Admissions Overview

Boarding School Admissions: International Students (2025 Update)

For decades, U.S. boarding schools have attracted international families seeking rigorous academics, diverse communities, and pathways to top universities. In 2025, the appeal remains strong, but the admissions landscape is shifting. Rising tuition, evolving visa rules, and changing student demographics require families to be more informed than ever. This guide outlines what international parents need to know about boarding school admissions today.

Why Choose a U.S. Boarding School?

International students attend American boarding schools not only for advanced courses and college preparation but also for the life skills gained in a residential setting. These schools emphasize independence, maturity, and resilience.

Graduates consistently report that living away from home before college helped them transition more smoothly to university life. “Students coming from boarding schools are often more adaptable and confident in new settings,” notes one admissions director at a New England boarding school.

Enrollment Trends: A More Global Mix

International students make up roughly 15% of independent school enrollment nationwide. Boarding schools mirror this trend, with steady interest despite global challenges.

Recent data reveal important shifts:

• India on the rise: Enrollment from India has surged in recent years, making Indian students one of the fastest-growing international cohorts.

• China declining: Once the largest source of boarding students, China’s representation has dropped as families weigh other global options.

• Broader diversity: Schools are welcoming more students from Canada, Mexico, Africa, and Europe, contributing to richer cultural exchange on campuses.

Visa arrivals, however, remain a

You applied to several boarding schools. But your first choice didn't accept you. Instead, it waitlisted you. What exactly does this mean? And why do schools waitlist applicants? What do you do now?

I can tell you from my first-hand experience that you wonder what you did wrong. Did you make a poor impression at the interview? Were your scores not good enough? The questions are never-ending. As a father whose two daughters both went to boarding schools, I remember well all the second-guessing. So, I am writing this essay from the candidate's point of view and yours. Please share it with your child who has been waitlisted by one or more of the boarding schools she applied to.

What does waitlisting mean?

Most schools typically offer more applicants places than they have for the theory and experience that they will receive enough acceptances to fill all their seats. Calculating the actual yield from the acceptances they have sent out is something experienced admissions officers know how to do almost instinctively. For example, let's say the school has places for 100 students. It could send acceptance letters to 100 applicants. But what happens if only 75 of those families accept the places offered? Having 25 empty seats will wreak havoc with any private school's finances.

That's where the waitlisting comes in. The admissions officers know that if they offer a certain number of applicants over the actual number of places they have available, they will receive the necessary

International students are welcome at boarding schools in the United States. Los estudiantes internacionales son bienvenidos en las escuelas secundarias residenciales en los Estados Unidos. Les étudiants internationaux sont les bienvenus dans les lycées résidentiels aux États-Unis. Internationale Schüler sind an Residential High Schools in den Vereinigten Staaten willkommen. Welcome! Welcome!

International students have always been welcome at American boarding schools. One of the reasons for that is the global view most American boarding schools have of the world outside the United States. While xenophobia and populism tend to get the headlines, the truth is that most American boarding schools reflect a fascination with and curiosity about other countries and cultures. So, when a teenager from Taipei travels halfway around the world to study at an American boarding school, her new classmates notice. But, more importantly, they welcome their new friend with open arms, hearts, and minds.

Statistics

How many international students attend American boarding schools? Approximately 50,000 students, according to the Institute of International Education® (IIE), an organization founded in 1919.

Why study in the U.S.A.?

You can study at boarding schools in many other countries besides the United States. However, when you examine the depth and breadth of the academic curricula in American schools, especially in the areas of STEM and robotics, you realize what good value an American boarding school education offers. Studying in the U.S.A. makes the adjustment from high school to college much easier. You will know the culture and will have become

Admissions to boarding school is a process with many components. The process can be confusing to parents dealing with boarding school admissions for the first time. So, this article is a hub that includes articles I have written describing the private school admissions process.

The Overview

Admissions to Private School: A-Z puts all the information you need to navigate the boarding school admissions process in one convenient place. Whether you are just beginning or have been through this before, you will find help and advice to guide you. If you can't find answers to your questions or have specific concerns, contact the admissions offices at schools in which you are interested. Admissions staff are always ready to help.

Admissions 101 offers an overview of the admissions process, as well as the steps needed to find the right school for your child. The secret to finding the right school is to identify the school that fits your needs and requirements best.

Our Admissions Checklist will keep you on track as you work through the private school admissions process. Essentially it takes tall the aspects of the admissions process and formats them in an easy-to-follow checklist.

If you are good at organizing projects, the challenges involved in getting your child into private school will not seem especially daunting. Bear in mind that this project will stretch over eighteen months or more. 5 Challenges To Getting Your Child

Selecting boarding schools that fit your needs and requirements takes much time and effort. Once you have made your shortlist of schools, then you need to focus on the admissions process. The admissions process consists of testing, recommendations, the interview, financial aid, and ensuring your child's admssions file is complete. Use this admissions checklist to keep you and your child on track. There are plenty of forms to fill out and a standardized admissions test to prepare for.

Testing

I have put admissions testing at the top of my checklist simply because it needs as much advance preparation as your child can give it. While standardized admissions tests are just one of several tools that the admissions professionals at each school will use to assess your child, they remain an essential part of the assessment process. Most schools use the SSAT and ISEE. But there are other tests out there as well.

Once you have narrowed your choice of boarding schools to three to five, review the admissions requirements for each school carefully. Hopefully, all the schools on your list will use the same test. That will simplify matters enormously for both you and your child.

If, on the other hand, you end up with two or possibly three different tests, you will have to schedule, register, and pay for them. Scheduling these admissions tests works best when you start as far in advance as possible. The SSAT opens its registration on August 1