St Paul's School admissions: a parent's guide
St Paul's School is one of the most academically distinguished schools in the world – consistently ranked at the top of UK league tables and a magnet for the brightest boys in the country.
Founded in 1509 by John Colet, Dean of St Paul's Cathedral, to educate boys "from all nacions and countres indifferently", St Paul's is a selective independent day school (with limited boarding) for boys aged 7 to 18, sitting on a 45-acre riverside campus on Lonsdale Road in Barnes, southwest London. The campus is shared with its preparatory division, St Paul's Prep School – formerly known as Colet Court and more recently as St Paul's Juniors – which educates boys aged 7 to 13 before they progress to the Senior School at 13+.
St Paul's offers four points of entry: 7+ and 8+ into the Prep School, 11+ into the Prep School, 13+ into the Senior School, and 16+ into the Sixth Form. The admissions process at each point is competitive and the timeline starts earlier than many parents realise. This guide explains how each route works, what the school is genuinely looking for, and what families need to know about fees, scholarships and bursaries. If you'd like to understand more about how we support boys through senior school applications, you can explore our school search and placement service at any point.
The 7+ and 8+ admissions process
The earliest entry point is into St Paul's Prep School at 7+ (Year 3) and 8+ (Year 4). The school admits approximately 54 boys at 7+ from a wide range of state primary and independent schools across London. The 8+ intake is smaller and only fills any remaining places.
Registration opens in October of the year before entry. The assessment process has two stages:
Examination Day: Written tests in English (including dictation), Mathematics and Reasoning, age-appropriate for 7+ or 8+ candidates. The Reasoning paper is tailored to the candidate's age. Past papers are not published, but St Paul's provides suggested reading lists and Maths/English guidance on its website.
Group assessment morning or afternoon: Candidates who do well in the written tests are invited back, in groups of around ten, for Maths and English lessons plus a group problem-solving task. Parents have a separate meeting with the Head of St Paul's Prep School during the same visit.
Group assessments take place within two weeks of the initial written tests, so results are communicated promptly. The registration fee is £240 inc. VAT, non-refundable.
The 11+ admissions process
St Paul's Prep School admits approximately 36 boys at 11+, mostly from state primary schools and independent schools that finish at the end of Year 6. Successful 11+ candidates spend two years in the Prep School (Years 7 and 8) before automatically progressing to the Senior School in Year 9.
A key point families should know up front: the school does not allow boys to sit both the 11+ and 13+ assessment processes. St Paul's recommends 11+ entry for boys at schools finishing at Year 6, and 13+ for those at prep schools running through to Year 8. Families need to choose one route at the point of registration.
The 11+ assessment has three stages:
ISEB Common Pre-Test: All Year 6 candidates sit the online, adaptive ISEB Common Pre-Test in October or November of Year 6. The test covers English, Maths, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning, and is sat either at St Paul's or at the boy's current school (if it is an ISEB-registered invigilation centre). Parents register their son with ISEB directly – there is no charge for ISEB registration.
Written examinations at St Paul's: Boys who progress past the Pre-Test sit written papers in English and Mathematics at St Paul's in January. A syllabus is published on the school's website, though past papers are not available.
Interview: Successful candidates are invited to interview with senior members of staff, including the Head of the Prep School. Overseas candidates are typically seen in the same week as the written examinations.
Registration is by online form with a £75 exam fee, with a further £150 inc. VAT plus a £3,300 deposit payable on accepting an offer.
The 13+ admissions process
The main entry point into St Paul's is at 13+ (Year 9). The school admits approximately 198 boys into its Fourth Form (Year 9) each year. Roughly half of these come up from St Paul's Prep School, with the other half joining from a wide variety of UK and international prep schools that finish at Year 8.
For families considering 13+ entry from external schools, the registration process begins when the boy is in Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6. The assessment process has three stages:
Stage 1: ISEB Common Pre-Test and Head Teacher's report – All registered candidates sit the ISEB online Pre-Test in October or November of Year 6. Preferably this is taken at the candidate's current school, but boys can sit it at St Paul's in early December if their school cannot administer it. St Paul's also requests a report from the candidate's current Head Teacher covering character, academic strengths and interests. Parents and schools are informed of the Stage 1 decision in mid-December.
Stage 2: Written assessments at St Paul's – Candidates who progress sit two written papers at St Paul's in early January: a 60-minute Mathematics paper and a 45-minute English paper. The English paper requires candidates to write a discursive piece in response to one of three topics.
Stage 3: Interview – Candidates who perform well in the written assessments are invited to an interview between January and June of Year 6. Each boy meets two senior members of teaching staff for a 25-minute conversation about their academic interests and aspirations. Parents have a separate 25-minute meeting with a senior member of staff at the same time. For boys at schools ending in Year 6, or overseas, the school aims to schedule interviews between January and March.
