At Mount de Sales Academy, we understand the major investment and financial commitment an MDS education is to a family. Investing in your child’s future is your top priority, while helping them soar is ours. MDS is known for attracting the best and brightest students. We are committed to making MDS affordable and work with each individual family throughout the financial aid and scholarship processes. We offer several kinds of financial aid and scholarships:

• Need-Based Tuition Assistance: These are awards offered to families who complete a FACTS application and, through this process, qualify for reduced tuition.
• Merit-Based Scholarships: These are awards awarded to students based on their academic achievement and how students score on the MDS Entrance Exam. 
• Qualification-Based Scholarships: A limited number of scholarships are available to incoming students who meet certain criteria.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Families must apply and qualify for need-based financial aid through FACTS. The deadline to apply for the 2023-2024 school year is March 1, 2023. Each year the number of qualified applicants exceeds the financial aid budget. Therefore, it is crucial to apply for financial assistance on or before this deadline. Families are encouraged to begin a FACTS application prior to an offer of admission, but tuition assistance awards are made only to accepted students. Families applying after March 1st will be considered as fund remain. All families applying for tuition assistance will receive a copy of our Financial Aid policies to guide them through their application.

NOTE: Parents of all students who receive financial aid must re-apply for financial aid each year. Every effort is made to meet the financial needs of families.

Award Highlights

MDS has a wide-variety of need-based aid and scholarships, including opportunities for public school students, Latino students, Catholic families, educators, healthcare workers, military service members, veterans, first responders and more. We’ve highlighted several of our notable awards below. For the full list of needs-based aid and scholarships, please refer to the Your Game Plan Packet.

Francis de Sales Scholarship

Rising 6th graders are eligible to receive an academic scholarship, which is continued for the middle school years (6th-8th grade) provided that recipients maintain outstanding academic performance, including a minimum cumulative GPA of 93, and continue meeting all academic and behavioral standards. Applicants who apply prior to the Early Action Deadline (Dec. 1st) and Regular Decision Deadline (Feb. 1st) are eligible for these awards. Please view our comprehensive admissions timeline for a look at all dates and deadlines.

Mercy & McAuley Scholarship

Rising 9th grade students are eligible to receive an academic scholarship, which is continued for the upper school years (9th-12th grade) provided that recipients maintain outstanding academic performance, including a minimum cumulative GPA of 93, and continue meeting all academic and behavioral standards. All current MDS 8th grade students are automatically eligible and will be tested during a regular school day. Applicants who apply prior to the Early Action Deadline (Dec. 1st) and Regular Decision Deadline (Feb. 1st) are eligible for these awards. Please view our comprehensive admissions timeline for a look at all dates and deadlines.

GRACE Scholarship

GRACE is a student scholarship organization offering families access to a Catholic education in Georgia. Families of any faith who are Georgia residents and have a child enrolled in a Georgia primary or secondary public school are eligible to apply. To qualify, families must 1) apply and be accepted to Mount de Sales, 2) apply and qualify for financial aid through FACTS, 3) complete the 2023-2024 Grace Scholars Application, and 4) submit the completed Family Registration Form to Mount de Sales Academy. The 2023-2024 GRACE Application is available here. For more information please visit the GRACE Scholars website or contact the admissions office at admissions@mountdesales.net.

Special note: If your family is currently receiving the Grace Scholarship at another independent school at the time of your application to MDS, please let the MDS admissions team know.

Georgia Special Needs Scholarship

Mount de Sales Academy applies each year to participate in the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Program. This program allows students with an IEP or 504 plan to redirect funds from a public school to MDS. All eligible families will be instructed to use the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship Calculator when this opens (typically over summer) and to share the calculation with the MDS Business Office.

Pillars of MDS Scholarships

We offer these awards each year for qualifying families. Families could, but do not have to qualify for needs-based financial aid to be considered for these awards. Our pillars of MDS scholarships target the following because we want to help families who work in these fields afford an MDS education. Families being considered for these exciting awards will be notified:

• Discover: Educators
• Innovate: Healthcare Workers
• Serve: Military, Veterans, and First Responders

Questions? 

For more information and to get your questions answered, please email Maggie Gerwig, Director of Enrollment and Career Discovery, at maggie.gerwig@mountdesales.net.