Year 9 Entry

For Year 10 or 11 entry, please click here.

Ampleforth College is an inclusive school where we put your child at the front and centre of everything we do. Admission is through assessment and interview, and is subject to reports and a Head’s reference from your child’s current school.

^Registration

Registration must take place before the formal assessment process commences. To register for Ampleforth College, parents need to complete the registration form and pay a non-refundable registration fee of £100 to secure a place for their child on the list for their year of entry. We recommend this is done by the beginning of Year 7. At the same time, we will ask you to send copies of reports from your child’s school.

We also welcome applicants who apply later on and ask that you contact Admissions to find out about availability of places.

^{Assessment Day}

For most children joining Ampleforth at 13+ from a UK prep school, entry is through Common Entrance, sat in June of Year 8. For those at a UK school which does not offer Common Entrance, children will sit our Ampleforth entrance test in January of Year 6 and 7, or in November for those applying when they are in Year 8.

Our entrance test takes place at Ampleforth over the course of a day. It involves a computer-based CEM assessment in Maths, English and Non-Verbal Reasoning for which no special preparation is required. Children also have an interview with our Registrar, and, after lunch, enjoy an afternoon of activities with potential future classmates. 

Pupils sitting Common Entrance are still invited to join our Ampleforth Assessment Day as it is an excellent opportunity to meet future peers and helps to inform our decision to offer.

All applicants should be registered with us before sitting the assessments.

^{Offers of a Place}

After our assessment day in January, we will issue offers to those children who have performed well in this process. Children taking Common Entrance are expected to continue to work towards this as we expect them to achieve over 50%. For those not taking Common Entrance, we expect them to continue to make good progress at their current school and to achieve an equivalent pass in their own Year 8 curriculum.

^{Accepting a Place}

Parents are asked to complete and sign a confirmation form and pay a confirmation deposit. This is refunded at the end of your child’s time at Ampleforth College.

When confirming your child’s place, you will also be asked to make your House selection. Making this choice can feel like a daunting task, but we will guide you at all stages. Your visits to the College will have given you a steer and a feel for the most appropriate house for your child. Our House pages (found under Boarding and Day on this website) are also a useful guide and reminder. Families often return for multiple visits before making their final choice of House, and we welcome all such visits.

Following acceptance of a place, you will be invited to a number of events arranged by the School to welcome you into our community and give the children further opportunities to meet peers who will be joining at the same time.

Once you have accepted a place, we will seek a reference from the Head of your child’s current school. In the unlikely event that a Head raises a concern, we reserve the right to reassess our offer.

For information on scholarship applications please click here. 

^{Key Dates for 2025 Year 9 Entry}