Harrow School

Admission

Each year, the School admits about 160 boys into Year 9, in the September following their 13th birthday, and up to 20 boys, normally aged 16, into the Sixth Form (Year 12).

In line with our Admissions Policy, which is referenced in our terms and conditions, we welcome applications from boys who

• will thrive in a full-boarding environment and make the most of the opportunities offered at Harrow;
• will make a positive contribution to the life of the School, both inside and outside the classroom;
• are talented in their academic studies, or in sport, the arts or in other areas; and
• have a good behavioural record and the potential to show leadership.

In addition to these attributes, suitable Sixth Form applicants are likely to be predicted at least seven or eight passes at GCSE (or equivalent) at grade 7/8/9 (A/A*).

Please note that we have made some temporary changes to our admissions process. Please visit Key Dates for more information.

In addition, all application forms must be emailed, rather than posted, until further notice. Please send your completed form to [email protected].

All boys interested in attending Harrow must be formally registered. A non-returnable Registration Fee of £350 is payable on registration.

Year 9 Entry

Registration - by end of Year 5

Please register your son for a place at Harrow by 1 July of Year 5. Registrations received after the end of Year 5 will be considered Late Applicants. Late Applicants will be competing for fewer places but follow the same application procedure. Please see the Key Dates page for specific details.

Please visit Section 8 below to access our online registration form. We strongly advise parents to read sections 1-6 carefully prior to completing the registration form. Applicants at school in Hong Kong and China, please refer to the section directly below.  APPLICANTS AT SCHOOL IN HONG KONG AND CHINA

Reference - Autumn term of Year 6

We request a confidential reference from an applicant’s current school at the very beginning of Year 6. If he registers after this point, we will request a reference for him immediately.

ISEB Common Pre-Test - Autumn term of Year 6

We require all boys to sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test (CPT). This is a standardised, age-adaptive measure of ability and attainment, meaning that an applicant is not disadvantaged by sitting it early in Year 6 or by being young for his year. The Pre-Test is an online assessment consisting of multiple-choice questions in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, English and Mathematics. It takes approximately two and a half hours to complete and its components can be taken together or at separate times. All standard applicants should sit the ISEB CPT between 1 October and the end of November in Year 6. All Late Applicants should sit the test as soon as possible after registration.

Please visit the ISEB website for more information on the test and how to register your child. We will contact you when the ISEB Guardian Portal is open and ready to receive registrations for the applicant's proposed year of entry. In the meantime, please visit the ISEB website for more information.

The Harrow Test - Spring term of Year 6 (standard applicants)

If an applicant passes the ISEB CPT, we will invite him to sit the Harrow Test at the School in the spring term of Year 6. The Harrow Test consists of one 20-minute interview with a House Master, a computerised English, Maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning assessment (one hour in total) and a classroom-based group activity (20 minutes).

Results - Summer term of Year 6

In late April/early May of Year 6 having completed the Harrow Test, an applicant receives one of the following results:

• A1 List - the offer of a place at the School in a specific House;
• A2 List - the offer of a place at the School with a House to be confirmed at a later date;
• B List - the offer of a place on our Waiting List;
• or C List - no offer.

All offers are subject to sitting either the Common Entrance (CE) or our Academic Scholarship examinations in Year 8.

House Master meetings - Summer term of Year 6 onwards

Applicants holding offers of places in a specific House will be invited to a one-to-one meeting with the House Master from the summer Term of Year 6 onwards. Other applicants holding offers will be allocated a House at a later date, after which a visit can be arranged directly with the House Master.

Many parents leave their son’s House allocation to the Registrar. Those families who do indicate a House preference on the registration form often have a pre-existing relationship with the House via Old Harrovian connections. Click here to explore the Houses and to learn more about their history and House Masters. Alternatively, speak to your son's current Head or to a House Master at one of our Open Mornings.

Registration Form

Register your son by completing the Year 9 online registration form.

Please access the online form using the link from this page only and not those offered by a third party.

• Registration will be complete on payment of the non-refundable Registration Fee of £350. If making this payment might be difficult, please contact our admissions team.
• An applicant who would only accept a place at Harrow on receipt of a means-tested bursary will be able to indicate this on the form.
• You will also be required to upload a copy of the ID page of your son’s passport.

Year 12 Entry

Each year, the School admits up to 20 boys into Year 12, who are normally aged 16.

We welcome applications from boys who

• are likely to be predicted at least seven or eight passes at GCSE (or equivalent) at grade 7/8/9 (A/A*);
• will thrive in a full-boarding environment and make the most of the opportunities offered at the School;
• will make a positive contribution to the life of the School, both inside and outside the classroom;
• are talented in their academic studies, or in sport, the arts or another activity; and
• have a good behavioural record and the potential to show leadership.

Please see the Key Dates page for specific dates.

Application

Applicants at schools in the United Kingdom and overseas (excluding Hong Kong and China): Apply by early September of Year 11

Registration

Please register your son for a place at Harrow by early September of Year 11. Registrations received after this time will be considered Late Applicants. Late Applicants will be competing for fewer places but follow the same application procedure. Applicants at school in Hong Kong and China, please refer to the section below.

Register your son by completing the online registration form.

Please access the online form using the link from this page only and not those offered by a third party.

• You will be able to indicate on the form whether or not you wish your son to apply for a scholarship.
• An applicant who would only accept a place at Harrow on receipt of a means-tested bursary will be able to indicate this on the form.
• Registration will be complete on payment of the non-refundable Registration Fee of £350.

You will also be required to upload the following documents

• his curriculum vitae, detailing any special academic achievements and extra-curricular interests;
• a one-page handwritten letter to the Head Master, in which he explains why he would like to come to the School;
• a copy of his most recent school report, including a brief explanation of his school’s grading and reporting system, if this is not printed on the report itself;
• a copy of the ID page of his passport.

Testing

Strong applicants who are invited for testing choose four subjects in which they would like to be assessed. These must be subjects that they intend to study in the Sixth Form at Harrow.

Offers

We make offers to Standard Applicants in the December of Year 11 and to Late Applicants in the March of Year 11.