Phillips Exeter AcademyPHILLIPS EXETER ACADEMY · PRIVATE SCHOOL GUIDE
Every class at Exeter meets around a Harkness table, where about twelve students and a teacher work through ideas together. Start here to picture daily life and prepare each part of your application.
Fall 2027 entry
GET TO KNOW THE SCHOOL
Exeter has about 1,100 students, and most classes have about 12 students and one teacher. About 80% of students live on campus, and every student has a faculty adviser.
IN CLASS
Twelve students and one teacher sit around an oval table and discuss the subject together. Every classroom has a Harkness table.
IN YOUR DORM
Exeter’s 26 dorms and houses mix all four grades, and students usually stay in the same one. Faculty live alongside them.
BEYOND CLASS
More than 450 courses, nearly 200 student-led clubs, and 22 sports give you plenty of places to start.
Every student has a faculty adviser, and they meet at least weekly. Day students belong to a dorm too, and take part in its daily life.
At the table: Exeter says Harkness isn’t about being right or wrong, and every voice carries equal weight.
A demonstration video: Exeter’s Harkness page has a video of students discussing a poem, an unpracticed demonstration made for new students.
Adults close by: Faculty live in the dorms or nearby, and advisers keep in touch with parents too.
Help in the evenings: The Learning Center in the library offers help with assignments Sunday through Thursday evenings.
Someone to talk to: Nearly 80 students in grades 11 and 12, trained by Exeter’s counselors, serve as Student Listeners, and counselors are on call around the clock for emergencies.
Dorms: Boarders live in 18 large dorms of 30 to 60 students or 8 smaller houses of 7 to 26, each with one to five resident faculty members. Dorms are for boys or for girls, and two houses are open to all genders.
Day students: About 20% of students live at home and come in each day. Each belongs to a dorm, where they can come and go until check-in time, and they often eat all three meals in the dining halls.
Getting home for breaks: Exeter runs free transportation to and from Logan Airport in Boston, Manchester Airport, and New York City for vacation breaks.
Entry points: Exeter admits students to grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, and for a one-year postgraduate (PG) year.
One-year students: New seniors and PGs make up about 10 to 15% of the senior class each fall. They take five courses each term, work closely with Exeter’s college counselors, and earn an Exeter diploma in June.
Time on campus: To earn a diploma, every student spends at least three terms on campus during grades 11 and 12.
What Exeter expects from PGs: Exeter generally expects A and B grades in a strong academic program, and considerable success in activities outside class.
Nearby towns: Families in some nearby towns must apply as day students. In certain other towns, families choose boarding or day once, when they apply.
UNDERSTAND WHAT EXETER LOOKS FOR
Exeter describes itself as a community of exploration, where the people you’ll meet are adventurous, kind, curious, and excited to learn and grow. Admission is need-blind, so applying for aid doesn’t affect the decision.
YOUR CURIOSITY
Exeter’s interview asks about your passions, your favorite activity, and the last book you read.
Letrado’s adviceChoose a book, question, or project you can talk about naturally. What you noticed or tried will say more than a list of achievements.
YOUR CHARACTER
Alongside teacher recommendations, Exeter asks for a personal recommendation about your character and your impact on your community.
Letrado’s adviceAsk an adult who has seen you help, lead, or show up for others, such as a coach, employer, or mentor. Remind them of one or two moments.
YOUR PLACE AT THE TABLE
Exeter describes learning at the Harkness table as collaborative, with students challenging and inspiring each other.
Letrado’s adviceHarkness rewards listening as well as speaking. Think of a discussion where you changed your mind or helped someone else’s idea move forward.
WHAT EXETER DESCRIBES
Exeter requires an interview for every applicant. You can meet on campus, talk online, or send recorded answers to questions the school supplies.
Each applicant has one interview, and the interview deadline is January 15, 2027. Within 24 hours of receiving your Candidate Profile on Gateway, Exeter emails you a login for the Exeter Applicant Portal, where you book the interview and a campus tour if you’d like one.
WHAT EXETER ASKS FOR
Exeter asks for four letters. Your principal or counselor and your current English and math teachers each write one. The fourth is a personal recommendation from an adult who knows you well, such as an employer, a mentor, or a family friend.
An optional special-interest letter, from someone like an instructor or a coach, can describe an interest you’re committed to. Gateway emails each recommender a link.
The Ten Schools Admission Organization, a group of ten boarding schools that includes Exeter, calls November a great time to ask teachers.
WHAT EXETER SAYS
Exeter’s admission pages don’t publish a rule on AI or on outside help with the essays.
The SSAT and ISEE each include a writing sample, written during the test, and Exeter’s dean of enrollment says readers look at it very closely, “considering it to be the most accurate assessment of a student’s writing ability.”
EXETER BY THE NUMBERS
Exeter doesn’t publish an admission rate or the share of international students.
PLAN THE APPLICATION
Exeter has one deadline for boarding and day applicants. The application, the interview, and the financial-aid application are all due January 15, 2027, and decisions are released March 10, 2027.
Application, interview, and aid
Jan 15, 2027Decisions
Mar 10, 2027Recommendations and transcripts are requested through Gateway to Prep Schools from October. Exeter doesn’t accept transcripts or recommendations sent by applicants. April 10 is the reply date the Ten Schools Admission Organization gives for its member schools, including Exeter.
Start with the Candidate Profile on Gateway to Prep Schools, the online application Exeter shares with dozens of other private schools. The fee is $60, waived for students applying for financial aid.
