Dulwich College Overseas Applicants: 11+ and 13+ Entry 2027

Dulwich College is a selective boys’ day and boarding school in London that takes applications from boys at school overseas on a separate Overseas Registration form. For September 2027 entry its overseas deadline for Years 3 to 6, 7, 9 and 10 was Friday 2 October 2026, now past, and its UK exam dates are Friday 4 December 2026 for Year 7 (11+) and Saturday 9 January 2027 for Year 9 (13+).

Leading Tuition prepares children for UK 11+ entry from abroad: tuition can be one to one, and families outside the UK can take the whole programme online. This page belongs to our London independent schools guide for families abroad and our 11+ from overseas hub.

For the test itself, results and scholarships, see our Dulwich College 11+ guide. Every rule below is quoted from the College’s own pages, read on 9 October 2026, and labelled with the entry point and entry year it serves: 11+ (Year 7) and 13+ (Year 9) for September 2027, and 13+ Deferred Entry for September 2029.

Which Dulwich College entry year: Year 7, Year 9 or Deferred Entry?

The overseas page says “Entrance and examination procedures differ slightly for each year group”, so each row below carries one entry year. Our guide to which UK year group a child abroad belongs in shows how classes abroad line up with the birth-date bands.

Year 7 appears among the day places, and boarding places start at Year 9. The overseas page says “Boys can apply for day places for Years 3 to 6, 7, 9 and 12.” and “Boarding places are available for Years 9 and 12 with a small number of boarding places available for Year 10.”

Deferred Entry is the 13+ route sat in Year 6 for September 2029, and the overseas page closes it to a boy at school overseas: “Candidates applying for Year 9 who are at school overseas cannot be considered for the Deferred Entry exams when they are in Year 6. This entry route is only open for candidates at UK prep schools.” The Year 9 page says what such a boy does instead, “Boys who are at school outside the UK sit the College examination papers when they are in Year 8”, and that Deferred Entry uses the College’s own tests: “We do not use the ISEB pre-test for Deferred Entry applicants.” Our guide to 13+ entry from overseas sets out the routes.

Year 7 and Deferred Entry cannot both be applied for: “Please note that candidates cannot apply for both Year 7 and for Year 9 Deferred Entry. The point of entry should be specified when completing the online Registration form, and it will not be possible to change this route after Friday 2 October 2026.” That date has passed.

Which dates does the College give for September 2027 entry, in order?

Each row is a date from the College’s own pages, read on 9 October 2026, linked to the page that gives it and labelled with the entry point it serves. ‘UK’ means the College’s date for boys sitting in the UK. Only Friday 2 October 2026 is in the past.

Two gaps matter, and the arithmetic is ours, not the College’s: 31 days separate Friday 2 October 2026 from the UK registration deadline on Monday 2 November 2026, and 23 days separate it from the Hong Kong sitting for boarding applicants on Sunday 25 October 2026.

The Overseas Registration form: what 2 October 2026 closed and what the College’s other forms say

“Registration for candidates outside the UK seeking entry to Dulwich College for both day and boarding should complete an Overseas Registration form.” The passage that follows gives the deadline and then a further sentence: “The overseas registration deadline for Years 3 to 6, 7, 9, and 10 for September 2027 entry is Friday 2 October 2026 and for Year 12 is Friday 16 October 2026. However, registrations will remain open for occasional places.” The Year 12 date is for the 16+ entry point, which this page does not cover. The deadline for Years 3 to 6, 7, 9 and 10 has passed. What the last sentence covers for a Year 7 or Year 9 boy is a question for the Registrars, and the last section of this page puts it in writing. Two more statements on the College’s pages bear on overseas applicants.

The first concerns “Overseas applicants at school in the UK”, in the College’s words: “(Overseas applicants at school in the UK who will be coming to Dulwich College to sit the entrance examinations should complete the standard Years 3 to 5, 7, 9 or 12 registration forms.)” The Year 7 and Year 9 pages give Monday 2 November 2026, midday, for applicants sitting the examinations in the UK. Whether that is the date that applies to overseas applicants at school in the UK is a question for the Registrars, and the last section of this page puts it in writing.

The second concerns boarders. “Entrance examinations for boarders at school outside the UK are generally held in late October to early November each year. Testing can be arranged after this if places are available.” Those two sentences sit under the overseas page’s Overseas Boarding Applications heading, for Year 9 and Year 10 boarders; they are not a Year 7 rule.

