Frequently Asked Questions

We highly recommended that all applicants arrange an interview if possible. On-campus interviews can be scheduled throughout the year, and off-campus interviews are possible if an admission officer is traveling in your area. Please see Schedule a Tour and Interview for information regarding arranging your interview.

The interview is intended to be a dialogue rather than an evaluative experience. During an interview, we hope to go beyond the basic information (such as grades, test scores, etc.) and focus more on the reasons behind your boarding school search. The admission interviewer will want to talk you about your interests, your talents, and your hopes for the future.

The interview is also a good opportunity for the prospective student and his or her family to learn more about Hotchkiss. Often, seeing the School firsthand is the best way to determine if you and Hotchkiss are a “good fit” for each other. In addition, a visit to campus frequently raises questions that an on-campus interviewer is best able to answer. For these reasons, we strongly encourage families to visit campus for their interviews.

Often, students with very specialized interests (music, athletics, arts, a specific academic area, etc.) will want to speak directly to the faculty member who oversees that area. When you call to schedule your interview, please let us know if you would like to meet with anyone in particular, and we will do our best to arrange a meeting with the appropriate faculty member.

 Visit our Financial Aid pages for more information.

Homeschooling has a strong place in today's educational landscape, and we gladly accept applications from qualified homeschooled applicants. Homeschooled applicants must submit a formal application and all required standardized testing. In addition, all homeschooled applicants are required to schedule an interview, which must be completed before the admission committee will review the application. To help us best understand the educational experience of the applicant, we ask that the following information be provided:

• Teacher recommendations to be filled out by the appropriate person. If the parent is serving as the primary teacher, then that parent should fill out the necessary recommendation forms.
• Additional letters of recommendations from other adults involved in the applicant’s education program are encouraged.
• A statement of educational philosophy, written by the person primarily responsible for the course syllabi/philosophy. Please include a description of any state guidelines being followed.
• A description/syllabi for the applicant's program for the past two years. In order to help us best understand the educational background of the applicant, please clearly list each subject that has been covered during this time.

No. All of our financial aid awards are based solely on the demonstrated financial need ot the family. Every family who submits a financial aid application to SSS is also applying to all named, need-based scholarships. There is no separate application for these scholarships.

Please follow this link for the total cost of tuition, room, board, and fees.

The admission committee considers each part of your application equally. Without question, we seek to enroll students who show extraordinary character, independence, and good citizenship. These qualities are the hallmark of a Hotchkiss student.

Given the highly competitive nature of our admission process, the majority of new students each year have grades in the A range, excellent teacher recommendations, strong writing skills, and some sort of school or community involvement. Standardized testing is used to support the other academic materials in the application.

Rest assured that each application is read and discussed by several members of the admission committee — and that we look closely at every element of the application to understand the student's strengths and personality.

Students who complete their applications after the January 15 deadline face a much more competitive admission process. Depending on when we receive your application, we will do our best to render a timely decision.

Though we remain open during the winter months for campus tours and encourage late applicants to visit the School, we are unable to schedule on-campus interviews during that time.

Typically In the third week of April and throughout the summer, prospective students can schedule campus tours and information sessions with Hotchkiss admission counselors. Depending on available spaces, we may consider applications through the summer months. Please contact the admission office if you have questions.

Applicants whose native language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in addition to the tests listed above. However, If a candidate has attended a school for three years or more where English is the primary mode of instruction, a TOEFL is not required. A minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test or 100 on the internet-based test indicate a candidate’s English skills are strong enough for full participation in our program. Hotchkiss does not offer any ESL support, and all students are required to be fluent in English.

We recommend that you take the exams in November or December of the year prior to your enrollment. This gives you time to take a second set of exams if your first scores do not meet your expectations.

With hundreds of visitors (annually) to the School, it would be too disruptive to allow our guests to visit classes or sleep in the dormitories. However, admitted students can come back to campus for a day-long visit program visit in the spring.

We encourage families to schedule their interviews and campus visits as soon as possible. Note that our interview schedule fills up quickly, especially Saturday appointments.

Please use the Gateway application online system to notify your teachers that you are requesting a recommendation from them. Please initiate this contact by November 1. Earlier is better than later!