Scholarship & Financial Aid
Old St. Mary’s is committed to making high-quality, Catholic education available to all children. At OSM we have the Empower Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship to help make tuition more affordable and Old St. Mary's own tuition assistance.
Tax Credit Scholarship
Tax Credit Scholarship applications will open to new and returning families January 18th (Empower IL) and January 12th (Big Shoulders). This is an income-based scholarship granted by two different Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs): Empower Illinois and Big Shoulders. K-8 eligible students at tuition-based schools can receive scholarships of up to 100% of covered tuition.
Wondering if you qualify? Click HERE for income guidelines.
Each application will have two parts. The first part will be a simple reservation form that must be filled out on the date and at the time below (and will be time-stamped). The full application forms are then sent a few days later to applicants based on the time-stamp of their reservation form. It is imperative that families who are interested fill out this reservation form as soon as they are available in order to have the best chance of earning a scholarship. The full application will require proof of an Illinois address and a federal tax return, either 2021 or 2022.
Empower IL: Reservation/Application Form Opens Jan. 18th @ 6:30PM Click HERE for more information.
Big Shoulders: Reservation/Application Form Opens Jan. 12th @ 8AM Click HERE for more information.
We want to help! For more information or questions about applying for a Tax Credit Scholarship, please contact Shannon Carsello, Finance Director, at scarsello@osmschool.com
The Chart below is used to determine scholarship eligibility based on the federal poverty level guidelines. Families that are new to Empower and qualify at up to 300% are eligible for a scholarship. Families that have received an Empower scholarship for the 2023/2024 school year can qualify at 400% for a scholarship.
Through donations and other sources OSM is committed to supporting students who qualify at 400% for the duration of their time at OSM.
Old St. Mary's Tuition Assistance
Old St. Mary's provides tuition assistance to families who have a demonstrated need for financial assistance. Tuition assistance is available for families who qualify and varies based on need. All applications need to be completed through the FACTS Tuition Management application form at this link. All families are required to reapply each year for tuition assistance. Families must be in good financial standing.
If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Carsello, Finance Director, scarsello@osmschool.com.