The online form asks the family to have documents ready. The College introduces the list with “To complete the online registration form you will need the following:” a passport and birth certificate for the boy, a recent photograph, his most recent academic school report, an educational psychologist report and details of any medical condition indicating examination concessions (the last two where applicable), and a debit or credit card for the non-refundable registration fee. A family can also look round before it commits: “We are happy to arrange individual visits in term time for our overseas applicants. Please contact the relevant Registrar to make an appointment.”

The overseas page also lists the evidence the College asks for when a boy needs Access Arrangements. The College says “To evidence a need and normal way of working, you will need to submit the following at time of application:” a letter or report from CAMHS, a HPC registered psychologist, a medical consultant, a psychiatrist or a Speech and Language Therapist; or a letter or report from the Local Authority Specialist Service, Local Authority Sensory Impairment Service or Occupational Health Service; or a current EHCP; and also “a letter from the current school stating the pupil's normal way of working”. It also sets a notice period: “If there are any changes to requirements, please inform the appropriate Registrar no later than 10 days before the entrance examination.”

Entrance Examinations away from Dulwich: Europe, British Council offices and Dulwich College International schools

For Year 7 and Year 9 day places the overseas page starts with Europe: “Our expectation would be that families will bring their son to Dulwich College for the entrance examination if they live in Europe.” For boys living in other parts of the world it says testing will be held at venues it names, and the nearest British Council office and a Dulwich College International school are among them. “Arrangements will be made through the Admissions office and any local administration costs would be covered by the candidate’s family.” Day sittings abroad come as soon after the UK exam dates as possible: Friday 4 December 2026 for Year 7 (11+) and Saturday 9 January 2027 for Year 9 (13+).

For 13+ (Year 9), September 2027, the Year 9 page lists written papers in English and Mathematics and online Reasoning tests, with one condition for families abroad: “Candidates sitting the examinations overseas may be asked to sit a paper based reasoning test.” For overseas boarding applicants the overseas page says “Year 9 and 10 Overseas boarding applicants will sit examinations in Mathematics, English and Reasoning Tests.” The same page also lists Year 9 practice material: a maths syllabus, a maths paper with its mark scheme, and an English paper with its mark scheme.

Boarding sittings abroad are generally held earlier than the UK exam dates. “Overseas testing for candidates in other locations will take place at the nearest British Council office or a Dulwich College International school.” That sentence comes after the Hong Kong date for boarding applicants (Sunday 25 October 2026) in the College’s boarding paragraph. On what a Dulwich College International school is, the College’s page on the network describes “a network of schools with more than 9,000 pupils that includes the Dulwich College International Schools and High Schools in China, South Korea, and Singapore”. Which of them, if any, hosts a sitting for your son is a question for the Registrars.

IELTS and the EAL department

The boarding FAQ answers “IELTS; do boys need qualifications?” in these words: “IELTS qualifications are not required when applying to the College as each candidate will be tested in English. However a high level in spoken and written English is necessary at all points of entry.” On support, “Our EAL department will work with pupils in groups, and one on one, to help them reach the required level as soon as possible.”

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What happens after the papers: Zoom interviews for day places, the Head’s reference and the offer

Interviews can be held online for day places: “We can arrange interviews by Zoom.” For Year 7 the College says “Candidates who show promise in the entrance examinations are invited to attend an interview in January.” See our guide to video interviews for overseas 11+ and 13+ entry.

The Year 7 page bases an offer on the examination, an interview and a reference from the Head of the candidate’s present school; the Year 9 page, for September 2027, says a report from the Head instead. The acceptance deadline is Friday 26 February 2027, midday, for Year 9, and “TBC - Wednesday 3 March 2027, midday” for Year 7.

Midday deadlines on a Dubai/UAE, Hong Kong or Singapore clock

The College’s pages give midday for the UK registration date (Monday 2 November 2026), for both acceptance dates and, on Friday 2 October 2026, for the Years 3 to 6 overseas deadline and the Deferred Entry deadline. These readings are our arithmetic and hold only if midday is UK time. The UK is on British Summer Time (BST, UTC+1) until the clocks go back on 25 October 2026 and again from 28 March 2027, and on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+0) in between, per GOV.UK; Dubai/UAE is on UTC+4 and Hong Kong and Singapore are on UTC+8, per the IANA time zone database. Dates after 25 October 2026 and before 28 March 2027 are therefore GMT, so Dubai/UAE reads 4 hours later than London and Hong Kong and Singapore 8 hours later.

