Has anyone succesfully negotiated their private school tuition?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 4 kids at a 30k a year private school and while we can technically afford it we do not qualify for financial aid and find it fiscally irresponsible. Has anyone had luck going to the school and negotiating a better rate outside of financial aid?

Most parochial schools offer sibling discounts.

You should persuade your school to do the same -- makes all the sense in the world.

Why would it make all the sense in the world for the school? If OP wouldn't qualify for aid even with four kids, why should the school offer a separate discount? It makes more sense for them to provide discounts (aid) to those who can't otherwise afford it.

Because any business offers volume discounts.

Why? Because it makes things easier to run, and lowers marketing costs.

And yes, private schools are businesses.

Depends on whether this is a school that has unfilled seats, or is one with a WL. If there's a WL, there's no reason to subsidize parents who send multiple kids if they aren't otherwise eligible for FA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 4 kids at a 30k a year private school and while we can technically afford it we do not qualify for financial aid and find it fiscally irresponsible. Has anyone had luck going to the school and negotiating a better rate outside of financial aid?

Most parochial schools offer sibling discounts.

You should persuade your school to do the same -- makes all the sense in the world.

Why would it make all the sense in the world for the school? If OP wouldn't qualify for aid even with four kids, why should the school offer a separate discount? It makes more sense for them to provide discounts (aid) to those who can't otherwise afford it.

Because any business offers volume discounts.

Why? Because it makes things easier to run, and lowers marketing costs.

And yes, private schools are businesses.

Depends on whether this is a school that has unfilled seats, or is one with a WL. If there's a WL, there's no reason to subsidize parents who send multiple kids if they aren't otherwise eligible for FA.

Subsidize might mean a 10 or 20 percent discount, not a free ride. I think it makes sense for OP to pursue. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s easier for the school to hang on to four spots than do the vetting, etc. required to fill them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have 4 kids at a 30k a year private school and while we can technically afford it we do not qualify for financial aid and find it fiscally irresponsible. Has anyone had luck going to the school and negotiating a better rate outside of financial aid?

Most parochial schools offer sibling discounts.

You should persuade your school to do the same -- makes all the sense in the world.

Why would it make all the sense in the world for the school? If OP wouldn't qualify for aid even with four kids, why should the school offer a separate discount? It makes more sense for them to provide discounts (aid) to those who can't otherwise afford it.

Because any business offers volume discounts.

Why? Because it makes things easier to run, and lowers marketing costs.

And yes, private schools are businesses.

Depends on whether this is a school that has unfilled seats, or is one with a WL. If there's a WL, there's no reason to subsidize parents who send multiple kids if they aren't otherwise eligible for FA.

Subsidize might mean a 10 or 20 percent discount, not a free ride. I think it makes sense for OP to pursue. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s easier for the school to hang on to four spots than do the vetting, etc. required to fill them.

DP. For many schools with long WLs, the vetting etc needed to fill four slots absolutely would be worth it rather than a 10-20% discount. They have already done the vetting and would have little trouble filling the seats at full price, or with someone entitled to aid.

No harm in asking I guess, but I disagree that the school has any particular incentive to agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have 4 kids at a 30k a year private school and while we can technically afford it we do not qualify for financial aid and find it fiscally irresponsible. Has anyone had luck going to the school and negotiating a better rate outside of financial aid?

LOL

Then send them to public school, or a less expensive private school.

"fiscally irresponsible," hilarious!

[Anonymous]

Send one kid to public school. Instant 25% discount.

[Anonymous]

If you don't qualify for financial aid with FOUR kids in private school, you make way too much money to be asking for a discount. Some schools offer sibling discounts, so you could ask about that, but otherwise, take your "technical" ability to pay $120K a year and cry me a river.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I make enough money to pay the tuition but am in a very risky business and am not totally confident every single year that I will be able to earn enough all though I have in the past. Why wouldn't the school want to secure a high paying family for the long term by offering them some sort of a discount. If the school has a long wait list then they will probably tell us to buzz off but our kids school doesn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I make enough money to pay the tuition but am in a very risky business and am not totally confident every single year that I will be able to earn enough all though I have in the past. Why wouldn't the school want to secure a high paying family for the long term by offering them some sort of a discount. If the school has a long wait list then they will probably tell us to buzz off but our kids school doesn't.

