Admissions Overview

Children applying for entry into Nursery and Reception must submit current and prior school records from their current teacher if the student has had previous education. Students entering Nursery and Reception must be fully toilet trained, able to dress and undress themselves for swimming, and be able to eat with a fork and spoon or chopsticks. Our Head of Primary School or Deputy Head of Primary School meet all students for an informal 20 minute play-based assessment session, before the Admission Committee reviews the application, and making a decision to offer admission to the applicant.

Children applying for entry into Year 1 and Year 2 must submit current and prior school records and a Confidential Report (stencil provided by the College) from their class teacher or Principal if applying from overseas. Students who are not overseas will meet with the Head of Primary School, Deputy Head of Primary School or a teacher in their Year Group for a short play-based assessment,  before the Admissions Committee reviews the application, and making a decision to offer the applicant a place.

Students applying for entry into Year 3 through Year 6 must submit current and prior school records. Students undergo assessments to ensure they can access the curriculum. The Cognitive Ability Test (CAT4) consists of verbal, quantitative, spatial and non-verbal assessments and a 15-to-30-minute writing assignment. Students will meet with a member of the Primary School Leadership Team before the Admissions Committee reviews the application or a place is offered. Candidates whose first language is not English will take an “English as an Additional Language" assessment.

Students applying for entry into Year 7 through Year 13 must submit current and prior school records. Students undergo assessments to ensure they can access the curriculum. The Cognitive Ability Test (CAT4) consists of verbal, quantitative, spatial and non-verbal assessments and a 60-minute writing assignment. Students will meet with a member of the Senior School Leadership Team before the Admissions Committee reviews the application or a place is offered. Candidates whose first language is not English will take an “English as an Additional Language" assessment. 

Once all application forms and documents have been submitted, the Admissions Committee will review the student's application and notify parents about the admission decision. As Dulwich College Seoul is a selective school that works to ensure all students are set up to succeed, the selection process will take into account academics as well as how well the applicant will socially and emotionally adjust to the school.

Due to the academic rigour of the IGCSE and IB Diploma programmes, the admission process for the High School is highly selective and not all students who apply will be offered admission. Students entering Year 10 and upwards will need to provide their Subject Options for review and be interviewed by the Head of Senior School or Assistant Head of Senior School, to ensure they are able to meet the academic demands of the courses. 

Students will be subject to the following considerations:

What to know for entry into Year 11 through Year 13

Year 11:

Applications for enrolment into Year 11 are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Year 12:

Students enter Year 12 with the expectation that they will attempt the full Diploma programme. Please check Admissions Guide for the entry requirement, which is available from Useful Documents.  

Year 13:

Only in very exceptional circumstances will the College consider mid-entries into the IB Programme in Year 13. To be considered, students must be applying from a nearly identical IB Programme and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

We could make special arrangements for the entrance assessments to be administered at the candidate's current school. If a candidate cannot be interviewed, we may offer a provisional place, which could be withdrawn if the College later determines that it cannot support the applicant’s needs, or there is a concern raised that was not previously known. Under extenuating circumstances, we may conduct assessments online and via teleconferencing.

We enrol students whom we know we can support to ensure they are set up for success. We enrol students with learning challenges when the information available indicates that the student’s learning needs could be met by the services we provide.

Our team will consult with students and parents to conduct all necessary assessments and review copies of all previous reports and records. We request that parents provide all information available to enable our Admissions Committee to make an accurate decision about learning support services and admission.

Please check Additional Educational Needs Policy for more information, which is available from Useful Documents.

Do you have a waiting list?

Yes, we do have a waiting list for most year groups. Parents are encouraged to apply early for a place at the College.

If so, how are admissions prioritised?

Priority is given to:

• a child of a full‐time faculty member
• a qualified sibling of a currently enrolled student
• a qualified sibling of a new student who has completed the application process
• a qualified student transferring from another Dulwich College or returning Dulwich College Seoul student. 
• a qualified child of an Old Alleynian (OA) or International Old Alleynian (IOA)

Please note that waiting list positions are not disclosed to parents. Waiting lists are maintained for one academic year only.

Do you test all children before admission?

Dulwich College Seoul is a selective school where academic excellence is highly valued. All students seeking admission into Dulwich College Seoul are subject to observations and/or evaluations.

What kind of test is it?

Overseas students applying to DUCKS (Nursery - Year 2) are required to provide a Confidential Observation Report (provided by the College to be completed by their class teacher). Non-overseas students will be invited to class for an observation. Students applying for Year 3 to Year 12 are required to take the Cognitive Ability Test (CAT4) consisting of verbal, quantitative, spatial and non-verbal assessments. There is also a written English Assessment. Our Academic team will review test results and previous school records, and in many cases, applicants will be interviewed. Students who are found to require English as an Additional Language support will have additional assessments to further evaluate readiness to access the curriculum.

How long does it take?

Observations for children applying to DUCKS will take approximately 20 minutes. Students applying to Year 3 and above will need approximately 2.5 hours to complete their assessment excluding additional interview(s).

How long does it take to get the results?

Results will be processed within one week of evaluation, on condition that all application documents have been submitted.

I am unable to visit Seoul before we move. Where can my child be tested?

A teacher in your child's current school can conduct the evaluation on our behalf. Parents will need to provide the email address of the teacher or registrar with whom we should correspond.