Working: 12:00 BST is 11:00 UTC, so Dubai/UAE reads 15:00 and Hong Kong or Singapore 19:00; 12:00 GMT is 12:00 UTC, so 16:00 and 20:00. For other countries, see our guide to time zones for online 11+ tuition.

Guardian, boarding house and Child Student visa

The boarding page places boarders in Year 9 and above: “Old Blew and The Orchard are located in wonderful grounds catering for boys from Year 9 to Year 13.”

On Child Student sponsorship, the College’s own sentences are these, from the overseas page: “Sponsorship is available for Boarders entering the college from Year 9 (13+) through to Year 12 (16+).” “We do not sponsor day pupils or weekly boarders for Child Student Visas or Student Visas.” The Years 3 to 6 page says “Please note that the College no longer sponsors day pupils under the Child Student Visa Scheme.” On the mechanics, “If you require the College to sponsor your child, the College can issue an online Certificate of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) under the system operated by UK Visas & Immigration.” And for a boy already in the UK: “If your son is already studying at a UK school under an existing visa, he will need a new visa to study at Dulwich and will not be able to continue to use his previous visa.” See our guide to the Child Student visa for 13+ boarding entry.

The College’s boarding FAQ answers “Do I need to appoint a Guardian for my son?” in these words: “The College insists that every pupil (even those 18 years old or over) whose parents are resident overseas must have a guardian living in this country. The guardian must be at least 25 years old, and should live close enough to the College to carry out his/her duties effectively.” Separately, GOV.UK’s Child Student guidance says of a nominated guardian on that visa route: “A nominated guardian must be at least 18 years old. They can be nominated by your parent, legal guardian or school.” The first is the College’s rule for its pupils; the second is GOV.UK’s rule for a nominated guardian under the Child Student route. See our guide to educational guardians for UK boarders.

Year 6 (10+): the Years 3 to 6 route for a boy abroad

For 10+ (Year 6), September 2027, the Years 3 to 6 page gives boys born between 1 September 2016 and 31 August 2017, and approximately 5 places.

The overseas page says “Boys can apply for day places for Years 3 to 6, 7, 9 and 12.” and “Boys applying for Years 3, 4, 5 or 6 places will follow the similar entrance procedures and timetable as those boys in the UK, please see Years 3 to 5 entry information.” The Years 3 to 6 page says “The registration deadline for overseas applications for entry in Years 3 to 6 is midday on Friday 2 October.” and “Applicants sitting the Entrance Assessments overseas should complete the 'Overseas Years 3-6 - Registration Form'.” The overseas page’s sentence about boys at school in the UK, quoted in the registration section above, names the standard Years 3 to 5, 7, 9 or 12 forms. In its Years 3 to 6 section the overseas page says “Please contact the Junior School Registrar, Mrs Cara Norfolk junioradmissions@dulwich.org.uk if you have any queries.” Ask there which form and date apply to your son.

Questions to put to the Registrars about your own case

The overseas page gives the.registrar@dulwich.org.uk for queries about Years 7, 9 and 10. Each question below is framed around the family.

1. Our son is at school abroad and Friday 2 October 2026 has passed: the overseas page says registrations will remain open for occasional places, so what does that cover for Year 7 (11+) or Year 9 (13+) entry in September 2027, and which form and date apply to him?
2. Our son boards at a school in the UK while we live abroad: do the standard Year 7 or Year 9 forms and the Monday 2 November 2026 midday date apply to him?
3. On which date after the UK exam date (Friday 4 December 2026 for Year 7, Saturday 9 January 2027 for Year 9) will he sit, at which venue, and is the time we are given UK time?
4. Is ‘midday’ on each closing date UK time, and which date is final for acceptance of a Year 7 place shown as TBC?
5. Will he be asked to sit the paper based reasoning test for Year 9 rather than the online reasoning tests?
6. If he is invited to interview, which day in the January window is his, at what UK time, and who sets up the Zoom meeting?
7. Which reports from professionals or services in our own country will the College accept as Access Arrangements evidence, and can we send them before the 10-day notice?
8. He needs a Child Student visa: can the College issue a CAS for a day boy at any entry point, and which boarding option would a sponsored place be tied to?
9. Does the guardian rule apply to a day boy whose parents live abroad, and how close to the College must the guardian live?

Frequently Asked Questions