Tuition at GUS: 2023-2024 + Beyond
In keeping with Glen Urquhart School’s commitment to an open and honest partnership with home, GUS is working toward greater transparency in tuition pricing. Our new Family Individualized Tuition (FIT) model will ensure that all families receive a tuition package that fits their individual economic profiles. Additionally, to provide a better picture of our families’ long-term financial investment in a GUS education, a three-year financial outlook will be provided in all GUS FIT pricing - showing you not only what your tuition will be for the upcoming school year, but also what it will likely be for the following two academic years.
“With Family Individualized Tuition and a three-year tuition outlook, I’m proud to reaffirm our commitment to our community with an equitable, clear, and transparent approach to tuition at GUS. Additionally, we know that every family’s investment in a GUS education is significant. With a clearer picture of their long-term financial commitments, we hope that all GUS families can feel confident in their investment in the GUS community.”
At Glen Urquhart School, we recognize that the investment families make in a GUS education is significant. And while we do our best to keep tuition increases minimal year-to-year, the tuition fee schedule for the 2023-2024 school year approved by the Board of Trustees will reflect an increase.
Over the past decade, GUS has worked to keep annual tuition increases closer to 3 or 4 percent, with no increase in the 2020-2021 academic year. Traditionally, independent schools increase the cost of tuition annually between 2-6 percent to account for inflation. In the last few years, accounting for variable inflation rates that peaked close to 9 percent in just the last year, some schools have gone even higher. And while we remain, as always, committed to making a GUS education accessible to our families, to continue to provide the unique, student-centric, highly-individualized education GUS is known for, some adjustments are necessary. GUS will be looking at an overall increase in tuition of 5 percent for the 2023-2024 academic year. Annual increases of roughly 3 percent are planned for the following two school years (2024-2025 and 2025-2026), pending annual board approval.
It is important to note that tuition does not cover all operating costs – and even with this increase, that will not change that fact. This tuition increase will allow us to provide competitive compensation to our dedicated faculty, who have worked tirelessly, over the last three years especially, to provide students with an enriching and meaningful academic program. This adjustment will also help cover the rising costs of providing core programmatic elements of the GUS experience - like field trips and overnights.
“Without a committed, caring, and capable faculty, the unique education GUS provides would not be possible. This tuition increase, recommended by the joint Board and Administration Finance Committee and approved by the full Board of Trustees, will ensure the school is able to retain and attract faculty, staff, and administrators needed to continue to provide the GUS experience we all know and love.”
Over the next three academic years, we will also be shifting tuition rates to better align across grade levels, particularly in kindergarten through third grade, fourth and fifth grade, and sixth and seventh grade. These changes are directly related to program costs but also offer a more consistent tuition number over time. It is important to note that with these adjustments, tuition in some grades may increase by over 5 percent.
The GUS FIT portal will open for all current and prospective families on January 12, 2023. We hope everyone will join us on Wednesday, January 11 for a webinar that will address why GUS has reimagined tuition, the benefits for our school community, and the steps families will be asked to take to determine their 2023-2024 tuition. In the meantime, you can learn more about this new approach to tuition here, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Director of Admission Katie Chhu at kchhu@gus.org or 978-225-0222.