From your principal or counselor, your current English and math teachers, and a personal recommender. Your school sends this year’s and last year’s grades.
Grade 9 applicants take the Upper Level SSAT or ISEE. Grades 10 and 11 can send the SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT, PreACT, or ACT; seniors and PGs send the PSAT, SAT, PreACT, or ACT. For grades 9 to 11, scores must be from within a year of the deadline.
Required for everyone, on campus, online, or by recorded video. The interview deadline is January 15, 2027.
Two student essays of 200 to 500 words each, and a statement from a parent or guardian, submitted in the Exeter Applicant Portal.
The SSAT and ISEE: The Secondary School Admission Test and the Independent School Entrance Exam are admission tests for private schools. Both cover verbal, math, and reading skills.
Test dates: For grades 9 to 11, scores must come from tests taken no earlier than one year before the January 15, 2027, deadline.
Sending scores: SSAT and ISEE results must come straight from the testing company (Exeter’s codes: SSAT 5764; ISEE 300185). PSAT, SAT, PreACT, and ACT results can also be emailed or uploaded to your portal.
The writing sample: Both tests include an unscored writing sample, and Exeter’s readers look at it closely. On the Upper Level SSAT, you get 25 minutes and a choice between a personal and a general prompt.
Same process: International and domestic applicants follow the same steps and pay the same $60 fee.
English tests: If English isn’t your main language and you haven’t been at an English-language school for the past two years, Exeter strongly recommends a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test score, but it isn’t required.
Documents: Grade reports must be in English, sent by your school or a licensed translator.
Financial aid: Need-based aid is open to international families, who submit their own income and tax documents, translated if needed. The program for families earning under $150,000 applies only to families who live and work in the U.S.
Visas: If you need a U.S. student visa, Exeter issues the Form I-20 you take to your visa appointment. The process starts in early May, after you enroll.
Clarity: Exeter’s online aid application takes about 30 minutes. For U.S. families, it can pull 2025 W-2s and tax returns straight from the IRS, with your permission. Help is available in English and Spanish.
The fee: Exeter doesn’t waive Clarity’s $65 fee, but Clarity grants its own waivers automatically to families who qualify. One Clarity application can go to other schools that accept it at no extra charge.
Whose income counts: Exeter considers the resources of both legal parents, and of a stepparent if a parent has remarried. Divorced or separated parents each submit an application for their own household.
A parent who isn’t working: Exeter assumes each parent works if there are no elementary-school-age children at home, and it may assign an income to a parent who doesn’t.
WRITE IN YOUR OWN VOICE
Two essays of 200–500 wordsExeter shares the prompts in your applicant portal once you’ve started. A parent or guardian writes a separate statement.
Exeter reads your essays alongside your interview and recommendations. Use them to show how you think and what you care about, not to repeat your activity list.
Letrado’s adviceChoose small, specific moments you remember clearly. A detail only you could write will do more than a big statement about who you are.
The prompts are in your portal. Read each one closely and answer it directly, using real moments from your own life.
It’s a required part of the application. Parents can share what they see day to day, which no one else can.
Exeter’s dean of enrollment says admissions readers look at that writing sample very closely.
Your English and math teachers see how you work in class. A short note reminding them of a project or discussion can help them write clearly.
MAKE ROOM FOR THE FINANCIAL QUESTION
Admission is need-blind, and aid comes as grants, not loans. Almost half of Exeter’s students receive financial aid.
U.S. FAMILY INCOME
Exeter is free for families who live and work in the U.S., earn only W-2 income, and have assets in line with their income.
ANY INCOME
Exeter meets 100% of demonstrated need for every admitted student, with no loans.
INTERNATIONAL FAMILIES
International families apply through the same process and submit their own income documents.
The program for families earning under $150,000 is new for admission in 2027. It covers tuition, books and academic supplies, and a stipend toward a computer. Exeter doesn’t offer merit scholarships.
Exeter’s financial-aid policy (opens in a new tab)PUBLISHED 2026–27 TUITION · BOARDING
$71,797Day tuition is $56,077. Books and supplies are estimated at $900 a year.
For fall 2027 entry, use the 2027–28 costs when Exeter publishes them.
Tuition and costs (opens in a new tab)Letrado’s adviceRun the estimator together as a family early, then gather your tax documents well before January.
In 2026–27, the average grant was $60,036 for boarding students and $39,715 for day students.
Exeter’s aid estimator (opens in a new tab)ADMITTED TO EXETER · Y.H.
At thirteen, he was advanced in mathematics and had studied piano since early childhood, but much of his schedule had been designed by adults. We helped him find which interests were his and test his readiness for daily life away from home.
He tracked planning, household tasks, and the moments he waited for a parent to solve a problem.
He had learned to guess what adults wanted to hear, so interview practice made room for real examples.
His essay described setting aside the written plan to hear how another student shaped the same phrase.
Listening closely is a useful habit at Exeter, where every class is a discussion around one table.
AI illustrationPhillips Exeter AcademyHIS EXETER OUTCOME
Offered a place at Phillips Exeter Academy
HIS CHOICE: ANDOVERSamuel Phillips Hall, Phillips Academy Andover · Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Cropped.
He compared mathematics, music, advising, and the range of activities open to a younger student. Before he left, the family agreed on a plan for his independence.
ALSO ADMITTED TO
WHEN YOU’D LIKE A HAND
Bring your questions to a free 45-minute introduction with your proposed mentor. Afterward, we’ll email a personalized plan with recommended next steps.
