How to get into Dulwich College at 11+

Introduction

Dulwich College has approximately 70 places available at 11 Plus. Places are awarded on the basis of performance in a series of examinations in English and Maths and a subsequent interview. Examinations take place on one day in early December of Year 6 (the school year before admission), when boys will be 10 or 11 years old, and interviews take place in January.

Registration

Parents must register their children by late October of Year 6. For example, for entry in September 2025, parents were required to register their children by Monday 28th October 2024.

To register, parents must complete an application form. There is a separate application form for 11+ entry. At this point, parents must specify some basic information such as name, date of birth, nationality, any scholarship or bursary applied for, details of the child’s present school and basic information on the parent(s).

The registration fee (which is non-returnable) is £160 for students living in the UK, and £350 for students living outside the UK. Parents of children in receipt of Pupil Premium are not required to pay a deposit but are required to upload supporting documents.

Registration is made online and relevant documents will need to be uploaded, including a photocopy of the student’s birth certificate and a photo.

At this point, Dulwich College will request a report from the student’s current school, a letter explaining any relevant medical problems or learning difficulties (including students with statements of SEN), as well as any request for extra time in the entrance examinations. These requests must be be made with the inclusion of a written assessment of the student by an educational psychologist or similar.

Pre-testing

No pre-assessment or pre-testing is used by Dulwich College at 11+.

Examinations

The entrance examinations for entry in September 2025 will take place Friday 6th December 2024.

Dulwich College set their own entrance examinations in Maths and English, for which they helpfully provide multiple practice papers (and in the case of the Maths, mark schemes as well).

11 + Maths and English papers for Dulwich College can be found here.

Although they aren’t exactly the same, parents wishing to give their child extra exam practice papers have two main routes: the practice papers written by the ISEB (purchasable from Galore Park’s website), and the free papers that we provide on our website.

Buy ISEB papers from Galore Park.

View free 11+ papers from Owl Tutors.

Interviews

Students who do well in the examinations are invited back for an interview. This process happens quickly. The next round of interviews for September 2025 entry will take place between Wednesday 22nd January to Tuesday 30th January 2025.

Approximately 160 boys are usually invited for interview.

At 11+ the interview process is usually quite short. There is often a lot of fear around the interview process, but essentially, the school wants to know if your child is going to be happy and do well there. In the words of one of our top school entrance tutors:

“The interview is a conversation with a purpose, designed to establish whether the school will suit you and you will suit the school. Ask your child to think about why they want to go there, what the school can offer them and what they can offer the school. Can they play an instrument, act, contribute to term sports, play chess, instigate a new club? Tell them!”

Five helpful tips on how to help your child with their 11+ interview.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Bursaries and Scholarships are both offered by Dulwich College at 11 Plus.

General information on Dulwich College’s scholarships and bursaries at 11 Plus.

Scholarships

Academic scholarships are offered on the basis of performance on the school’s entrance test. They can be held by boarding or day students. The value varies between 10% and one third of the school’s annual fees.

Music scholarships are available at 11+. In this case, students must complete a separate application form, specifying relevant information about instruments played. In addition to the regular admissions process, students must attend auditions at the school. Here they are required to play two pieces, sight read a short piece and complete some tests. The school also offers Choral and Organ Scholarships.

Information on Dulwich College’s music scholarships at 11 Plus.

Art and Sports Scholarships are not offered by Dulwich College at 11 Plus.

Bursaries

Bursaries are offered under the usual circumstances, i.e. when parents cannot pay full fees. As usual, parents must complete a financial return, which is reviewed each year. Bursaries can be applied for through the regular application form.

Fees

Parents must pay a deposit on accepting a place at 11+.  For 2024 entry, this was £2200 for day students and £4,400 for boarders. Deposits are repaid once the student leaves, assuming all bills are paid.

Day fees (per term) are £8,807 for 2024 entry, which equates to £26,401 per year.

Boarding fees (per term) are £18,385 for full boarders for the year 2024-2025, and £17,236 for weekly boarders.

This blog was written by Finnian, one of our most experienced school entrance tutors.  Contact us if you would be interested in arranging one-to-one 11 Plus tuition with him.

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