Key Facts
| School type | Independent day and boarding, co-educational, 2 to 18 (boarding from Grade 8) |
|---|---|
| Location | Cobham, Surrey |
| Entry points | 7+, 8+, 11+, 13+, 16+ |
| Assessment | No entrance exam; the application is reviewed as a whole, drawing on school records, references, the student questionnaire and standardised test scores. Senior School begins at age 10. |
| Test provider | No entrance exam; the school reviews previous school records, references, questionnaire answers and any standardised test scores already held. An EAL assessment applies to some entrants in Grades 8 to 12. |
| Day fees (2026-2027) | £17,700 per semester (Grades 5 to 6, including VAT) |
| Boarding fees (2026-2027) | Boarding (Grades 8 to 12) is £10,620 per semester for 5-day or £14,550 per semester for 7-day, added to tuition (including VAT) |
| Scholarships and bursaries | Boarding academic scholarships up to 20% of tuition; means-tested bursaries up to 100% of tuition |
Figures correct at the time of writing. Confirm current fees and deadlines with the school or university directly. Compare fees at other independent schools.
You get into ACS Cobham International School by applying online at any point in the year for any grade from age 2 to 18, including the 7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ stages, and the school reviews each application individually because it runs no entrance exam. The review draws on previous school records, teacher references, a student questionnaire and any standardised test scores, with an EAL assessment for some older entrants.
Places are offered on a rolling basis, so the usual questions about exam papers and registration cut-offs give way to questions about documents, timing and availability in the grade a child needs. The sections below follow the school's own process step by step, including bursaries, boarding scholarships, fees and what to gather beforehand.
| Entry point | Year group | Assessment | Interview | Places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7+ | Grades 1 to 2 (ages 6 to 8) | No entrance exam; the application is reviewed as a whole, drawing on previous school records (the previous three years for Grades 1 to 4), references, an age-appropriate student questionnaire and any standardised test results. | No interview stated; taster days can be arranged for children aged 4 and above. | Not published |
| 8+ | Grades 3 to 4 (ages 8 to 10) | No entrance exam; the application is reviewed as a whole, drawing on school records, references, the student questionnaire and any standardised test results, with any support reports. | No interview stated; taster days can be arranged through the admissions team. | Not published |
| 11+ | Grades 5 to 6 (ages 10 to 12) | No entrance exam; the application is reviewed as a whole, drawing on school records, references, the student questionnaire and standardised test scores. Senior School begins at age 10. | No interview stated. | Not published |
| 13+ | Grades 7 to 8 (ages 12 to 14) | No entrance exam; the application is reviewed as a whole, as above. Entry to Grade 8 can include an EAL assessment depending on educational background, and boarding is available from Grade 8. | No interview stated. | Not published |
| 16+ | Grades 11 to 12 (ages 16 to 18) | No entrance exam; the application is reviewed as a whole, drawing on school records, references, the student questionnaire and standardised test scores, with an EAL assessment for some applicants. | No interview stated. | Not published |
Entry points and places
Children can join at any age from 2 to 18, so every stage from 7+ upwards is an entry point. The school describes a Lower School for ages 2 to 10 and a Senior School for ages 10 to 18, with grades running from Flopsy Bunnies (ages 2 to 3) to Grade 12, which matches UK Year 13.
The number of places in each grade is not published. Admissions are rolling, and if the requested grade or programme is full the child is placed on a wait list, with the school contacting the family when a place opens. A grade placement chart on the admissions process page shows how other education systems map onto these grades.
- Grades 1 to 2 (ages 6 to 8) and Grades 3 to 4 (ages 8 to 10) in the Lower School
- Grades 5 to 6 (ages 10 to 12) at the start of the Senior School
- Grades 7 to 8 (ages 12 to 14), with boarding from Grade 8
- Grades 11 to 12 (ages 16 to 18)
How the admissions assessment works
The school states that its admissions process does not involve an entrance exam. Each application is reviewed as a whole, using previous school records, references, student questionnaire answers and standardised test scores.
Standardised results are therefore documents a family supplies and no sitting is set by the school at the main entry stages. Educational psychologist reports or EAL tests may be requested where they are relevant to the child. Applicants who receive learning support are asked for an Educational Psychological Evaluation and an Individual Education Plan, and for Grades 1 to 4 the school asks for records covering the previous three years.
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Enquire about this tutorRegistration and the admissions timeline
Registration is an online application that can be made all year round, provided the child has the right to study in the UK. The school advises applying as early as possible because places are limited, and no registration deadline is published.
The sequence runs in five steps.