Within three weeks of the interview, St Paul's communicates one of three outcomes:
A place on the Main List – Offers are conditional on continued good conduct and academic progress, with an unreserved reference of support from the Head Teacher in Year 8. For boys at schools that do not follow St Paul's prescribed curriculum, additional conditions may apply, such as achieving a minimum of 70% in prescribed subjects at Common Entrance, to ensure they arrive equipped for the St Paul's curriculum at 13+.
A place on the Reserve List – Reviewed in early Year 8 with an up-to-date school report and, sometimes, additional written papers in English and Mathematics. Some boys then receive unconditional places.
No offer.
Registration is via online form with a £240 inc. VAT non-refundable fee.
The 16+ admissions process
St Paul's admits approximately 20 boys into the Sixth Form (Year 12) each year, from UK and international schools. The application window opens in June of Year 10, with the selection process taking place in the autumn term of Year 11.
The 16+ process has three stages:
Application: Online application with school reports and academic references. Late applications are not considered. International applicants must also submit IELTS results.
Entrance examinations: All applicants sit subject examinations at St Paul's in early November, in the A Level subjects they intend to study. Overseas candidates may sit the exams at their local British Council (subject to prior agreement). The papers are based on current GCSE syllabuses but are designed to test analytical skills and problem-solving ability rather than factual recall. Most candidates will also sit a numerical problem-solving paper, with some required to take a critical thinking skills paper. Prior to interview, candidates write a piece about their interests, academic aspirations and motivation for joining St Paul's.
Interviews: Candidates who perform well across all their chosen subjects are invited back for interviews at St Paul's on a designated Saturday at the end of November. Interviews are conducted by Heads of Department or senior teaching staff in each of the candidate's chosen subjects. Music, Drama, Art and Engineering applicants are asked to bring or perform additional work in their specialist area. Candidates wishing to board also have an interview with the House Master plus a tour of the boarding house. The date and location of interviews are non-negotiable.
Offers are made on 1 December and are conditional on GCSE (or iGCSE) results: at least eight passes including English and Mathematics, with at least six at grade 8 or 9, no more than one at grade 6, and the rest a minimum of grade 7. Overseas candidates whose schools do not offer GCSEs are expected to achieve equivalent results in their own public examinations.
Registration is by online form with a £75 exam fee (non-refundable), with £150 inc. VAT plus a £3,300 deposit payable on accepting an offer.
St Paul's School fees 2025/26
All fees include VAT at the standard rate from 1 January 2025 and are charged per term, with three terms in the academic year. Figures shown are for the Autumn Term 2025:
St Paul's Prep School (Lower First to Upper Third Years, Years 3–8): £9,551 per term – approximately £28,650 per year inc. VAT
St Paul's School (Fourth to Upper Eighth Form, Years 9–13): £11,949 per term – approximately £35,850 per year inc. VAT
Boarding fee (including tuition): £17,981 per term – approximately £53,950 per year inc. VAT
Registration fees are £240 inc. VAT at 7+/8+ and 13+ (non-refundable), or £75 exam fee plus £150 inc. VAT on acceptance at 11+ and 16+. A £3,300 deposit is payable when accepting a place, returnable when the boy leaves St Paul's. An additional £1,700 deposit applies for boarders and for pupils whose normal residence is outside the UK.
Music tuition is charged separately at £37.42 per 35-minute lesson, paid directly to the visiting music teacher. The Governors offer some fee remission to families with three or more children at St Paul's School, St Paul's Prep School or St Paul's Girls' School. Fees are reviewed annually – always check St Paul's official fees page for current figures.
Scholarships and Founder's Awards
St Paul's offers scholarships and bursaries through several distinct routes, which parents often confuse.
Academic Scholarships
Around 30 Academic Scholarships are awarded each year at 13+ – split between boys from St Paul's Prep School (selected on the basis of Year 8 end-of-year exams) and external candidates (who sit voluntary scholarship examinations at St Paul's in May after accepting their Main List offer). Compulsory papers cover English, History, Geography, Latin, French, Theology & Philosophy, Mathematics and Science, with an optional Greek paper. Past papers and syllabi are provided to schools in advance.
Importantly, all Academic Scholarships at St Paul's are honorary, worth £60 per year. The award confers recognition and is retained throughout the boy's career at St Paul's subject to continued good work and conduct, but it does not by itself reduce fees. Families typically apply the £60 towards book costs. There are no new Academic Scholarships awarded at 16+.
Music, Art and Sports Awards
St Paul's offers a number of Music Scholarships and Exhibitions at 13+, awarded after a boy has accepted his place. Candidates need to have attained at least Grade 6 standard on their principal instrument. Each Music Scholarship is honorary, worth £60 per annum, plus free tuition on two instruments – a meaningful additional benefit beyond the headline figure. Art Scholarships and Sports Awards are also available, with full details on the relevant pages of the St Paul's website.
