Wellington College Admissions Process
How many students enter Wellington each year?
Wellington accepts around 260 new pupils per year. From 2025, the intake will be 50% boys, 50% girls. Around 80% board at the school, and 20% travel to the College as day students.
Around 200 enter Third Form (Year 9) at 13+
A small number enter Fourth Form (Year 10) and 14+
Around 50 enter the Sixth Form (Year 12) at 16+
It is rare for students to enter Wellington at any other stage.
What kind of students join Wellington?
Most students who join Wellington live in the South-east although they can live as far afield as Cheshire, Cornwall, Suffolk Yorkshire.
Wellington publish the following statistics about their intake:
58% of current pupils joined from prep schools outside the M25
15% joined from prep schools inside the M25
16% joined from state, grammar and 11-18 schools
11% joined from international backgrounds
125 current Wellingtonians live overseas in over 30 different countries including Brazil, Canada, India, Italy, Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and USA.
The Sixth Form intake is highly diverse with around half of our new pupils joining from a variety of UK schools and the other half coming from international contexts all around the world.
What is the admissions process at 13+?
Wellington selection process takes place in two parts:
Applicants sit the ISEB Common Pre-test in either Year 6 or Year 7 and, on the basis of their results, and the head teacher’s reference, they are then invited to spend a day at Wellington.
These selection days welcome about 500 applicants and the purpose is for students to see what Wellington lessons are like. It's three activities which give them a chance to show us what they’re really like.
What does the ISEB Common Pre-test involve?
Candidates sit the ISEB Common Pre-Test, an age standardised and adaptative series of tests in English, Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. The tests are usually completed at the student’s current school and overseas candidates can take the test with the British Council or an approved testing centre. References from applicants are also requested from current schools, before long-listed candidates are invited to Stage 2.
What does the assessment day at Wellington involve?
Pupils who are selected from Stage 1 attend an assessment in the morning or afternoon at Wellington. This assessment day consists of a series of collaborative lessons and problem–solving activities. Pupils will also be interviewed by a senior member of staff. This is an ‘all-round’ assessment and Wellington takes a ‘whole child’ approach to their work.
When do Wellington give out offers?
Wellington gives out offers in March of Year 6, which is conditional on receiving a favourable report from the applicant’s current school at the end of Year 6.
What is the registration process?
It is important to note that for the Wellington registration process, the closing date is 30 June of Year 5. Wellington recommends that registration happen as soon as possible as the date of registration is a factor when allocating houses. Early registration increases the likelihood of a boy or girl being allocated their first choice of House. Wellington strongly recommends that if parents don’t know whether to send their child boarding/ day they should register for a boarding place as it’s very difficult for the school to transfer students from boarding today once they’ve reached the school.
There is a non-refundable registration fee (£300) that can be paid by credit or with debit card to complete the process.
What about late registration or assessment?
There are two routes to late admissions at Wellington:
1.For late registrations in Year 6, applicants for Wellington are registered by 30 June of Year 6 and will follow Stages 1 and 2 as described above but 12 months later. For children offered places via this route, house choices are more limited.
2.For children whose family contact Wellington in Year 7, the school asks that you register interest by completing the form below and upload a copy of the child’s latest available school report together with a 500-word summary of your child. Wellington review late enquiries in June of Year 7 and so they would recommend that you wait until the summer term before completing this form. A small number of children are invited to assessment on the back of this and if successful are likely to be offered a place on the waiting list initially.
What is the admissions process at 14+?
Wellington accepts a small number of students at 14+ before the start of GCSE courses. Wellington offers a six-month registration window from June to October, opens a year in advance of the pupil’s proposed entry.
There are around 20 new fourth form students weighted in favour of girls. Most girls will enter the Hardinge, the Wellington 14-18 girls’ house. A handful of boys’ places are in Wellington’s 13-18 houses. A small number of places are available in the Wellington Day houses too. New pupils will join Wellington in an existing year group of roughly 190 girls and boys.
What is the assessment process at 14+?
After the registration closing date, Wellington write to candidates asking them to take a series of short exams including Verbal Reasoning, English, Non-Verbal Reasoning and maths which are sat online, at home. In early December, each year, invitations to the short list stages are sent out to applicants. It is likely that only a relatively small number of candidates will be invited to Stage 3 to reflect the number of 14+ places that are offered. After Stage 3, references from current schools are requested.
What do the interview and assessment days involve at 14+ entry?
Applicants are invited to book a pastoral interview which takes place in January for entry that September. An assessment day is hosted at Wellington in January, like the style of the 13+ assessment day. The assessment days are fun and provide an authentic experience of life at Wellington.
What is the admissions process at 16+?
For 16+ entry, Wellington have places for around 65 new students. New students will join a group of around 200 students. Wellington offers a four-month registration window from June to September which opens a year in advance of the pupil’s proposed entry.
Decisions for places are announced in December in the year before entry.
Pupils wishing to join Wellington College for the sixth form are asked to upload their latest set of school reports and submit a personal statement. Wellington states that there is no template for the personal statement and candidates should present themselves in whichever way they see fit.
Candidates can include details such as their academic strengths and interests and co-curricular passion and why they want to join Wellington College. The school recommends that these personal statements are no longer 1,000 words.
What is the assessment process at 16+?
After registration, Wellington writes to candidates asking them to select 3 subjects in which to be examined and a main area of interest. Short exams are subsequently sat at home. These exams are taken in October, the year before entry.
After these short exams, invitations to short list stages will be sent out by email to selected candidates. After this point, references from current schools will be requested for stage 3.
At stage 3, candidates are invited to book a pastoral interview. For entry in September, these meetings take place virtually in November. A few weeks following, Wellington College hosts assessment days and specialist interviews will be offered to those unable to attend Wellington. The school recommends travelling to Wellington so that “the full culture of Wellington can be experienced and understood.”
The assessment days are similar in approach to the days at 13+ and 14+ entries. It is a mixture of lessons, discussions and academic/pastoral activities. Wellington aims to provide an authentic picture of what Wellington is like firsthand.
Does Wellington College offer scholarships?
For 13+ entry
At 13+ entry Wellington offer academic and music scholarships as well as exhibitions before entry to the school via examination and an interview process that takes place during Year 8. Applicants must be under the age of 14 on 1st September in their year of intended entry. However, the school has their seven highest academic accolades – named scholarships – awarded at the end of the Third Form.
Additionally, music awards are awarded through auditions and interviews at the end of January Year 8. The school offers scholarships for Art, Dance and Drama but not until after joining the school in the Third Form. Wellington offers ‘Inspire Days’ in Year 8 which give students a chance shows their talent and work to Wellington teachers.
For 16+ entry
At 16+, scholarships are offered by Wellington before entry in Art, Dance, Drama, Music and Sport. Candidates may apply as part of their registration, but only those who make it through to Stage Three will be invited for assessment. Nevertheless, every candidate who applies to Wellington is considered for an Academic scholarship automatically.
For more information about the necessary requirements of scholarships in individual disciplines, more information can be found on the Wellington College website below: