Financial aid and Bourses Scolaires

FASRI is committed to helping families facing financial challenges and does as much as it can to support qualified financial aid applicants. The application procedure is outlined below. If you need further information, please contact admissions@fasri.org.

FOR FRENCH CITIZENS: if your child is a French citizen, you must apply for the Bourses Scolaires (French Government Scholarships) through the French Consulate in Boston.  Full details are available at their website. The deadline for the Bourses Scolaires for 2012/13 is March 2, 2012. Please note that you must submit the application directly to the French Consulate in Boston, not to FASRI.

FOR ALL OTHER FAMILIES, please see information below:

  • FASRI is committed to assisting to qualified families in need of financial aid. However, funds dedicated to financial aid may not be sufficient in every case to cover all needs.
  • Financial aid applications are accepted for students in Kindergarten and above. For families with a child in Kindergarten at FASRI, the school will accept an application including younger siblings in the lower grades.
  • The application deadline is Monday, February 29, 2012.
  • The Financial Aid Committee meets in early March to review the applications, and families are informed of the decision around March 15, 2012.
  • Applications will not be considered if they are received after the deadline.

To be eligible for financial aid, students must show consistent academic proficiency and positive behavior. Both student and family must demonstrate support and respect for the school's mission and values. In addition to this, current families must be in good financial standing with the school.

FASRI uses the online service of Financial Aid for School Tuition (FAST) to process applications.  FAST will be the standard submission format for all applications to FASRI (except for French citizens, who must apply for the Bourses Scolaires through the French Consulate in Boston – please see link above).

The FAST service does not decide whether financial assistance will be given or how much to give. FAST provides a need-based financial aid analysis service which includes a recommendation of what a family should reasonably contribute toward tuition.  All information from FAST is kept confidential.  Results are reviewed and awards made by FASRI's Financial Aid Committee based on total need and resources available in FASRI's financial aid budget.  Upon approval by the Committee, financial aid offers are then sent to families around March 15.

As a reminder, families currently receiving financial aid must reapply each year.  For all families (both current and new) wishing to apply, to start the process, please do the following:

  • Link to FAST and begin your application.
  • The application process is self-guided. You may navigate in and out of the program allowing you to partially complete an application and go back to it at another time.  Online e-mail and a 24/7 helpline is provided. Please contact the FAST helpline with questions about the online application, not FASRI. FAST will be best qualified to answer those questions.
  • IMPORTANT: there is space in the online application for families to provide relevant background information. For example, a family may wish to share information about individual circumstances which give FASRI a full picture, allowing the Financial Aid Committee to make an appropriate award. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

 The charge for the application is $34.00 to be paid by credit card at the end of the session.  If you do not have a credit card, or cannot budget the fee, please call FASRI for assistance.

After completing the online application you will be required to mail your 2011 tax returns for both state and federal taxes with all schedules and W-2's POSTMARKED MARCH 14 AT THE LATEST to:

FAST Processing
ISM
1316 North Union Street
Wilmington DE  19806-2594

Please include 'French-American School of Rhode Island' on the outside of the envelope. This will ensure faster processing of your application.The online submission deadline for all applications is Monday, February 28, 2011.Your tax return must follow the submission, and be postmarked by March 14, 2012. Make your tax appointment early so that you can meet the deadlines.

If you have any questions regarding any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact Louise Jakobson at 401 274 3325 or by email at ljakobson@fasri.org.