Eastbourne College Admissions: 13+ Entry, Assessment and Fees Guide

Eastbourne College does not admit pupils at 11+; its earliest point of entry is 13+ (Year 9), with further places offered at 16+ (Lower Sixth) and, considered individually according to space, at Year 10. Families searching for an 11+ route into the College will not find one on its admissions pages, since the school selects pupils primarily on the basis of underlying academic ability and personal character at these later entry points.

Registration for Year 9 entry is recommended in Year 5 or Year 6, well ahead of the entrance assessment sat in Year 8. The College also runs an early offer scheme, which can confirm a place as early as December of Year 6, giving families certainty before the formal exams take place; any offer remains subject to the pupil then meeting the expected standard in the entrance exams or tests.

Fees and key dates for 2026/27

Eastbourne College Admissions publishes day fees of £12,460 per term for 2026/27, with boarding at £18,981 per term, taken from the school's own fees page in October 2026. Registration dates for the next 11+ round are published by the school's admissions office. Fees and dates change each year, so the school's website remains the reference for the current round.

Why Eastbourne College Has No 11+ Entry Point

Eastbourne College's admissions pages set out two main points of entry: Year 9, for pupils aged 13+, and the Lower Sixth (Year 12), for pupils aged 16+. Year 10 does not form a standard entry round; entry is considered on an individual basis, depending on the availability of a suitable day or boarding place.

Across all entry points, the College states that it selects pupils primarily on the basis of their underlying academic ability and personal character, and that it operates an equal opportunities policy. There is no published 11+ (Year 7) assessment, registration round or set of entrance papers.

• 13+ (Year 9): the main entry point, for boys and girls
• 16+ (Lower Sixth): a further main entry point
• Year 10: considered individually, subject to space

How Year 9 (13+) Entry Works at Eastbourne College

Families begin by attending an Open Event, reviewing the online prospectus, or contacting the admissions office directly, before completing online registration; the College recommends registering in Year 5 or Year 6.

Registration is followed by a reference from the candidate's current headteacher, including academic data, and by the entrance assessment itself in Year 8. Where an offer is made, families accept by returning a Guaranteed Place Form together with a deposit, with the place then confirmed subject to the pupil achieving the expected standard in the entrance exams or tests.

• Attend an Open Event or review the online prospectus
• Complete online registration, recommended in Year 5 or Year 6
• Provide a headteacher's reference, including academic data
• Sit the entrance assessment in Year 8
• Accept an offer via the Guaranteed Place Form and deposit

What the 13+ Entrance Assessment Involves

Candidates for Year 9 entry sit one of three routes: the ISEB Common Academic Scholarship Examination, held in May, the Common Entrance Examination, held in June, or an equivalent set of examinations. Both the Common Academic Scholarship Examination and Common Entrance Examination are administered by ISEB, the Independent Schools Examination Board.

For candidates whose current school does not prepare pupils for Common Entrance or an equivalent programme, the College sets its own tests, covering English, Maths, Science and a foreign language paper. A meeting between the College and the prospective pupil also forms part of the process, alongside the headteacher's reference gathered at registration.

Entry at 16+ and Year 10

Entry to the Lower Sixth (Year 12) is open to boys and girls aged 16+, following the same emphasis on academic ability and personal character used at 13+. Families interested in this stage follow the same initial steps of attending an Open Event, reviewing the prospectus and registering with the admissions office.

Year 10 entry is not a standard, published round; the College considers individual applications according to the availability of a suitable day or boarding place at that point.

Scholarships and Bursaries at Eastbourne College

Scholarships at Year 9 entry are offered in academic, all-rounder, art, dance, design and technology, drama, music and sport categories, with the College setting the level of fee remission associated with all scholarships at five per cent of fees. Sixth Form scholarships cover a similar range of categories, plus textile design.

Bursary support operates on a dual-qualifying basis: a family can only access means-tested bursary assistance if the pupil is also in receipt of a scholarship award, and bursary interest must be indicated at the time of the scholarship application so that means-testing can run alongside the scholarship assessment. Means-testing is carried out by the College's partner organisation, Bursary Administration Limited.

Bursaries require the family's main residence to be in the UK, and the College does not typically offer fully-funded places; families are expected to contribute meaningfully to fees. A pupil must be registered with the College before a bursary application can be processed.

Preparing for Eastbourne College's 13+ Assessment Format

Because Year 9 candidates may sit the ISEB Common Academic Scholarship Examination, Common Entrance, or the College's own equivalent papers, families benefit from establishing early on, through their current school or the admissions office, which route their child will follow, since the subjects and timing differ.

Where the College's own tests apply, steady practice across English, Maths, Science and a foreign language in the lead-up to Year 8 tends to leave candidates calmer for both the written papers and the meeting with the College that forms part of the process. Keeping the current school's reference in mind, since it feeds into the application alongside the assessment, is also worth planning for early, particularly if registering in Year 5 or Year 6 as the College recommends.

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