At Dulwich College Seoul, we appreciate the cultural diversity that non-native English speakers bring to our school and we are able to support a percentage of students who are non-native English speakers. Applicants who speak languages other than English should be able to demonstrate age- appropriate academic proficiency in their native tongue. Our admissions team may request that students be assessed on their ability to handle the academic challenges of English before an admissions decision is made.

How big are your classes and what are your student/teacher ratios?

Dulwich College International schools have established the maximum class sizes as follows:

• Nursey and Reception Student-adult ratio 8:1
• Year 1-3  22 students per class: 1 classroom teacher, 1 teaching assistant
• Year 4 22 - 24 students per class: 1 classroom teacher, 2 teaching assistants for 3 classes
• Year 5-6  22 - 24 students: 1 classroom teacher, 1 teaching assistant for 3 classes
• Year 7-11  22 - 24 students per class: 1 subject teacher
• Year 12-13 16 students per class: 1 subject teacher

While the College expects to maintain student levels below the maximum, it reserves the right to increase the student numbers per class under special circumstances.

Can my child eat lunch at school?

Yes. Parents may purchase a mid-morning snack and cafeteria lunch from the College’s caterers. The caterers provide nutritious food with a daily choice of an Asian or Western menu, which take account of the diverse range of religious and ethnic backgrounds of our students. We provide tours of our kitchen facilities where our caterers speak to the time and care put into developing our menus. Parents are invited to taste a cafeteria meal alongside the students at the end. Alternatively, parents may pack a snack and lunch for their children to bring to school. 

Who are your caterers?

Dulwich College Seoul has appointed JJ Catering Co., Ltd as our food service provider from the start of the 2026/2027 school year. JJ Catering has specialised exclusively in institutional catering since 1994, serves around 60,000 meals a day across more than 70 sites, and has 27 years of experience with international schools in Korea, currently working with ten of them.

The on-site team of 20 includes a general manager, a nutritionist, separate Western and Korean head chefs, a pastry and snack chef, and a baker, all directly employed and trained by JJ Catering.

Contact

Dining Hall of Dulwich College Seoul.

Tel: 02 3015 8590.

Email: [email protected]

Do you accommodate children with food allergies?

Yes, all allergies are notified to the catering company. Parents must inform the College Nurse and the caterers of any food allergies upon enrolling. The College caterers may be able to provide alternative meal plans for certain allergies. If you have more specific questions about allergies, please contact JJ Catering Co. Please note that Dulwich College Seoul is a nut free campus.

Do you serve food with nuts?

Dulwich College Seoul enforces a strict nut-free policy throughout the school. JJ Catering Co. abides by the College's nut-free policy as there are students who may have potentially fatal reactions to nuts. This also means we ask parents to avoid nuts for any baked goods or snacks packed for their children.

Can my child bring lunch to school?

Certainly. Parents are welcome to provide a mid-morning snack and packed lunch for their children. Students eat their packed lunches in the Dining Hall with all the other students. We support parents in providing a healthy option for our students’ lunches at school. Therefore, any packed lunches or snacks brought from home should not include sweets, chocolate, biscuits, fizzy drinks or other similar items. We discourage packing excessive amounts of snacks. Dulwich College Seoul is a nut-free campus. It is very important that parents take this into account when bringing in birthday cakes, snacks, lunches or any food for class parties or theme days, as there are students who have potentially fatal reactions to nuts.

What time do the children eat lunch?

Primary School:

Senior School:

• 12:40pm to 1:30pm

At Dulwich College Seoul, we believe ‘Home Learning’ should be relevant and engaging for students. It is an opportunity to build upon knowledge and skills they have been developing in school. 

• Primary School 

Where possible, teachers will set home learning tasks that can be completed independently and that require little parental supervision. Parents can assist with organisation but should not be completing contents for their child. 

• Senior School 

Homework is an integral part of student learning. It enables students to consolidate, practise and develop the skills they have learnt in class in order to prepare them for subsequent lessons. 

What are your school hours?

Primary School (Nursery to Year 6):

• 8.15am to 3.30pm: Regular school hours
• 3.30pm to 4.30pm: Co-curricular Activities

Senior School (Year 7 to Year 13):

• 8.15am to 3.30pm: Regular school hours
• 3.30pm to 4.30pm: Co-curricular Activities

Do you offer bus service?

Yes, we do. The school bus routes and stops are determined based on the distance and availability of buses, which may vary from year to year. We make every effort to accommodate requests. However, there will be times it may be challenging to do so due to the distance and a lack of bus availability in that area. Please note that our goal is to minimise bus commuting time for our students and optimise their learning experience.

Our buses are managed by a third party vendor we have partnered with for many years that has a good safety record. Each bus will have an adult bus monitor trained in safeguarding children to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students.

What if my child stays at school late for activities? Can my child still get a bus home?

Yes, we provide buses for students participating in co-curricular activities. These buses depart the College at 4.40pm.

How much are the bus fees?

2025/2026 Annual Bus Fees:

• Round trip: KRW 4,720,000 (Termly fee: KRW 1,890,000)
• One way: KRW 3,780,000 (Termly fee: KRW 1,520,000)

Can my child walk to school? Or Is it safe for my child to walk to school?

Many of our older students walk or bike to and from school. 

Do you have any scholarships?

We do not offer scholarships at this time.

Do you have boarding facilities?

We do not offer boarding at this time.

Under which circumstances would you conduct online classes and how are they conducted to minimise learning disruption? 

Online classes will be offered if we are unable to access the College campus. Our staff are highly proficient in providing rigorous and developmentally appropriate online learning that mirrors our in-school provision. Lessons are delivered via the College online platforms.