Standard Application Online

 

What is the SAO?

The SAO was created to simplify and standardize the process of applying to independent schools (grades 6-PG). The Standard Application Online allows families to fill out one application and obtain one set of teacher recommendations that can be used to apply to any number of private schools that accept it. The SAO eliminates the need to fill out multiple (and often redundant) forms and provides schools with all application information in one complete online package. This webpage will provide you with instructions on using the SAO to apply to independent schools. If you have any additional questions, or require assistance, please feel free to contact info@ssat.org.

Do the Schools You Are Interested in Accept the SAO?

The SAO is accepted by over 600 independent schools in the U.S., Canada and worldwide, and a number of schools use the SAO exclusively for applicants. Many schools that accept the SAO say so on their admission web page, but some do not.


If you see this graphic on a school’s website,
you know they accept the SAO.

 

 

A complete list of accepting schools is available online here . Click on "Schools Accepting Standard Application Online."

Hint: You can also use this list to start your application – just click on a listed school to open its page and click on "Apply to this School." You will be asked to Log In or Create a New Account.

What’s included?

The application includes these sections:

1. Student Information (Part 1): basic information about you such as your age, current school, family and interests. You complete the form and submit it with the school’s application fee, payable with Visa or MasterCard.
2. Student Questionnaire: includes brief essay questions
3. Parent Statement
4. Recommendation Forms (School, English, Math, and Academic Record): only one set is required, regardless of how many schools to which you apply.
5. School Supplement (where required): this supplement asks for additional information needed by an individual school. 

Want to see what's on the application?  To view a PDF of the Standard Application with samples of the recommendation forms, click here.  Please note: these sample recommendation forms cannot be used for submission, as they do not contain unique barcoding.

Get Started!  Use one of these links:

To get started right away, click here to go directly to the SSAT Account Management page and Log In Or Create a New Account.

If you have a school in mind, click here for a list of schools accepting the SAO.  Find your school, click on "Apply to this School" and log in when prompted to start your first application.

To begin a Standard Application Online, you must first log in to your SSAT account (or create one). Go to www.ssat.org. If you have registered to take the SSAT, the login is the same. If you haven’t, click on "Create a New Account." Then use the School Search feature to select the first school you want to apply to and begin the application. The school’s application homepage will contain information about the school’s application fees, deadlines and requirements.

As soon as you are ready to submit the first section of the application (Student Information), you’ll be prompted to pay the school’s application fee via credit card. If you have received an application fee waiver number from the school to which you are applying, you may enter the fee waiver number in lieu of a credit card. When you submit section 1, the school will receive your payment and information. Then, fill out the remaining sections and submit them when you’re ready.

Download the teacher recommendations and transcript form and give them to your teachers/administrator, who will then mail them to SSAT, where they are added electronically to the other elements of your application. Check to see if the school requires a supplement (it will be listed with the recommendations), and if so, follow the instructions to submit it.

 

 

FAQs

When does a school get my application?

As soon as you submit Part 1 (Student Information) with the school’s application fee payment, the school receives your biographical information and recognizes you as an applicant. Be sure to complete and submit the remainder of the application prior to the school’s application deadline date.

How does a school receive the application?

Schools receive applications via a secure webpage. Individual sections are posted as they are received and processed. If the school to which you are applying requires an SSAT score, be sure to designate that school as a score report recipient. You can do this anytime using your SSAT login account. Online score report orders are free.

Can I use the SAO to apply to more than one school?

Yes! The Standard Application Online makes it easy to apply to multiple schools – as long as a school accepts the application. Once you create the initial package, you use it for every school.

How do I create additional applications?

Once you have started an application for one school, even if the application has only been partially completed and “Saved as Draft”, you can open additional applications using your WebLogin in the following manner:
• Go to www.ssat.org and click on the “Applying to Schools” button
• Follow the prompts for “Apply to Schools” then “Search for Schools”
• Find the school you would like to apply to by name and click on link
• Click on “Apply to this School”
• Sign into your SSAT account.

The application page for the school selected will launch and you can begin work on this new application. Whatever information was entered and saved in the previous application will pre-fill in the new application. The same steps can be followed for each subsequent application that you begin.

Can I customize my essay responses according to the school I am applying to?

The application service has been designed to assist applicants by pre-filling information on new applications. This applies to Part 1 (Student Information), the Student Questionnaire, and the Parent Statement. If you complete and submit an application to one school, then your next application will pre-fill with your submitted answers from that section of the first application. If you choose, you may customize your responses before submitting the second application.

How do the recommendation forms work?

Once you have started an application, you print out all recommendation forms. Make sure your parents
sign the confidentiality waiver on the first page of each. Provide your school officials with the signed coversheets, recommendation forms, and stamped envelopes addressed to SSAT. They fill out the recommendations only once (even if you are applying to multiple schools), and then they mail the completed recommendation directly to SSAT. This one set of forms is all you need to apply to multiple schools.

What is a Supplement?

Some schools require information that is not included in the SAO forms. They attach a supplemental form to the application in order to receive this information. When you visit the recommendations page for a school’s application, it will note whether a supplement is required and provide access to the supplement for you to complete. Some schools make their supplements available through the SAO,
while others provide information about how to access their form from their own website. Click here for an example.

Can a Placement Director or Educational Consultant help manage this process?

Your placement director or educational consultant must be a member of SSAT. Simply designate your placement director or educational consultant (using his/her SSAT 4-digit code number) in the “Status Monitoring Authorization” field when prompted in Part 1 of the application. He/she will then be able to monitor the pieces of your application that are complete and to which schools they are being sent. Your counselor will not be able to access or edit any part of the application.

How can I keep track of my applications and what still needs to be completed?

Simply log in to your SSAT account and your account management page will appear automatically. From here you can check and continue work on your applications. Once you have initiated the process of applying to a school(s), this is where you will go to work on, complete and submit your application(s). You will also see the status of all aspects of your account, including test registrations and inquiries.

How can I get a fee waiver for the application?

Contact the school to which you are applying for fee waiver information. You may only use that application fee waiver for that particular school’s application.

Want to Get Started Now?

Click here to go directly to the SSAT Account Management page, where you will Log In to an existing SSAT account or create a new one to begin your first application.