Financial Support

Opening Doors to Excellence

At SMLS, we believe that a girl’s potential should never be limited by her circumstances. Our philosophy is simple: every young woman deserves the opportunity to find her voice, build her confidence, and pursue her dreams within a community that champions and nurtures her.

Our Financial Support Program is a testament to the compassion of our community. Through the generosity of our donors and the careful stewardship of the SMLS Endowment Fund - currently valued at over $2.3 million - we are able to partner with families to make an SMLS education a reality. We are proud to foster a diverse and vibrant student body where talent and character are the only prerequisites for success.

The Impact of Our Community

We take great pride in our ability to provide substantial, life-changing support. To empower our students for the 2025–2026 academic year, SMLS awarded over $600,000 in financial assistance to deserving young women. Whether you are a new family joining us for the first time or a returning family navigating a change in circumstances, we are here to support you.

A Partnership Built on Trust

At SMLS, we treat every financial application with the utmost discretion and care. Our goal is to ensure that a world-class education is accessible to a broad and diverse range of deserving students. To maintain a process that is both fair and objective, we partner with Apple Financial Services (AFS) to provide an independent analysis of each family’s unique financial profile.

Steps to Apply

The journey toward financial support is clear and confidential:

Complete the Assessment: Visit the Apple Financial Services website to complete the online application. A standard assessment fee of $137.50 is payable directly to AFS.
Independent Review: AFS evaluates your application and provides a confidential eligibility report to the SMLS Financial Aid Committee.
Committee Review: Our committee reviews these recommendations to distribute our endowment funds as broadly and impactfully as possible.

Important Timelines

To ensure your request is considered within our primary funding cycle, please note the following dates:

Prospective Families: We recommend submitting your financial support application simultaneously with your daughter’s Application for Admission.
Returning SMLS Families: To help us plan for the upcoming academic year, please complete your annual renewal no later than January 15.

Our Commitment to Privacy: We hold all financial information in the strictest confidence and maintain a culture of mutual respect. We ask that our families join us in upholding this standard of privacy regarding any awards granted.

Grade 9 Merit Scholarships

Celebrating Excellence and Ambition

The SMLS Grade 9 Merit Scholarships are our most prestigious entrance awards, designed to recognize young women who demonstrate exceptional promise, high achievement, and strength of character. These scholarships are a reflection of our deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of trailblazers - students who embody our core values of Excellence, Courage, Integrity, and Belonging.

We invite both current Millies and prospective students to apply for this distinction and join a legacy of leadership that spans over 135 years.

The Award: A Four-Year Investment

SMLS is proud to offer two renewable scholarships, valued at $20,000 each per year, to incoming Grade 9 students. These awards are more than just financial support; they are an investment in a student’s potential to enrich our community and the world beyond.

Successful candidates will demonstrate outstanding achievement and a dedicated passion in the following pillars:

Athletics: Determination, teamwork, and sporting excellence.
The Arts: Creative vision and mastery in performing or visual arts.
STEM & Robotics: Innovation, technical inquiry, and problem-solving.
Global Citizenship: A commitment to social justice and cross-cultural understanding.
Leadership: The courage to inspire others and drive meaningful change.

Eligibility

To ensure the integrity of our merit-based selection, the Grade 9 Merit Scholarships are awarded to students who have committed to their future at SMLS. Eligible candidates must be fully enrolled in Grade 9 for the 2026–2027 academic year to receive the award. We recognize that for many families, the admissions and scholarship journeys happen simultaneously. Our Admissions Team is dedicated to providing a seamless, synchronized experience:

Concurrent Applications: We strongly encourage prospective families to submit their Application for Admission and their Scholarship Application at the same time.
Path to Enrolment: Our team will provide dedicated stewardship throughout the admissions process, ensuring that all steps, from assessment to the offer of admission, are completed in time to confirm enrolment and secure scholarship eligibility.
A Four-Year Commitment: Recipients will hold this prestigious distinction throughout their four years of Senior School, provided they remain in good standing and continue to contribute vibrantly to our school life.

Applications for the 2026-2027 Grade 9 Scholarship have now closed.