List of 8 frequently asked questions.

• Q. How do I apply for financial aid?

  Covenant’s Admissions and Financial Aid Office conducts the financial need analysis for parents through Facts Grant and Aid Assessment – a separate division from FACTS Tuition Management, which is used for tuition management. Families applying for financial aid must complete an online FACTS application at https://online.factsmgt.com/aid and submit the necessary supporting documents directly to FACTS. Covenant’s Financial Aid Committee then reviews the results provided by FACTS prior to determining financial award offers. The financial aid application for the 2024-25 school year will be available online starting November 1.
  
  

  The financial aid deadline for first-round applicants is February 1. Families who apply after the deadline may be considered for an award if financial aid resources are still available.

   

  Once an online application has been filed with FACTS, the supporting documents must be uploaded to your FACTS account or sent directly to FACTS via fax or mail:
  
  

  Fax:  1-866-315-9264

  Mail:  
  FACTS GRANT & AID ASSESSMENT
  P. O. Box 82524
  Lincoln, NE  68501-2524
  
  

  • Copies of your 2022 or 2023 State and Federal tax returns, including all supporting tax schedules (Note: the system will ask for your 2023 Tax Return and the Financial Aid Committee is able to waive that requirement on our end).
  • Copies of your 2023 W-2 forms for you and your spouse
  • Copies of supporting documentation for Social Security Income, Welfare, Child Support, Food Stamps, or Worker’s Compensation
    
    

  Questions about the process? Call a FACTS Customer Care Representative at 1-866-315-9262.

   

• Q. What is FACTS?

  FACTS is the nation's leading provider of tuition management, grant and aid assessment and school payment processing for private and faith-based schools. The Covenant School uses FACTS Tuition Management for collection of tuition and fees and FACTS Grant and Aid to verify financial need in the financial aid process.

• Q. How is financial aid awarded?

  The Covenant School contracts with FACTS management, a third-party company that specializes in evaluating a family's ability to pay tuition based on a variety of factors including family size, income, assets and net worth, number of children for whom the family pays tuition and other pertinent data. 
  
  The school will review all FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment application for tuition assistance and determine awards to be provided for each family based on the amount of funds available, the number of families who apply and each family's relative need.

• Q. What are the factors used to determine a family's financial award?

  • Income: Defined as pre-tax earnings from wages, business activity, investments, rental income, etc.
  • Other Assets: Savings, stocks, home equity, etc.
  • Family Size: Living allowances taking into account the number of people in a household and costs associated with expenses such as food, medical needs, and childcare. 
  • Family Educational Commitments: Other parochial or private school tuition or college tuition for siblings. 
  • Unique Family Circumstances: This includes medical emergencies or other unexpected necessities.
  • Divorced, Separated, or Never-married Parents: Custodial parents are required to submit a FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment application as a part of the process. This is regardless of any legal arrangement. Exceptions to this are only granted upon written request, which must contain a full explanation of why both parents are unable to complete the required forms.
  • Employment: It is expected that parents receiving financial aid will both be employed as able to support the expense of private education. We understand that circumstances such as caring for a disabled or elderly parent, a medical disability, younger children at home, or caring for a child with a long-term disability may exempt a family from this input.

• Q. I am already a Covenant parent. Do I have to re-apply annually for financial aid?

  Yes. Parents must re-apply for financial aid by February 1 each year, as financial circumstances may change from year to year. Families who apply after this date may compromise their probability of financial aid. If you completed an application previously and remember your user name and password, the demographics will auto-populate but no financial information will populate. Otherwise, you may start over with a new application each year.

• Q. When will I learn about my financial aid award?

  Parents who apply in the first round of applications will be notified via email from FACTS with a response to their application by mid-March.  Later applicants will be notified via email from the Financial Aid Committee and/or FACTS approximately two weeks after submission. Families have seven days to respond to the FACTS email to accept or decline the financial aid offer.   

• Q. To whom do I turn if I have questions about the process?

  If you have specific questions about completing the FACTS application form, please visit http:factsmgt.com/parents.
  
  For other questions, Covenant’s Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Betsy Carter, may be reached at 434-220-7330 or bcarter@covenantschool.org.

• Q. 529 Plans: A note to parents and guardians

  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017, which brings about the largest tax reform since 1986. While most of the focus has been on the changes to corporate and personal tax rates and deductions, the plan also includes many other small provisions that tend to be overlooked. One of these provisions expands the benefits of 529 savings plans.
  
  

  A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged savings plan originally designed to help families pay for college. The main advantage of a typical 529 plan, over a normal savings or investment account, is that the earnings are not subject to federal tax and are typically not subject to state tax, as long as the funds are used for qualified education expenses.
  
  

  With the new tax bill, distributions of up to $10,000 per year, per beneficiary can now be used for elementary or secondary public, private, or religious school tuition. While this is a great new benefit, it may require individuals to revisit their investment strategy with their financial advisor. This information is provided for informational purposes only, and we ask that you seek the advice of your tax professional prior to making any decisions concerning 529 plans.