service every year.

BCEMS TUITION ASSISTANCE PROCESS

All BCEMS Tuition Assistance Applications will be processed through FACTS Management. It is a family’s responsibility to complete the application by submitting all required documents (from both parents) and responding to emails and communication from FACTS. If you have any questions, please contact FACTS 1-866-441-4637 or e-mail help@factstuitionaid.com.

1. Review BCEMS Tuition Assistance Program guidelines: For returning students, February 9, 2024, is the deadline for completing the online FACTS application and submitting required documents (2023 tax return, 2023 W-2 and all required financial information requested) for verification by FACTS. It can take up to two weeks for FACTS to verify your request after receiving all your required documents.
2. FACTS will request your most recently filed Federal Income Tax Return. For Tuition Assistance for the 2024-2025 school year, your FACTS application will ask you to upload 2023 financial documents (2023 tax return, 2023 W-2 and all required financial information requested).
3. Use FACTS to apply or reapply for all BCEMS Tuition Assistance: https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/3SGNK.
4. Applications for tuition assistance submitted after the deadline may be considered in the event funds are still available.
5. FACTS charges a fee of $40.00 to be paid online.
6. FACTS verifies and analyzes family financial information before making a recommendation to BCEMS about the level of need for tuition assistance.
7. The BCEMS Tuition Assistance Committee reviews the FACTS report recommendation, considers the availability of funds, the number of eligible students in need, and makes a decision about tuition assistance.
8. All tuition assistance decisions are communicated to the parent/guardian via postal mail.
9. When seeking tuition assistance, it is important to be mindful of all deadlines, thorough and honest applications and submission of all required documents, responsive to emails and letters from FACTS and BCEMS, and committed to all BCEMS Tuition Assistance policies.
10. Late and incomplete applications will not be considered until complete, and only if funds are still available.
11. Please contact Lori Frederick, Director, or Lynne Reilly, Director of Admissions, at the BCEMS office at 706.236.2242 with questions.