- Enquiry: learn about the curriculum and facilities, ideally through an Open Day or personal tour
- Application: complete the online form and pay the non-refundable application fee by debit or credit card
- Review: the Admissions Team assesses the completed application and may request further documents
- Admission: a successful applicant receives an offer and pays a non-refundable enrolment deposit that is credited against second-semester tuition or boarding fees
- Welcome: before the first day the school sends information on the cafeteria, transport, school platforms, subject selection and visa compliance
References, interviews and language assessment
Applicants to Grades 8 to 12 need teacher references, and the school's published guidance names one from a current teacher, preferably in maths or English, and one from the Head of School or Head of Year. Reference forms are downloaded within the online application, alongside school records in English that are signed and stamped by the issuing school.
No interview is described on the admissions pages, although taster days can be arranged with the admissions team for children aged 4 and above. Students entering Grades 8 to 12 take an EAL assessment depending on their educational background, and entry for those grades depends on language proficiency.
Scholarships and bursaries
Means-tested bursaries cover up to 100% of tuition fees, last up to seven years and are reviewed annually. Applicants must be resident in the UK with the right to remain, live within the school's busing catchment area, and show strong personal and academic potential. Parents submit documents covering income and financial assets, and each application is assessed individually. The bursaries page states that the programme is paused for an upcoming intake, so families should check its status with the school before planning around it.
Merit-based academic scholarships of up to 20% of tuition for each year of enrolment are offered to boarding students of all boarding ages and nationalities. Applicants sit an online test proctored by the school. No scholarships for day pupils are described.
Fees and what they include
Day fees are set per grade band and paid per semester, with two semesters a year, and boarding for Grades 8 to 12 is charged on top of tuition as either 5-day or 7-day boarding. The figures sit in the dedicated fee fields above and on the school's fees page.
Day fees include the textbook loan, lab fees, classroom materials, single-day curriculum field trips and an iPad up to Grade 8, and Grades 11 to 12 also cover university placement costs. Excluded items include bus fees, external exams such as the IB Diploma and AP, university application fees, extracurricular trips and SEN services. One-off charges are a non-refundable application fee, a refundable enrolment deposit and a non-refundable campus and development fee in the first year.
Where pupils join from
Pupils move up within the school from the Lower School to the Senior School at age 10, and the pages read do not name any feeder or partner schools. The school draws families from a wide area, and its busing service lets local and distant families commute. International applicants need the relevant visa before starting, and the school sponsors boarding students who need a child student visa.
Sixth form entry
Entry to Grades 11 and 12 follows the same review of the whole application as every other stage, and the school publishes no GCSE grade thresholds or entrance papers. Applicants provide school records in English, teacher references and standardised test scores, and complete a preliminary course planner. An EAL assessment applies depending on educational background.
The school's FAQ notes that universities accept the IB and AP, and that IB Diploma points convert to UCAS points.
How to prepare
Because no papers are set, preparation for this school centres on assembling a complete application: recent school records in English signed and stamped by the issuing school, teacher reference forms, the age-appropriate student questionnaire, and copies of any standardised test results. For Grades 8 to 12, asking the right teachers for references early gives the Admissions Team what it needs to decide quickly.
Visiting on an Open Day or personal tour, or arranging a taster day for a child aged 4 or above, tends to help a child feel settled before starting. Applicants to older grades whose first language is not English can read widely in English ahead of the EAL assessment.
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Families preparing for the ACS Cobham International School 11+ usually come to us a year or so before the assessment, though shorter runs work where the foundations are already sound. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors build each programme around the format the school actually uses, whether a written paper, an online pre-test, an interview or a combination of them.
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Frequently asked questions
- Does ACS Cobham International School have an entrance exam?
- No. The school states that its admissions process does not involve an entrance exam. Applications are reviewed as a whole using previous school records, references, student questionnaire answers and standardised test scores, and an EAL assessment applies to students entering the older grades depending on their educational background.
- How much are ACS Cobham fees?
- Fees are set per grade band and paid per semester, with boarding for Grades 8 to 12 charged on top of tuition. A non-refundable application fee, a refundable enrolment deposit and a first-year campus fee also apply. The exact amounts are on the school's fees page.
- Does ACS Cobham offer scholarships and bursaries?
- Merit-based academic scholarships of up to 20% of tuition are offered to boarding students, with an online test. Means-tested bursaries cover up to 100% of tuition for families living in the busing catchment area, though the bursaries page says the programme is paused for an upcoming intake.
- When do you apply to ACS Cobham?
- Applications are accepted all year round because admissions are rolling, and students can start at any point in the academic year, subject to availability. The school advises applying as early as possible. If a grade is full, the child joins a wait list.
- What are the sixth form entry requirements at ACS Cobham?
- No GCSE grade thresholds or entrance papers are published. Applicants to the final two grades submit school records in English, teacher references, the student questionnaire and standardised test scores, plus a preliminary course planner, with an EAL assessment depending on background.
- Is there a catchment area for ACS Cobham?
- There is no catchment area for general admission; the school draws families from a wide area and runs a busing service. A busing catchment area applies to bursary applicants, who must live within it and be resident in the UK with the right to remain.
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