Compared to peer schools Phillips Exeter Academy, Hotchkiss School and St. Paul’s School, Phillips Academy admitted the most students, recorded the lowest acceptance rate and offered the highest amount of financial aid to incoming students.
Andover received 3103 completed applications and maintained a 14% admission rate for the second consecutive year. The academy will award $5,597,400 worth of financial aid scholarships to an expected 45% of admitted students.
Andover’s peer boarding schools also saw increased numbers of applicants and financial aid awarded.
Exeter received over 2,500 applications and admitted 458 students with an acceptance rate of 18%.
Michael Gary, Director of Admissions at Exeter, said that Exeter accepted fewer applicants this year than years past because of a smaller senior class and a higher predicted yield. Exeter offered financial aid to 40% of the prospective students at Exeter.
Rachael Beare, Director of Admissions at Hotchkiss, said that the school reviewed 1929 completed applications. The acceptance rate decreased from 18% to 16% in the past year.
This year marked the most selective year at Hotchkiss in the past decade, according to Roberta Jenckes, Director of Communications.
Eighty students from Hotchkiss’ Class of 2015 will receive financial aid.
St. Paul’s School’s admission rate also decreased, from 16% to 15%. St. Paul’s School expects to have 35% of the incoming students enter with financial aid next year, according to Timothy Caryl- Klika, Senior Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Financial Aid at St. Paul’s School.
Andover, Exeter, Hotchkiss and St. Paul’s School all saw an increase in international applications in the past few years.
Andover admitted students from 42 states and 29 countries.
Jane Fried, Dean of Admissions, said that both the online searches for educational opportunities and talent identification programs have increased the geographic backgrounds of the students.
Exeter admitted students this year from place as exotic to New England as Azerbaijan and Thailand.
Gary said, “This pool of applicants was absolutely the most diverse I can recall in my 21 years in admissions, and my 8 years at Exeter.”
Hotchkiss admitted students for its class of 2015 from over 34 countries, said Jenckes. The applications represented 47 states and 56 countries.
Caryl-Klika said St. Paul’s School admitted students from 31 states and 15 countries.
“I would suggest [the increase of international applications at local boarding schools] has something to do with the combination of access to information online, an increasing numbers of wealthier families in developing countries and successful admissions travel from various boarding schools,” said Caryl- Klika.
This past week all boarding schools held their visit days to give admitted students opportunities to visit the school before deciding to attend the following school year.
Andover, Exeter and Hotchkiss all run Spring Visit programs. At all three schools, prospective students shadow their host students throughout the day to their classes while parents attend student and faculty panel discussions and presentations.
Fried said, “In a sense, we are all hosts for Spring Visits, even if we do not have a newly admitted student ‘shadowing’ us or visiting our class. Some of the most important moments of the day occur at the lunch table or on the paths.”
St. Paul’s School holds an overnight program for its visiting students, who arrive with their families in the afternoon and stay through lunch the following day. They attend classes, chapel, activities, athletic fairs, and a variety show during their stay, said Caryl- Klika.
“The students spend the majority of their time with their student host while the parents spend the majority of their time learning more about the school from various students, faculty and administrators,” said Caryl- Klika.
