Tuition & Financial Aid

Rochester Catholic Schools partners with Blackbaud Financial Aid to determine your family's eligibility for financial aid. Please read the directions before beginning your application. 

Yearly Application Required:
Families with students entering Kindergarten - Grade 12 are eligible to apply for yearly financial aid.  A new application must be submitted each year. Priority consideration is given to families that apply before the Feb. 1 deadline. Financial aid funds are limited and are awarded according to application deadline.

RCS School ID: 15137

Family Application Fee: $35.00

Business Owner Application Fee: $55.00

Directions for Applying for Financial Aid

Click Here to complete the Financial aid Application

Questions? Contact Blackbaud Financial Aid Customer Service:

● Phone Support: (800)-360-8027

● Email Support: financialaidsupport@blackbaud.school

If your family is registered as members of a Catholic parish in Rochester, your family may be eligible for a parish tuition grant.

This grant is available for students entering Kindergarten through Grade 12. Families must apply each school year for this grant before Feb. 1. Only one application is needed per family.  

Grant amount: $1,650.00 per student 

Below are the individual 2024-25 parish grant applications links. Please select the parish you are registered with and complete the application by Feb. 1. 

Church of the Resurrection

Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist church

St. Pius X Church 

Holy Spirit Catholic Church

Pax Christi Catholic Church

St. Francis of Assisi Church

Scholarship Application: The application usually becomes available in mid-February through the Foundation. RCS will communicate via our social media platforms and weekly broadcast when we have received the scholarship application. Families may pick the application up at the RCS Central Office or your school office. The Foundation does not offer an electronic option. 

Awards Communicated in July 2024: The Catholic Foundation of Southern MN will inform recipients of the grant committee’s decision on awards. If eligible, the Foundation will contact RCS and your grant award will be credited to your tuition account.

To apply for Seeds of Faith funds:

1. When the scholarship application becomes available, stop by the RCS Central Office or your school office to pick up an application. 
2. Complete application and provide all required documentation. A checklist of accompanying paperwork is listed on the last page of the application.
3. Deliver your application to your parish pastor, faith leader, or building principal to complete Sections B, C and G.
4. Families are required to mail their application by May 1, 2024 to: 

If you are a military family, please click the link below to learn about this wonderful scholarship opportunity. Applications open on February 1st and close on March 31st. 

Folds of Honor

Families enrolling with The Nest may qualify for a scholarship with the State of MN early education program called Families First. An application must be submitted yearly. Please click the link below to read about eligibility requirements.

https://www.familiesfirstmn.org/services/early-learning-scholarships/eligibility-requirements/

If your family is awarded a scholarship with Families First of MN, we will work with this organization to credit your tuition account accordingly. Please contact Families First with further questions.   

Families First

Who Do I Contact with Questions?

It is time to soar into kindergarten! We are excited to welcome our rising kindergarten students and families -- and to announce our NEW Early Bird Kindergarten Scholarship.

Families with students who will be entering Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year will be eligible to receive a $500.00 tuition discount when enrolled by Feb. 1, 2024.

There is no application for this scholarship. Your tuition account will show a credit of $500.00. 

It is time to soar into high school! We are excited to announce our NEW Franciscan Scholarship honoring incoming ninth grade students who, through their academic excellence, are following in the example of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. 

Twenty (20) merit scholarships will be awarded to students currently enrolled at one of our middle schools, or are new to Lourdes High School. Families are not required to demonstrate financial need in order to apply. 

Scholarship amount: $2,500

Further information will be coming soon, along with the scholarship application and deadline date.  

Essay Topic: Our Franciscan charism has taught us to live joyfully as peacemakers, to care compassionately for all creation, to be just and socially responsible, to see humanity with God’s eyes, and to recognize goodness in our daily lives. Reflecting on your experiences as a learner and student, share how you have exemplified one or more of these Franciscan teachings through your academic excellence? 

