Financial Aid

We understand and appreciate the financial commitment families undertake in deciding to send their children to L’Ecole Française du Maine. And although paying for education is first and foremost the responsibility of a family, we devote funds each year to a financial aid budget that helps assist families. In turn, our school community benefits by attracting gifted students who otherwise would not have been able to attend. To help us objectively assess what a family is able to contribute to its student(s) education expenses, we use School and Student Services (SSS By NAIS) as a trusted third party. SSS is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools. Based on the financial information you provide, SSS gives us an estimated amount your family can contribute to educational expenses. This helps us make fair and objective financial aid decisions.

The SSS analysis of a family’s “Estimated Family Contribution (EFC)” is a critical component of our financial aid decision. However, it is just a start. To make our final financial aid award decisions, we use the SSS figures as the baseline for our own additional review, taking into consideration our total financial aid budget, other information we may have collected, our school’s policies and priorities, and the needs of our entire applicant pool. Due to circumstances like these, and others, our school may not meet the level of demonstrated need shown on the SSS Family Report you might receive.

A financial aid agreement with L’Ecole Française du Maine is confidential. We make every effort to accommodate families and we keep financial information in the strictest of confidence. In turn, we ask that families refrain from discussing details of agreements with other families. Doing so is a breach of confidentiality. It is impossible to compare one situation to another. Many elements are considered in determining a family’s ability to pay tuition and each family’s financial situation is unique. Failure to respect this confidentiality may result in the loss of financial aid in the future.

Tuition Assistance

At present, three forms of tuition reduction or assistance are available at L’Ecole Française du Maine. To be eligible for consideration of any of the following financial aid opportunities described below, you must complete your application by January 31 for the following school year. We will communicate decisions about financial aid by March 31 for the upcoming academic year. Late applications are considered on a case-to-case basis.

EFDM has direct scholarship support based on financial needs. Applications for scholarships are made directly on the SSS website:

PFS Online application

school code: 144747

Because tuition assistance relies upon the past year’s tax form and financial information, if a family’s financial situation changes for the better, sharing this information provides the school with the opportunity to offer tuition support to additional families in need.

If your child is a French national, who is registered at the Consulate in Boston, you may qualify for tuition assistance through the Government of France. The application process for this scholarship requires early filing of your US tax returns. The application deadline for this type of tuition support closes well before April 15th, possibly as early as late-February, and the family’s US Tax form 1040 must be included with this application. This means that your taxes must be completed prior to the deadline determined by the Government of France for this form of tuition assistance. Therefore, to apply, please plan to file your taxes as soon as possible. The French Consulate in Boston will be available to help guide families through the application process for this tuition assistance. Even though the application relies upon the tax return accompanying the application form, every family with French national children could receive some form of tuition assistance, as much as 100% of tuition fees.