International Student Admissions Journey
For over 60 years, Cobham Hall has been a boarding school accepting students from Years 7-13 from across the globe. Throughout the years, we have had a blend of day and boarding students, becoming fully co-educational across all year groups after successfully introducing our co-ed Sixth Form in 2023.
Our student body now includes young people from around the world, enriching their educational journey with diverse perspectives and experiences. Beyond academics, our students thrive socially and emotionally through boarding activities, outings, shared study sessions, and the lasting friendships they forge, which often extend far beyond their time at Cobham Hall.
We hold a Child Student Visa Sponsor Licence and are delighted to sponsor students requiring a visa to study in the UK who successfully complete our application process and are offered a place. Our Admissions team and visa specialists are here to assist families throughout the application journey once a school place has been offered.
For all boarding students, having an Educational Guardian is mandatory during their time at Cobham Hall. This guardian must be over 25 years old, based in the UK, and reside within a suitable distance from the school. It is important that both guardians and parents fully understand their responsibilities before taking on this role.
We are delighted to receive applications either directly from families or from trusted agents.
Visiting Us
We are delighted to offer international families the chance to visit Cobham Hall during their time in the UK. However, we understand that this may not always be possible. In such cases, we encourage you to reach out directly to our Admissions Team. They will gladly assist you with any enquiries and provide comprehensive information to give you a true sense of what life at Cobham Hall is like.
Register your Child
If you would like to start an application for your child, we would require the following:
· Complete a Registration Form
· Pay our £240 (non-refundable) International Registration Fee via FlyWire.
· Send a copy of your child’s passport, the latest two school reports, and any other support/diagnosis documentation relating to the application to admissions@cobhamhall.com
Please complete the above steps through our Register Your Child page.
Once we have received the above, our Admissions Team will promptly acknowledge your application and initiate the next stage of assessments for your child. We look forward to guiding you through this exciting process.
Assessments
As part of our assessment process, we invite prospective students to sit the following assessments:
· CAT4 (online cognitive ability assessment) - approximately 90 minutes, depending on age.
· Online English Placement Test (Oxford Placement Test) to test your child’s English language skills (if English is not their first language) – between 40-80 minutes depending on skill level.
· An English writing assessment – 40 minutes
Assessments can be invigilated by your child’s agent or current school. Alternatively, if essential, a member of our Admissions team can undertake online invigilation. Application via UKiSET is also accepted.
While Cobham Hall is not academically selective, these assessments help us gain insights into your child's learning style, identifying strengths and areas where they might benefit from additional support, and – critically – whether their English language ability is of the level required for successful integration into any particular year group.
Following assessment, if we feel the application can progress, we will schedule online (or if possible, in person) interviews for your child: if English is not their first language, with our Head of EAL (English as an Additional Language), and for all students, with our Headmistress or member of the Leadership Team.
We understand that students may feel nervous about assessments in a new school environment, but please be assured that we take a supportive and understanding approach to ensure they feel at ease throughout the process.
We look forward to meeting them.
Offer
Once your child has completed the assessment stage of their application, our Admissions Team, along with our Leadership Team, will review all aspects of their application to determine whether we are able to offer a place and, if so, whether any specific additional support will be required.
We kindly ask that the Acceptance Form and Acceptance Deposit be sent by the date specified in the offer letter.
Scholarships
Years 7-10
When your child has received a school place offer, they have the opportunity to apply for a Scholarship in Art, Music, Sports, or Drama. Auditions and interviews for these scholarships can be conducted online.
Application for Academic Scholarships is by invitation only, based on their performance in assessment.
Year 12
Once your child has received a school place offer, they have an opportunity to apply for a scholarship in an academic subject which they intend to study at A Level and in which they excel, or in *Music, *Sport, or *Drama.
*Applications are considered for these subjects even if the student does not plan to study them at A Level. In such cases, additional stipulations for scholarship award may be included, such as an expectation that the student actively participates in the relevant department's co-curricular clubs, Saturday Enrichment Programmes, and represent the school in various capacities.
Auditions and interviews for these scholarships can be conducted online.
If a scholarship is awarded, it provides a 20% reduction in fees. The student will also join our scholarship programme, which aims to stretch, challenge and develop their talents, and where they will be guided by our Head of Scholarships to produce termly pieces of work. In return for the privileges afforded by a scholarship, we hold our Scholars to high expectations of behaviour and overall conduct.
Unfortunately, Bursaries (financial assistance) are only available to UK residents. Please email admissions@cobhamhall.com for scholarship application details.
Welcome to Cobham Hall
Once you have accepted your child’s school place, we will keep in touch with you with information about joining. You can follow us on our social media accounts to see throughout the year the types of events our school, and particularly our boarding community, experience over the year.
We welcome applications year-round. Please contact our Admissions team for further information at admissions@cobhamhall.com.
