The Benefit
Contacts, Forms
What Is the Benefit?
A Primary Tuition Scholarship (PTS) pays between 10 percent and 35 percent of your child’s tuition, depending on eligible family income. You’re entitled to as many scholarships as you have eligible children; and a child with two parents eligible for the benefit can receive two scholarships simultaneously.
“Tuition” is defined as the portion of the bill that covers the academic program. Other fees (e.g. for extra-curricular activities or materials) are not covered, even if the bill from the school combines them with “tuition.”
If your child receives awards and scholarships from other sources, the amount of their PTS will not be affected, except that it will be capped at your actual tuition liability. A PTS will never pay you more than you need to cover your actual tuition costs.
If your child departs from the school listed on your application during a school year, you will be required to refund a portion of the PTS to the University.
See the table below to determine what portion of the scholarship you would be entitled to retain.
The School at Columbia
The PTS program pays 50 percent of your child’s tuition for grades K–4 at The School at Columbia University. (In Fall 2003, 50 percent of The School’s tuition equaled $11,000.)
As with all private schools, admission to The School is a separate process not related to the PTS program. For more information, contact the Admissions Office or visit their website.
Other Morningside Heights schools
If your child was enrolled as of Fall 2003 in a grade from K through 4 in one of the following schools— the Cathedral School, the Bank Street School for Children, or St. Hilda’s and St. Hugh’s School—they are also eligible for a PTS equaling 50 percent of their school’s tuition. (This does not apply to students enrolled in K–4 for the first time after Fall 2003.)
How is eligible family income calculated?
The PTS program looks at the previous year’s federal income return(s) of the child’s family. This will always include your return. In addition, it may include the return of the person who claims the child as a dependent if you do not.
On the federal tax return (and, if applicable, the federal tax return of the person who claims the child as a dependent, if not you), the “total tax” you pay is subtracted from your “taxable income.” The resulting “eligible family income” is used to determine coverage, as shown in the accompanying table. (Note: on the federal 1040EZ form, the equivalent of “total tax” is simply called “tax.”)
