Step 1: FITS Pre-Screener
All families begin with the FITS Pre-Screener Form:
1) Open the FITS Pre-Screener Google Form:
2) The form is brief and asks only for basic information:
- Household income (approximate)
- Number of dependents
- Any known student needs
- Any extraordinary circumstances that significantly affect your family’s budget
3) Submit the form by the deadline.
What the Pre-Screener Does
- It helps the school see whether your family is likely to qualify for an individualized tuition level lower than the top of the range.
- It helps families decide whether to go further into the process or to opt out and simply pay the full rate.
- It avoids unnecessary Clarity fees for families who are very unlikely to qualify.
Step 2: Choose to Continue with FITS of Opt Out
After reviewing your pre-screener, the school will contact you with one of these paths:
Option A – Continue with FITS (Most Families)
You will be invited to complete a full financial review in Clarity, the secure third-party platform SCFS will be using to calculate individualized tuition.
Option B – Opt Out and Pay Full Tuition
At any point, you may decide not to share financial information beyond the pre-screener.
- If you opt out, you will pay the top tuition rate in the range.
- No further financial information is required.
If the pre-screener suggests you are very unlikely to qualify for a lower individualized level, you can still choose to continue to Clarity if there are complicating factors (for example: major medical expenses, elder care, or unusual obligations).
Step 3: Complete the Clarity Application
Families who continue with FITS after the pre-screener will complete a full application in Clarity.
1) Create or log into your Clarity account
- Sign up for a Clarity account here.
- Begin your application and add State College Friends School to your student applicant entry. You can save your application and log out at any time and return later to complete it.
- Clarity is a secure, third-party platform that many independent schools use.
2) Pay the Clarity application fee
- After your enter your financial information, review your application, and pay the Clarity application fee.
- $65 fee is per family (not per student), paid directly to Clarity at the time of application.
3) Provide required documents and information (examples):
- US taxpayers will 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. Only those filing US taxes will be prompted to complete this step. Clarity offers two options for enhanced tax verification process: “Clarity” and “IRS”. Please reference the Tax Verification Guide to preview the steps of this process.
- The IRS pathway is significantly faster, allowing for the tax documents to transfer to Clarity within 24 hours. Clarity has found that families who have an IRS.gov account before starting the Clarity Application have a much easier time completing the process.
- Families that don't select the IRS verification will need to add 2024 tax returns and W-2s
Clarity will also ask that you provide additional information about:
- Details of income and employment
- Number of dependents in the household
- Home Value
- Major obligations (for example: daycare for younger siblings, college tuition, verified medical expenses)
4) Return to your Clarity dashboard and Submit
- Here you will see any additional supporting documents requested.
- Keep in mind that at a later date, you may be prompted by the school via Clarity to upload additional documentation as needed.
Clarity uses your information to provide SCFS with a consistent, verified overview of each family’s financial situation
