You may think that there is simply no way you can send your children to private school on your current budget. However, the truth is, providing your children with a top notch education can often be far more affordable than you think. This is because in addition to simply shopping around for the most affordable tuition rates, there are many different programs available that can help you get the financial assistance you need to make your dreams of private school a reality. Below you will learn more about some of these programs and how they can help you to fit a private school education into your tight budget.

Scholarship Programs

There are a wide variety of places that you can turn to locate scholarship programs that will cover all or a portion of your child's tuition at private schools. In addition to federally funded scholarship programs, your child may be able to qualify for a scholarship through:

  • a local church
  • a community center
  • private investors
  • in-house scholarship programs

While some scholarships will be awarded based solely on your income level, others will be dependent upon your child's grades and extra curricular activities. Therefore, you should always verify the qualification requirements for each scholarship separately before submitting an application.

Voucher Programs

If your child has special needs or your family qualifies as low income, you may be able to receive a state funded voucher for your child's education. These vouchers are currently awarded only to low income families and special education students. In order to qualify for one of these vouchers, you will need to submit a request to your home school district prior to the beginning of the new school year. This request must include where you want your child to go to school and a brief statement explaining why you believe this is the best placement for your child. If your request is approved, a voucher will be issued to cover the cost of your child's tuition.

While not all states are currently offering these programs, additional states have been added to the voucher list each year. If your state does not currently offer a school voucher program, you may wish to consider writing to your congressman to inform them of your desire to see one of these programs established in your state. While this request will not help with your immediate need for funding, it could prove useful when searching for funding in subsequent years.

Rebate Programs

Many credit card companies and retailers are now offering special rebate programs that can be used to fund your child's private school education. The best thing about these programs is that they do not require you to purchase any products or services that you do not need in order to take advantage of the money saving benefits. Instead, you simply swipe your rewards card each time you make a purchase at an authorized retailer and any rebates that your purchase qualifies for will be added directly to your savings account. Using these programs throughout the year can easily help to offset the cost of your child's tuition.

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