Within your reach.
Need-blind admissions and financial aid
Financial inclusion
We’ve known for a long time that true excellence exists only when every voice is at the table. Making the Exeter experience accessible to qualified students, regardless of their ability to pay, is essential to our school’s founding mission. We offered the first financial aid scholarships back in 1860. Today we have a need-blind admission policy, about half of our students receive financial aid, and we award roughly $26 million in outright grants each year.
“As a former financial aid student at Exeter, I am particularly grateful for our school’s deep commitment to socioeconomic diversity. Our diversity is a source of strength and joy in our community.”
Bill Rawson ’71 Principal
We will meet 100 percent of the financial need of all admitted students.
Need-blind admissions
The decision to admit students to Exeter is based entirely on who they are as individuals, and without consideration of their financial resources.
Tuition and more
We understand that much of the Exeter experience happens outside of the classroom. In addition to financial aid grants toward the cost of tuition, Exeter annually provides more than $1 million of support to help students pay for books, laptops, study abroad, music lessons and more.
Financial aid eligibility
All financial aid grants are based on each family’s unique needs. Any student who needs help affording the cost of attendance is strongly encouraged to apply for financial assistance.
45%
Students who receive financial assistance
$56,135
Average grant for a boarding student
$37,770
Average grant for a day student
Every voice at the table
Our Harkness method of teaching — in which 12 students and one teacher listen, contribute and collaborate around a table — is grounded in the belief that we are all better equipped to learn and to lead when our thoughts are tested by others, particularly by those whose thoughts or identities are different from our own.
Applying for financial aid
Take these three steps:
1. Check the box indicating your intention to apply for financial aid on your application to Exeter.
2. Create an account with Clarity Application for Financial Aid (www.clarityschools.com) and complete the application.
3. After submitting your application, return to the Clarity dashboard to see if Phillips Exeter Academy requests any additional documentation, such as business or partnership tax documentation.
Please note: The deadline for all financial aid application materials is January 31.