Applying to Andover

STEP 1: Complete the Candidate Profile

Complete the Candidate Profile (Part One of the application) on the Gateway to Prep Schools website and submit it to Phillips Academy. You will then receive an email 24 hours after your submission with your Andover application portal login credentials.

STEP 2: Interview

In order to schedule an interview, you must submit the Candidate Profile on the Gateway to Prep Schools website. Twenty-four hours after you submit your Candidate Profile on the Gateway to Prep Schools website, you will receive your own unique personal Andover application portal login credentials. Your application portal login credentials will give you access to our interview scheduler, where you may choose an interview option.

Using your application portal login credentials, you will be able to supplement your application with one of the following options:

• On-Campus Interview (all appointments are booked)
• Virtual Interview (all appointments are booked)
• Interview Recording

Applicants are encouraged to do an on-campus or virtual tour if able.

• If you don’t see an available appointment time that works for you, you can check back on the calendar in the future, as we will add new appointments on a rolling basis.
• Should you need to cancel or reschedule your interview appointment, please log back into your application portal to do so.
• Interviews are conducted through the month of January.

STEP 3: Required Standardized Testing

Students must submit one of the following: SSAT (Upper Level), ISEE (Upper Level), PSAT, SAT, or ACT.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT ALL GRADE LEVELS:

Students who attend a school outside the United States that is not an English-medium school are asked to take the TOEFL iBT, the IELTS, or the Duolingo English Test. As a guideline, most international students who are admitted to Andover score at or above: 100 on the TOEFL iBT, 7.5 on the IELTS, or 135 on the Duolingo English Test.

School Testing Codes: When you register for a standardized test, please use the following codes in order to have the test results sent directly to Phillips Academy.

SSAT: 5758 
ISEE: 220030 
SAT: 0156 
TOEFL: 8127

If you are applying for financial aid and would like to request a standardized testing fee waiver, please visit your application portal for information on how to make this request. 

STEP 4: Complete Your Application

Submit the remaining application documents:

• Graded Writing Sample (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Essay Response (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Short Video Response (Andover Application Portal)
• Parent/Guardian Statement (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Current Academic Year Grades (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Previous Grades (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Principal/Counselor Recommendation (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Current English Teacher Recommendation (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Current Math Teacher Recommendation (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Personal Recommendation (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Optional: Special Interest Recommendation (Gateway to Prep Schools)
• Optional: Arts or Athletics Supplement (Gateway to Prep Schools)

The following are commonly asked questions about the Gateway application:

• The Candidate Profile is part one of the application. If you have a multimedia link that you’d like to send to us, such as an art portfolio or a sports or performance video, you can do so on either the Candidate Profile, or in part two of the Gateway application. Students most often use a private YouTube account or a Google link.
• You can check on the status of your application items by logging into your Andover application portal. We will send periodic reminders about any missing required items closer to our February 1 deadline.
• The math teacher recommendation and the English teacher recommendation must be submitted via Gateway by the applicant’s current math and English teachers, rather than by former teachers. If you have a former teacher (in any subject area) who knows you well, you may ask them to submit a personal recommendation.
• If your recommender does not speak English, they may feel free to submit the recommendation in their native language. An official translation is helpful, but not required.
• We require grade reports from the first term of the current academic year (“Current Academic Year Grades”) as well as the prior two academic years (“Previous Grades”). For applicants to the 12^th grade and the PG program, we require a complete high school transcript. If you have attended more than two schools in the past three years and need additional space to share required grade reports, or we have reached out requesting a missing required grade report, you may submit the form titled "Optional Additional Grades."
• In the “Optional Additional Documents” section, students sometimes choose to submit, for example, a resumé or CV, an award, or an additional writing sample. It is perfectly fine to not submit anything extra.
• As the school year progresses, a student may have new information about extracurricular activities that were not included on their Gateway Candidate Profile. Please use the "Optional Additional Documents" section to send us this information.

STEP 5: If Applicable

Financial Aid: If applying for financial aid, complete the financial aid application by February 1.

• We have a “need-blind” admission process, so your application for financial aid does not impact your admission decision.
• International students are welcome to apply for financial aid.
• For detailed questions about financial aid, please feel free to email [email protected].