Founder's Awards (bursaries)
The Founder's Awards are St Paul's bursary programme – the route through which families requiring genuine financial support can attend the school. Bursaries are means-tested and range from approximately 5% to 100% of fees, and are available at all entry points (7+, 11+, 13+ and 16+). Parents indicate interest at the time of registration by ticking a box on the online form; the bursary assessment is entirely separate from the academic selection process and does not influence the outcome of the academic offer. The registration fee can be waived for families experiencing financial difficulty.
Eligibility is based on household income, expenditure, assets, investments and dependants, supported by documented evidence. Bursaries can take families from substantial fee remission to fully-funded places. St Paul's publishes a calculator tool on its Founder's Awards page to give families a sense of likely eligibility.
How Oppidan helps families preparing for St Paul's
St Paul's is academically the most demanding entry process in the country, and the boys who succeed share a particular combination of qualities: genuine intellectual curiosity, strong reasoning under pressure, the verbal fluency to engage senior teaching staff in real conversation, and the kind of quiet confidence that doesn't tip into performance.
Our mentors work one-to-one with boys through every stage of the St Paul's process. For 11+ and 13+ candidates, that means ISEB Pre-Test preparation, support with the written papers (Maths technique and discursive English writing) via our 11+ Journey and 13+ Common Entrance and senior school preparation programme, and serious interview preparation – the St Paul's interview is widely considered the most rigorous in the country, and our 3-session interview package is built precisely for this kind of challenge. For 16+ candidates, particularly those coming from international schools or the UK state sector, we help with the specific academic step-up to St Paul's Sixth Form study and with the subject-specific entrance examinations.
Across all entry points, our broader Character Journey develops the kind of intellectual independence and conversational confidence St Paul's is genuinely looking for – not coaching, but real growth. If you'd like to talk through your son's path to St Paul's, get in touch to arrange an initial call.
Frequently asked questions
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For 7+ entry, registration opens in October of the year before entry (when your son is in Year 2). For 11+, registration is in Year 5. For 13+, registration is in Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6 (three to four years before entry). For 16+, the application window opens in June of Year 10. St Paul's does not allow boys to sit both the 11+ and 13+ assessment processes, so families need to choose one route at the point of registration.
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Highly competitive at every entry point. St Paul's was named the UK's top-ranked independent school in 2025 (Sunday Times), and admissions are heavily oversubscribed. At 13+, around 198 places are split roughly evenly between boys coming up from St Paul's Prep School and those joining from other prep schools across the UK and internationally. At 16+, around 20 places typically attract hundreds of applications.
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No. St Paul's Academic Scholarships and Music Scholarships are honorary, worth £60 per annum (which families typically put towards book costs). Music Scholars additionally receive free tuition on two instruments. Families needing financial support should apply through the Founder's Awards bursary programme, which is means-tested and can cover anywhere from approximately 5% to 100% of fees.
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For 2025/26, fees are £11,949 per term (£35,850 per year) for day pupils in the Senior School, £9,551 per term (£28,650 per year) for the Prep School, and £17,981 per term (£53,950 per year) for boarders. All figures include VAT at the standard rate from January 2025. Additional one-off costs include a £240 registration fee at 7+/8+ and 13+ (£75 plus £150 on acceptance at 11+ and 16+), and a £3,300 deposit returnable on leaving.
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Each boy has a 25-minute interview with two senior members of teaching staff covering their academic interests, what they're reading, what they're curious about, and how they think about challenges. Parents have a separate 25-minute meeting with another senior member of staff at the same time. The school is looking for genuine intellectual engagement and the ability to think on one's feet – not rehearsed answers.
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No. St Paul's is explicit that it is not possible to sit both the 11+ and 13+ assessment processes, and an offer at one entry point does not carry over to the other. Families need to make a clear decision at the point of registration: 11+ if your son is at a school finishing at Year 6, 13+ if he is at a prep school running through to Year 8. The school strongly recommends 13+ entry for boys at prep schools that run through to Year 8.
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Offers are conditional on at least eight GCSE (or iGCSE) passes including English and Mathematics, with at least six at grade 8 or 9, no more than one at grade 6, and the rest a minimum of grade 7. Overseas candidates without GCSEs are expected to achieve equivalent results in their own public examinations. In practice, successful 16+ candidates typically present predictions well above the published minimums.
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St Paul's Prep School (formerly known as Colet Court, and more recently as St Paul's Juniors) educates boys aged 7 to 13 on the same Lonsdale Road campus as the Senior School. Boys at the Prep School progress automatically to St Paul's School in Year 9. The Senior School (St Paul's School) educates boys aged 13 to 18.
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Our mentors prepare boys for every stage of the St Paul's process – ISEB Pre-Test, written examinations, interview practice and the wider intellectual confidence the school looks for. We've supported hundreds of families through senior school admissions over the last seven years, and the St Paul's process is one we know especially well. Speak to the team to discuss your son's situation.