Welcome to the first step on the path to the school of your dreams! Curated by your friends at The Enrollment Management Association, creator of the SSAT, Admission.org is your resource for navigating the K–12 private and independent school admission process.
Whatever your reason for exploring a private school education, here’s everything you need to know to move forward in the admission process.
Before you can find your child's best-fit school, you need to know what it looks like. Start your journey by doing some homework.
Explore your options with our Private School Finder, which allows you to search for schools that accept the Standard Application Online (SAO).
Once you find potential schools for your child, it’s time to begin the admission process. There is a lot to know and do before you submit your applications.
Overwhelmed? Admission Academy can help. It’s a yearlong family program designed to help your child find and apply to their best-fit school.
The SSAT is the gold-standard test for private school admission.
The Character Skills Snapshot provides schools with a richer, holistic view of your student.
Prepare for test day with official SSAT practice materials and by following test-day tips.
Your student is now prepped, assessed, and focused on their dream schools. What’s next?
Most applications require an essay, teacher evaluations, letters of recommendation, and transcripts of your student’s grades.
The Standard Application Online (SAO) simplifies the application process.
Students can submit their information, essays, transcripts, and recommendations once and use that to apply to multiple schools.
Ask if your select schools offer tuition payment plans, need-based financial aid, sibling discounts, scholarships, or merit awards and check requirements and due dates.
Most schools will inform you of their decisions in early March: you may be accepted, declined, or added to the waiting list. Once your student is enrolled, they can begin planning their schedule—and their new life—at their dream school.
Remember: you don’t have to navigate this process alone! Enroll in Admission Academy for a full year of admission advice and insights.
Get StartedA year-long family program to help you find and apply to your best-fit school. Gain exclusive access to on-demand resources, live sessions, virtual school fairs, and more.
Discover Admission AcademyExplore tips and resources for every step in the K–12 private school admission process.
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Randie Benedict from St. Anne's-Belfield School fields questions on everything from waitlists to financial aid appeals from parents mulling admission decisions.
Before applying to private schools with rolling admissions, there are some things you need to know about space availability, deadlines, and financial aid.
Admission.org is brought to you by The Enrollment Management Association (EMA), creator of The SSAT, The Standard Application Online (SAO), and The Character Skills Snapshot.
A nonprofit organization, EMA supports a vast network of private schools and over 80,000 applicant families annually.
Learn About EMA