Scholarships & Affordability
The Diocese of Grand Rapids and each of its 31 schools share the belief that a Catholic education should be available, accessible and affordable to any family that wants to provide their child with a quality education in a strong Catholic environment.
Our schools deliver an exceptional education at remarkably low and affordable rates; however, the decision to enroll your child in a Catholic school inherently will involve sacrifices on the part of every family. Ultimately, families who commit to Catholic education for their child do so because it is their priority to provide a learning community that supports the faith and values taught at home.
Many families need and receive scholarships for Catholic school tuition. Below, you will see a variety of scholarship opportunities that exist for families choosing Catholic school education for their child. All registered parishioner families, whether currently enrolled or enrolling for the first time, are eligible for the Bishop's Scholarship Fund, school/parish scholarships, and parish support.
Bishop's Scholarship
During his episcopacy, Bishop David J. Walkowiak has sustained a generous budget making scholarships available for diocesan Catholic schools! All parishioner families with a calculated need and has students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade can apply for Bishop's Scholarship.
Awards vary from $250 to $1000 and are awarded in rounds starting in December each year. For 2025-26, we distributed more than $580,000 to 953 students in Bishop's Scholarship funds.
Parish Financial Support
Contact your Catholic elementary school and/or high school for details about additional, local scholarships they may have available to you. A parish may support a student with a parishioner rate of tuition or parish support, too. To get started, please print off one of the forms below, fill out the parent/guardian portion, and bring directly to your parish priest:
Vocations Scholarship
"Just as Jesus gave himself for you, me and the whole world, I am excited to heed my father’s words by laying down my life in service to the people of the Diocese of Grand Rapids." - Reverend Jacob Zemaitis
High school is a critical time for any person to consider his or her vocation. To nurture vocations to the priesthood and religious life, the Diocese of Grand Rapids offers a vocation scholarship to those who are discerning. It is open to sophomore, junior, and senior students who attend one of our five Catholic high schools. For more details, click here. To apply, click here.
Diocesan High School Tuition Programs:
Catholic Central High School has always been a place where faith, family, and excellence come together.
Yet over the last 25 years, tuition costs have risen far faster than family incomes, leaving many parents questioning whether Catholic Central remains within reach. The Catholic Promise addresses this challenge directly.
Through the generous philanthropy of Dan '84 and Sherry '84 Bowen, the Catholic Promise stands as a living pledge that cost need not deter a family from choosing Catholic Central.
Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, qualifying Catholic families will see annual tuition at Catholic Central reduced from about $13,000 to $6,000, indexed annually for inflation. Families registered and in good standing at a parish in the Diocese of Grand Rapids may apply by submitting a statement of household income. If their income is less than $300,000, the Catholic Promise Fund covers every dollar of tuition beyond the $6,000 family contribution.
West Catholic High School believes every family that desires a dynamic, excellence-driven Catholic education should have access to it.
Their strongest financial aid program to date, the Falcon Family Tuition Plan, builds on A long tradition of supporting families and expanding our commitment to affordability more than ever before. The plan ensures that cost will never be the reason a student cannot attend West Catholic.
Through the Falcon Family Tuition Plan, West Catholic meets 100% of every student’s demonstrated financial need. This completely covers the gap between the cost of attendance and what your family can reasonably contribute.