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

Getting into Malvern College at 13+ means registering a child for the Foundation Year (the school's name for Year 9), then working through the school's own sequence of enquiry, visit, registration, entrance assessment and interview before an offer is made. The College publishes this process as six steps and does not present 13+ entry as a single exam sitting; instead it draws on a reference and current standardised testing scores from the child's present school alongside its own age-appropriate online entrance testing.

With around 200 new pupils joining Malvern College each year and waiting lists in operation for most year groups, families are encouraged to begin the enquiry and visit stages well ahead of the proposed term of entry. Younger 13+ candidates are generally met informally, often during a visit, without a separate formal interview; the school's Admissions Team oversees every stage from first enquiry through to house allocation.

How entry works at Malvern

Malvern's main entry points are 13+, into what the school calls the Foundation Year (Year 9), and 16+, into the Sixth Form (Year 12). A smaller number of pupils also join at 14+, into Remove (Year 10), and at 15+, onto the one-year Pre-Sixth Form course (Year 11).

The school states that approximately 200 new pupils join each year across all entry points, and that waiting lists operate for most years of entry, which the Admissions Team manages by keeping families updated on the likelihood of a future place becoming available.

• 13+ into Foundation Year (Year 9)
• 14+ into Remove (Year 10)
• 15+ into the Pre-Sixth Form course (Year 11)
• 16+ into the Sixth Form (Year 12)

How the 13+ assessment works at Malvern

For 13+ and 14+ applicants, the school requests a reference and current standardised testing scores from the child's present school, and separately arranges its own age-appropriate online entrance testing, which it notes is usually carried out remotely.

Interview forms part of the wider process, but the school treats 13+ candidates differently from older applicants: while all 14+ and 16+ applicants are invited to a formal interview, in person or online, younger 13+ candidates may be interviewed depending on their application date, and the school states it prefers to meet 13+ applicants more informally, usually as part of a visit.

The Admissions Policy confirms that entrance assessments, references, interviews, personal qualities and pastoral suitability are all considered as part of selection, alongside the availability of places, and that meeting any one of these criteria does not automatically secure an offer.

The admissions process at Malvern, step by step

The school outlines admissions in six sequential steps, beginning with an initial enquiry and ending with an offer of a place.

Registration requires completion of a Registration Form, payment of the Registration Fee, and submission of two recent school reports with comments, so that the school can assess whether a child is likely to thrive there. Registration itself does not guarantee a place.

• Enquiry: submitted via an enquiry form, email or phone call to the Admissions Team
• Visit: a personalised tour, an Open Morning, or activity days and events for prospective 13+ pupils during Years 6 to 8
• Registration: Registration Form, Registration Fee and two recent school reports
• Entrance assessments: reference and standardised testing scores from the current school, plus Malvern's own online testing
• Interview: usually informal for 13+ candidates, often held during a visit
• Outcome: successful applicants are offered a place, or added to a waiting list where relevant

Scholarships and bursaries for 13+ entry

Malvern offers scholarships at 13+ entry in five fields: Academic, Art & Design, Music, Drama, and Sport. Awards are made on merit, determined largely by a candidate's performance in the relevant assessment and interview, both held at the College.

A pupil must already be formally registered for entry before applying for a scholarship, and parents are expected to discuss the application with their child's current head first. More than one scholarship can be applied for and held at once, though the total fee remission across all awards is capped at 15%. Each scholarship category has its own application form and submission deadline, and scholarship performance is reviewed annually by the relevant head of department or housemaster/mistress.

Bursaries are offered separately as means-tested financial support, funded through the Malvernian Society and directly by the College. The school states that, in certain cases, a bursary award may cover up to 110% of school fees, and that bursaries are available to new pupils as well as existing pupils whose family circumstances change.

Fees, deposits and sibling discounts

The school charges a non-refundable Registration Fee alongside an Entrance Fee Deposit, which differs for UK residents and other pupils. Termly fees are set separately for boarding, day boarding (up to three nights a week) and day pupils, and differ again for Foundation Year, Remove and Hundred, and Sixth Form.

Fees are discounted by 5% for a second child and 10% for a third and subsequent child, while pupils are concurrently at Malvern or its associated prep school, The Downs Malvern. Families with a parent serving in HM Forces and eligible for the Continuity of Education Allowance receive an automatic service remission, capping their contribution at 10% of the gross full boarding fee.

Additional mandatory costs include uniform, books, stationery and public examination fees, while optional charges cover items such as individual music lessons, extra overnight boarding, and private tuition or learning support.

Preparing for 13+ entry to Malvern

Malvern draws on a current school reference and standardised testing scores alongside its own online entrance testing, so preparation is best focused on steady classroom performance and familiarity with online assessment formats; there is no single high-stakes exam.

Families are encouraged to visit the College, ideally during Year 6, with some making an initial visit as early as Year 5, and 13+ candidates are invited to activity days and events across Years 6 to 8 that let them experience the school informally before any assessment takes place.

The school prefers to meet 13+ applicants informally, often during a visit and without a separate interview, so a calm and natural approach to these visits and activity days can matter as much as academic preparation.

Related guides

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Preparing for the Malvern College 13+ with Taylor Tuition

The Malvern College 13+ rewards steady preparation over a year or so, with the last term given to timed practice and interview confidence. Having prepared pupils for entry to leading independent and grammar schools, with placements including Westminster, St Paul's, Wycombe Abbey and Eton, our tutors match the programme to the school's assessment format and to where the child is starting from.

Because the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools, and more than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status, families get a tutor who understands what the assessors are looking for. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check.

Families in the West Midlands and the Cotswolds and further afield work with us online, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject, with no registration fee and a free initial consultation to talk through your child's current level and the timeline to the 13+. Families receive progress reports after sessions and have a dedicated point of contact, and we reply to enquiries within one working day with tutor recommendations.

Read more about our 13+ Common Entrance tutors, or send an enquiry and we will come back with tutor recommendations.