Nightingale provides need-based financial aid to meet the difference between what a family can afford and the cost of tuition. We make every effort to evaluate and understand the distinctiveness of each family’s situation and give deliberate, individual consideration based on information provided by the family and the Clarity financial aid application.
Decisions regarding financial aid are made by the Financial Aid Committee on the basis of demonstrated need and the availability of funds. We are not able to award financial aid to every family who applies. The Financial Aid Committee keeps all financial information confidential and grants awards regardless of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, or disability. Families receiving financial aid are obligated to keep their aid package details confidential.
Tuition assistance is granted for one year. Renewal is not automatic or guaranteed. Families are required to submit applications annually, as available funds vary from year to year and each family’s financial circumstances may also change. Families who do not apply for aid when first admitted are ineligible to apply for two years.
For the 2025–2026 academic year, Nightingale awarded over $7 million in financial aid towards tuition to 18% of the student body, with an average award of approximately $55,000 per student. Families who qualify for tuition aid are also given proportionate financial assistance for non-tuition-related items. This is covered in more detail in Tuition and Related Expenses, below.
The Nightingale financial aid program is designed to make a Nightingale education possible for all families based on demonstrated financial need and the availability of funds. Nightingale uses the Clarity application to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts.
To get started, please go to the Clarity Application and create an account. The application typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. The Clarity Application is also mobile-friendly so you can complete it from anywhere. You are also able to save your progress and return at any time. At the end of the application, there is a $60 fee to submit, and you can share your application with additional schools that accept the Clarity Application for no additional charge. Simply use the dropdown menu in the application to select those schools. Please ensure “The Nightingale-Bamford School (New York, NY)” has been selected as one of your sending schools.
The deadline for completing the financial aid application including relevant supplemental documents is December 1, 2025.
If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen, as well as email and phone support at support@clarityapp.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish. The application itself is also fully translated into Spanish.
Many factors enter into the determination of financial aid awards, such as household income and expenses, assets and indebtedness, and the number of children attending tuition-charging schools and colleges. Because individual family financial circumstances differ, the calculation of need will be unique to each circumstance. Given the many variables that affect an award decision, it is impossible to accurately predict a family’s financial aid award based solely on family income.
The custodial and non-custodial parents must complete a separate Clarity application per household. The financial situation of both parents is considered, in addition to stepparents and legal guardians. If one parent has had no involvement with the student for an extended period of time, the custodial parent should complete the second parent waiver form and upload that document directly to Clarity.
Prospective families applying for financial aid for the 2026–2027 academic year must complete the required Clarity application by December 1, 2025. The Director of Financial Aid will be directly in touch with families after December 1, 2025, should their applications require further documents. Nightingale will only consider financial aid applications that are complete by the December 1, 2025 deadline.
For more information about Nightingale’s financial aid policies and procedures, please contact Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Liz Cavanaugh at 212-933-6581 or financialaid@nightingale.org.
Nightingale’s tuition includes:
A family receiving tuition aid will receive proportionate assistance for the following non-tuition expenses:
Nightingale Admissions
$80 is due upon submission of an admissions application. This fee is waived for families applying for financial aid.
Financial Aid Application
Clarity charges a processing fee of $60 for applications. Application fee waivers are granted directly through Clarity to qualifying families. Please contact support@clarityapp.com or 206-210-3752, in both English and Spanish, for information regarding Clarity application fee waivers.
Enrollment Deposit
A non-refundable enrollment deposit is due with the signed enrollment contract, as follows:
The enrollment contract becomes binding on May 1.
For the 2026-2027 school year, Nightingale offers the following payment plans:
Payment due dates can be either the 1st or the 15th of each month.
The following policies direct the actions of the school and those of faculty and staff:
As with any insurance plan, the Tuition Refund Plan (TRP) is protection against the unexpected. Although the signed enrollment contract obligates the parent/guardian to pay tuition for the entire school year, certain circumstances may necessitate the student’s extended absence or withdrawal from the school. In that event, the TRP allows a family to recoup some of the costs they would otherwise be obligated to pay. The amount of reimbursement available is determined by the timing and nature of the student’s absence or withdrawal from the school. Information about this coverage is provided annually with the enrollment contract.
For more information about Nightingale’s financial aid policies and procedures, please contact Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Financial Aid Liz Cavanaugh at 212-933-6581 or financialaid@nightingale.org.
