Financial Aid

Your information is immediately calculated, and the recommended award is available to the school’s CFO. Don’t forget to submit the required documents to complete the application process. Awards are not made until all applications are in, and they are often contingent on the funds available and the number of families requesting aid. The CFO will notify you directly about the financial aid decision.

The application deadline for financial aid was April 1st, with a subsequent deadline of April 20th for submitting all necessary documentation. The ISM Fast team conducts a thorough review upon receipt of the required documentation. Applicants can expect their applications to be analyzed by the CFO starting May 1st. Final decisions will be made following a meeting with the finance committee scheduled for mid-May. Parents will be informed of the outcome in due course.

When you click on a field, there is a Help Bubble to explain what information is needed for that field. A summary of that information is listed in the downloadable worksheet on the Navigation bar. If you still have questions, contact our Call Center at
1-877-326-FAST (3278). If you are still not sure if you are including the appropriate information, write a short note to the school in the spaces provided at the end of each section.

The school’s CFO and FAST employees who need to handle your application are the only ones with access to your records.

Awards are based not only on need, but on the funds AGBU MDS has available. This means that even though you may qualify for more aid, AGBU MDS’s budget may limit what it can offer.

If you make a mistake before you have checked the Accept box at the end and before you have paid the filing fee, just go back and make the changes. Nothing is final until you have paid. If you discover an error after you have paid, you can log in to your account, where you can request a change. This request will go directly to the school’s CFO. The CFO has the ability to go into the program and revise your entry. Our Call Center does not have access to your file and cannot make a change for you.

Gathering the necessary information to complete this form is similar to gathering information to complete your taxes. Once you have collected all your financial information, it should take approximately 30–45 minutes to complete this application. You do not have to complete the application in one sitting. You may log out and come back later selecting “Resume Application” and entering your username and password.

FAST only saves information from completed sections. If, for example, you are working on Income, you need to complete the entire section for that information to be saved. If you do not know an answer at the time, you may use a “?” as a placeholder in order to save that section.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AMEX. If you do not have any of these cards, you may contact the school’s CFO to obtain a payment voucher to use in place of a credit card.

This refers to information that is stored on your computer by sites on the World Wide Web. To operate, FAST requires that your computer be configured to accept cookies. In most instances, this will already be done. However, if you get an error message, click on your browser’s Help menu and look for information about how to enable cookies.

Absolutely not. Your email address will never be shared with anyone but the school to which you are applying.

You should be prepared to send your tax returns and your W2s. After you submit your payment, you will receive an email with a list of documents you will need to send.

Most libraries have computers with Internet access available for use. If this is not practical, ask your school if you may use a computer there to complete your application.

On the login page, click on “Forgot username or password?” You will be asked to enter your email address. You will receive an email with your username and the ability to reset your password.

Line 512 gives you room to write about your assets. There are also spaces in Liabilities (Line 558), Income (line 610), and Expenses (line 718) for you to clarify any of your answers. Additionally, there is room in the Letter/ Agreement section to further explain your situation.

Yes, you do. On lines 601 and 601b we ask you to list your gross wages before any deductions are taken.

The due date is April 1, 2023. 

The school has a financial aid budget set aside for deserving families who need help to pay their tuition. Verifying income is one way for the school to determine those who truly need assistance.

Deadline dates are listed on the main screen of the application under Start/Resume Application. We recommend sending in documents 1-2 weeks prior to the deadline date so that your process will be completed before the deadline. Document processing cannot be expedited, so it is important to ensure documents are submitted in a timely manner.

We suggest that you complete your taxes as early as possible to ensure that your application will be considered within the first wave of award decisions.

Generally, your completed tax forms must be submitted before the school can make an award. AGBU MDS requires the tax forms be submitted before deciding the actual award. If you are unable to provide your documents by the deadline date, we recommend contacting the school’s CFO directly to see how they would like to proceed. FAST cannot make exceptions to document requirements without school approval.

• The Quick Processing Wizard will provide you with a detailed list of the required documents once an application is submitted.
• The most common documents required are Federal Tax Forms (1040), State Tax Forms (for applicable states), W2 forms and Business Taxes (1120S, 1065 and coordinating K1s).
• FAST will accept IRS transcripts of the Federal Taxes and W2 Statements; however, please ensure the Federal Transcript is titled Return Transcript (not Account Transcript).
• If you have amended your taxes, please ensure that both the Amendment and the originally filed 1040 Forms are submitted.
• If you have an amount on line 1 of your 1040 Federal Return Form and you are unable to locate your W2 forms, we recommend contacting your tax preparer or Human Resources department at your employer, to obtain copies of W2s.
• International Families: Those who do not file U.S. taxes should have their tax forms translated to English and all financials converted to USD (US Dollars). Oftentimes, a letter from their employer(s) stating their annual income for the specific tax year the school is requiring, is also requested. Business owners should provide an annual statement for the required tax year (translated to English and US dollars). If a family is unable to provide these forms, which are required, the family would need to contact the school’s CFO to see how to proceed.

While you have the ability to upload taxes through your application once it is submitted, should you prefer to mail copies of your taxes, you may do so to the below address. Documents will be destroyed after five business days, once scanned into the verification system. Please do not send originals, as they will not be returned.

Independent School Management
ATTN: FAST Processing Center
2207 Concord Pike #417
Wilmington, DE 19803

Typically, verification is completed within 3-5 Business Days, however, it can take up to 7-10 business days during peak season (January through May). Documents are processed in the order they are received and may not be expedited.

For security reasons, FAST does not accept taxes via fax machine. You may either electronically submit them through your application or send copies through the mail.