Please note: The Franciscan Scholarship will replace the LHS Grade 9 Loyalty Grant program beginning in the 2024-25 school year. If your budget had planned on the Loyalty Grant, please complete the application for financial aid. 

The LHS Loyalty Grant is available to current ninth grade families that will be returning to Grade 10 for the 2024-25 school year. 

Grant amount: $500.00

There is no application for this grant. Your tuition account will show a credit of $500.00. 

Please note: The Loyalty Grant will be no longer be offered after the 2024-25 school year. If families are seeking financial assistance, we encourage you to apply for financial aid. 

RaiseRight (formerly called Scrip) is a national fundraising program that offers a simple way for you to earn rewards for your family and RCS. When you shop at any of the 750+ Scrip partner brands (like Target, Amazon, Starbucks, and more), you get everything you love at no extra cost — and rack up great rewards at the same time!

RaiseRight

Rochester Catholic Schools is a great place to work and offers an employee discount for tuition. Click here to view our job opportunities.
 

RCS may not be able to provide the full amount of requested financial assistance for every student. We have budgeted for a maximum amount of financial assistance. We must work within the available resources of our budget to make Catholic education accessible and affordable to as many students and families as possible. In the event life circumstances have changed or information needs to be updated on the financial aid application, a family may need to request an appeal.

All requests for an appeal must begin by contacting the Director of Admissions and submitting an appeal form. Requests for an appeal will be reviewed by the Tuition Assistance Committee. The appeal decision will be communicated with the Principal and the family. 

Please allow up to three weeks for an appeal request to be reviewed by RCS. 

RCS prepares tuition agreements in March and April. Tuition agreements are sent via the RCS Portal during these months. 

Tuition payments and financial documents are kept in your RCS Portal. RCS offers four payment plans and families may mail payment directly to our tuition management company or may set up automatic payments via a checking, savings, or credit card. 

Families paying with a credit card are assessed a convenience fee by Blackbaud Tuition Management. Payment plans are created when signing your tuition agreement. 

If your family would like to request a financial split for tuition payments between two or more households, please contact the Department of Admissions before signing your tuition agreement.

In the event your family is unable to commit to the tuition agreement, please contact your Building Principal and the Department of Admission to discuss your unique family situation. Late fees may be assessed in the event you do not contact us before the due date of your tuition payment.

All past and current tuition balances are to be paid in full by June 30. Families delinquent in tuition may be placed on a financial hold for enrollment until a payment plan has been approved by the RCS Financial Assistance Review Committee. 

The cost of your child’s education is a full school year expense. It is a commitment between your family and RCS. Our budget relies on your tuition commitment to support our spiritual ministry, academic excellence, faculty and staff salaries, classroom needs, and building maintenance. We budget in anticipation of each student’s full-year enrollment. As a result, we have specific policies regarding students who withdraw from the system. 

Families withdrawing their child(ren) from RCS are required to provide written notification to the Director of Admissions and their Principal before the first day of the new quarter.

Families who withdraw their student before the end of the school year are held financially responsible to fulfill the tuition payments for the entire quarter from which they withdraw. For example, if a student withdraws during the first quarter, tuition from the entire first quarter will be due. 

Scholarships and grants are prorated by quarter with the exception of those from external sources such as the Seeds of Faith or the Lourdes Foundation, which are at the discretion of the institution. 

All fees are assessed in the first tuition payment of the year and are non-refundable. These include, but are not limited to chromebook, activity, athletic, music and parking fees.

In the event of extenuating circumstances, and a withdrawal is necessary, a family may request an appeal to the withdrawal process. The withdrawal appeal will be reviewed by the President. In a withdrawal appeal process, terms of the financial commitment will be at the discretion of RCS Leadership. 

Upon signing their Tuition Agreement, families will be assessed a tuition deposit. This deposit is non-refundable. Families that enroll and then choose to withdraw their enrolled child(ren) between July 1 and the first day of school will be assessed a one month tuition fee per child.