Financial Aid

The High Mountain Institute (HMI) recognizes that the cost of an excellent program such as the High Peaks Adventure is significant. High Mountain Institute attempts to make the High Peaks Adventure affordable for all accepted students, regardless of the financial circumstances of one's family. In offering aid, we hope to attract students from a wide range of economic, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds. High Mountain Institute offers need-based financial aid for students whose families cannot afford the full cost of the High Peaks Adventure. The amount of aid available each year is finite. Finally, we have one Lake County Scholarship, which is a merit based award granted to the strongest applicant from Leadville, regardless of need.

Calculating Financial Aid
Like most independent schools, the High Mountain Institute uses School and Student Services (SSS) to process financial aid applications. SSS is a service of the National Association of Independent Schools. Based on the financial information each family provides, SSS gives an estimated amount each family can contribute to educational expenses. This helps us make fair and objective financial aid decisions.

SSS's system examines gross income (both taxable and non-taxable), assets, liabilities, family size, and the number of students in tuition charging schools. After an allowance for necessities and required taxes, the remaining funds are considered to be one's discretionary income. SSS then uses a sliding scale to determine how much of the discretionary income is available for education. The more one earns, the greater the expected contribution. The High Mountain Institute financial aid committee calculates need by using the statement from SSS and last year's tax return. Our determination is based on the same factors SSS uses, but may differ slightly from their calculation because we make allowances for the different cost of living in some communities and adjust for home equity inflation.

Policy for Divorced or Separated Parents
In cases of divorce or separation, each parent should complete the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS). The family contribution is based on both parents' ability to meet educational expenses; it is based on need, not on a willingness or unwillingness to pay. It is the position of the High Mountain Institute that divorced or separated parents retain the obligation to contribute to the education of their children, regardless of whether there is a legal agreement to do so. Because High Mountain Institute interests and policies were not represented in the divorce settlement, we do not abide by its guidelines or stipulations. Instead, we require both parents to contribute as much as our calculations show they can afford.

The financial aid committee will consider a financial aid application once we have received the appropriate paperwork from both parents. The primary exception to this is when the non-custodial parent has not been involved in the student's life for some period of time. We may ask the family to provide more information about these kinds of circumstances.

If either parent remarries, the financial information of the stepparent must be included on the PFS. We will take into consideration individual relationships, financial agreements, and the obligations of the parent and stepparent to their other children when we process the information.

High Mountain Institute's Summer Programs Policies
The following list details the policies that govern financial aid for High Mountain Institute's Summer Programs:

  • Admission to High Mountain Institute's Summer Programs is granted before considering financial aid applications.

  • All financial aid awards, with the exception of the Lake County Scholarships, are based on need as determined by the financial aid committee.

  • Parents are expected to support the student to the extent they are able, as determined by SSS (School and Student Service for Financial Aid) and High Mountain Institute's Summer Programs.

  • It is essential that applicants complete and file all application forms and required tax forms on time. Late applications may not receive full consideration.

  • All financial aid records are kept confidential. Only the Financial Aid Committee, Executive Director, High Mountain Institute Programs Manager, and Business Manager will have access to any financial aid information.

How to Apply

  1. Go to sss.nais.org.

  2. Click on the prompt to begin your Parents' Financial Statement (PFS).

  3. You will be given a password that will allow you to return to your PFS at a later date before submitting the final application.

  4. When filling out the section called Select Subscriber School, please select High Mountain Insitute.

  5. When filling out Additional Family Information / Additional comments please indicate the summer program for which you are applying and your estimate on how much your family could contribute towards tuition. 

  6. You will be given instructions about submitting required documents by mail. These documents include copies of the 2009 tax returns. Your documents will be handled with the utmost level of security. To read more about SSS's document security, go to sss.nais.org.

  7. Mail the required documents to:

For regular postal service, use this address:

SSS by NAIS
Application Processing Center
P.O. Box 449
Randolph, MA 02368-0449.

For Fed Ex and UPS delivery, use this address:
SSS by NAIS
Application Processing Center
437 Turnpike Street
Canton, MA 02021

If you do not have access to the internet and would prefer to apply by mail, contact Christina Reiff, High Mountain Institute Programs Manager, to request an application. She can be reached at 719-486-8200 ext 107 or creiff@hminet.org. Once you complete the application, mail it to the above SSS address.

Timetable for Applying for Financial Aid
March 1, 2010
No later than this date, all applicants must complete the Parents' Financial Statement (PFS) with SSS either online or by mail. Online applications are less expensive and SSS processes the application and delivers the materials to the High Mountain Institute more quickly. Go to sss.nais.org to apply.

No later than this date, all required tax returns (2009 1040 with all schedules and attachments and W2s) must be sent to SSS.

Late March, 2010
Financial Aid decisions are mailed to families of admitted students.

After March 1, 2010 please contact High Mountain Institute to see if financial aid is still available.