By your own admission you may not be able to keep up the payments. My husband is in sales. I get it, high risk high reward. But the school doesn't owe you a discount because you are in a "very risky business". Your choice to be in that business, your choice to put your kids into private school that you may or may not be able to afford depending on the year. No one owes you anything for your personal choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I make enough money to pay the tuition but am in a very risky business and am not totally confident every single year that I will be able to earn enough all though I have in the past. Why wouldn't the school want to secure a high paying family for the long term by offering them some sort of a discount. If the school has a long wait list then they will probably tell us to buzz off but our kids school doesn't.

You need to get a more stable job. If your income goes down you can apply for financial aid but why should they give you a break because you are a high paying family? There are tons of kids who can full pay waiting to fill your spots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I make enough money to pay the tuition but am in a very risky business and am not totally confident every single year that I will be able to earn enough all though I have in the past. Why wouldn't the school want to secure a high paying family for the long term by offering them some sort of a discount. If the school has a long wait list then they will probably tell us to buzz off but our kids school doesn't.

If your income does drop, it makes complete sense for you to circle back to the school to see if they will give you aid. It might make sense for you to talk to them about your situation so that it is less of a shock if you come to them at some point saying you need financial aid. They might also tell you -- quite reasonably -- that you should save more in the years of plenty to prepare for the years of drought, if you still want to be able to send 4 kids to private school in times of drought.

But it is truly bizarre that you think they should give you a discount now on the chance that, in the future, your income happens to go down. What happens if your income doesn't go down? Are you going to then pay them back?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I make enough money to pay the tuition but am in a very risky business and am not totally confident every single year that I will be able to earn enough all though I have in the past. Why wouldn't the school want to secure a high paying family for the long term by offering them some sort of a discount. If the school has a long wait list then they will probably tell us to buzz off but our kids school doesn't.

You need to get a more stable job. If your income goes down you can apply for financial aid but why should they give you a break because you are a high paying family? There are tons of kids who can full pay waiting to fill your spots.

Then you shouldn’t have had so many kids. I don’t want to subsidize you because you decided to have more kids and want a sexy job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I make enough money to pay the tuition but am in a very risky business and am not totally confident every single year that I will be able to earn enough all though I have in the past. Why wouldn't the school want to secure a high paying family for the long term by offering them some sort of a discount. If the school has a long wait list then they will probably tell us to buzz off but our kids school doesn't.

You need to get a more stable job. If your income goes down you can apply for financial aid but why should they give you a break because you are a high paying family? There are tons of kids who can full pay waiting to fill your spots.

Then you shouldn’t have had so many kids. I don’t want to subsidize you because you decided to have more kids and want a sexy job.

+1 While this is a bit blunt, I agree. Why should part of the financial aid pot go to someone who can technically afford 120K a year in tuitions? If your sale income drops dramatically then you can go back to the financial aid office.

[Anonymous]

It never hurts to ask if you can get a different rate for having 4 kids there. As others have said, Catholic Schools give discounts (my family had 8 kids in Catholic ...pre birth control)

[Anonymous]

OP I have posted before. We have 4 in private and get a discount. Basically we are good for 160k+ a year for a decade. School knocks off about 20k a year. Just talk to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It never hurts to ask if you can get a different rate for having 4 kids there. As others have said, Catholic Schools give discounts (my family had 8 kids in Catholic ...pre birth control)

Yes, because a sibling discount is part of promoting the Catholic support for big families/no birth control etc. But to ask a non-Catholic private school with a defined financial aid policy for a bulk discount seems wrong to me. OP can afford it. He just prefers not to pay the sticker price.