We are committed to making a Bernard Zell education accessible to all families, no matter their financial situation. Our mission is to provide an outstanding education shaped by Jewish values, and our generous Tuition Assistance Program helps make that possible. On average, the families who apply receive an award of 40% of tuition and fees. You can find more details about our program below.
Additionally, we encourage you to explore other financial assistance opportunities. These include the Tuition Accessibility Partnership (TAP) Fund for students in Junior Kindergarten - 8th Grade, and the JUF Right Start program for Nursery and Junior Kindergarten students. Details and links for these programs are provided below.
How do I know which Tuition Assistance Opportunities I should apply for?
Select the appropriate options below:
* Required
Tuition Assistance
The school's need-based tuition assistance program, available to families with students 3 years old through 8th grade, enables Bernard Zell to enroll students who might not otherwise have access to an independent Jewish day school education.
A Bernard Zell education is now accessible to more families than ever, thanks to a significant pledge our school received from the Zell Family Foundation. This generous gift established the Zell Family Fund for Jewish Education in order to help Jewish families in Chicago who are committed to providing their children with an outstanding education shaped by Jewish values regardless of economic circumstance.
Bernard Zell uses a neutral third-party organization, Clarity Financial Aid, to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts. Clarity Financial Aid analyzes families' applications and establishes a base that enables the school to measure each family's need equitably. Assistance is given based on the availability of funds.
The grid below is designed to provide families with a general idea of qualification levels for tuition assistance based solely on household income. Actual tuition assistance awards are based on income, assets and resources. Since each family's situation is unique, the Committee gives careful attention to each family application individually.
Begin your application and add Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School to your student applicant entry. Bernard Zell's 4 digit access code is 1367. You can save your application and log out at any time and return later to complete it.
Step 3
Enter your financial information, review your application, and pay the $65 Clarity application fee.
Step 4
Complete the Clarity Enhanced Tax Verification (ETV) process to release your W2 and personal tax return transcripts from the IRS. You'll be asked to authorize the sharing of your tax transcripts and verify your identity. This is a one-time security measure required by the IRS to protect against identity theft and the compromise of personal information.
Step 5
Submit your Clarity application and follow the link to return to your dashboard. Here you will see any additional supporting documents requested by schools. Upload your supporting documents by December 31. At a later date, you may be prompted by Bernard Zell via Clarity to upload additional documentation as needed.
*For general reference only. The tuition assistance application has a more comprehensive approach of assessing need based on income, assets and debt.
**Total number of full-time students under the age of 26, including those not attending Bernard Zell
The tuition assistance application process is a separate and independent part of the application for admission. An application for tuition assistance does not influence the decision to admit a student to the school.
Tuition assistance is available to families with children of all ages. Awards are determined based on recommendations from an independent, third-party organization. A variety of factors are considered, please reference the "Tuition Assistance Grid" above.
Tuition assistance is a strictly confidential matter and the admissions process is need-blind. Bernard Zell faculty, staff, and community members have no knowledge of tuition assistance applications and/or awards.
All parents/legal guardians must complete separate online applications via Clarity Financial Aid, our independent third-party financial aid company, and submit the requested tax returns. The tuition assistance committee takes into consideration the ability of both parents and their spouses, if any, to contribute to the child’s education.
TAP into your child’s future with the Tuition Accessibility Partnership (TAP) Fund!
The TAP Fund is an alternative tuition model for families interested in enrolling their children in Jewish day schools in Chicago. The TAP Fund caps tuition at 12% of a family’s annual adjusted gross income (AGI).
TAP was created for families with an AGI between $200,000 and $350,000 per year. Families who fall within this range receive a capped tuition total, regardless of the number of children they have enrolled in Junior Kindergarten - 8th grade Jewish day schools.
The TAP Fund is powered by Crown Family Philanthropies, a Chicago-based foundation dedicated to partnering with its communities to effect just and lasting social impact across generations.
Bernard Zell is a proud participant in the JUF Right Start program.
JUF Right Start, the first program of its kind, was created to increase awareness and access to Jewish early childhood programs for Chicago-area families. JUF Right Start provides a financial voucher for BZ families enrolling their children during the academic year in any of our Early Childhood programs who never previously attended a Jewish early childhood program.
If a child is the first in a family to attend a Jewish early childhood program, that child is eligible for the JUF Right Start Signature Voucher:
$2,000 if the child plans on attending 4 or 5 days/week
To be eligible for the JUF Right Start Signature Voucher at Bernard Zell, a child must be:
Enrolling in a Jewish early childhood program for the first time.
The first child in the family to attend a Jewish early childhood program.
A member of a family where at least one parent identifies as Jewish.
The deadline for submitting a JUF Right Start application is three months after the child’s start date.
