Tuition & Financial Aid

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

Yearly Application Required:
Families with students entering kindergarten - grade 12 are eligible to apply for yearly tuition assistance. A new application must be submitted each year to be considered for tuition assistance.

The priority application deadline for Feb. 1. Financial assistance funds are limited and are awarded according to application deadline.

When completing the application, please enter our school ID: 15137

For application questions, Blackbaud Financial Aid Customer Service is available to you for questions and support.

● Phone Support: (800)-360-8027

● Email Support: financialaidsupport@blackbaud.school

Family Application Fee: $35.00

Business Owner Application Fee: $55.00

Directions for Applying for Financial Aid

financial aid Application

Your child(ren)’s tuition may be reduced by a parish tuition grant. This grant is available for students in kindergarten through grade 12 who are active, registered members of one of the six parishes listed below. Families must apply each school year for this grant. One application per family. The deadline for applying is Feb. 1. 

Upon application and approval by your pastor, the parish grant in the amount of $1,450 per student will be applied to your tuition statement.

• Church of the Resurrection
• Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
• Church of St. Pius X
• 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 2023: 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, 2023 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 of preschool students that meet the eligibility requirements of this scholarship may be eligible for tuition assistance. Please contact Families First to learn more.  

Families First

Who Do I Contact with Questions?

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

Freshman Year: $1,000 off of tuition per student
Sophomore Year: $500 off of tuition per student

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.