Eton college
Eton College is a world-renowned independent boarding school for boys aged 13–18, located in Eton, Berkshire. Founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, it is one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutions in the UK, famously known as the “nurse of England’s statesmen” for educating 20 British Prime Ministers
Key Information (2025–2026 Academic Year)
- Status: 100% full boarding; boys live at the school seven days a week during term time.
- Fees: £21,099.60 per term (including VAT), totaling approximately £63,298 per year.
- Student Body: Approximately 1,350 pupils.
- Leadership:
- Provost: Sir Nicholas Coleridge (since 2024).
- Head Master: Simon Henderson (since 2015).
Eton’s alumni list includes a significant number of influential global figures:
- Royalty: Prince William (Prince of Wales) and Prince Harry (Duke of Sussex).
- Politics: Boris Johnson, David Cameron, and Harold Macmillan.
- Literature: George Orwell (Eric Blair), Ian Fleming (creator of James Bond), and Aldous Huxley.
- Arts & Entertainment: Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, and Damian Lewis.
- Science & Economics: John Maynard Keynes.
Admissions & Financial Aid
- Main Entry (13+): Requires registration by the end of Year 5 (age 10). The process includes the ISEB Common Pre-Test, the Eton List Test, and an interview.
- Sixth Form Entry (16+): Highly competitive, with approximately 4–15 places available annually for boys of high academic and co-curricular standard.
- Bursaries: About 20% of pupils receive financial support. The Orwell Award offers 100% means-tested bursaries for boys from UK state schools entering at Year 12.
- Scholarships: The King’s Scholarship (dating back to 1440) is awarded to ~14 academically gifted boys each year. Scholars live in “College,” the original medieval heart of the school.
Traditions & Facilities
- Uniform: Known as “tails,” consisting of a black tailcoat, pinstriped trousers, and a stiff white collar.
- Campus: Features a 647-hectare estate including the Gothic College Chapel and Dorney Lake, the Olympic rowing venue.
- Unique Sports: Home to the Eton Wall Game and Eton Fives.
Heads Welcome
The opportunity to educate other people’s children is a rare privilege, bringing with it a huge responsibility to provide the best all-round education possible as we aim to prepare young people for happiness and success in their adult lives. At Eton we take this responsibility extremely seriously. We care about the individual and pride ourselves in the warmth of a community in which all our boys feel valued. We live in exciting and fast changing times and this means that providing an outstanding, progressive and well-rounded education is more important than ever. Of course examination results matter and at Eton our boys consistently achieve excellent results in all areas of the curriculum, giving them access to the top universities in the UK and overseas. However, this is just one aspect of an Eton education and boys are supported to show ambition both within and beyond the classroom. School should be fun and happy children are more likely to be successful. We see it as our responsibility to bring out our boys’ talents, to broaden their interests and to develop their personal qualities. To do this we aim to foster confidence, perseverance, tolerance and integrity; to enhance communication skills; to embrace creativity; to encourage teamwork; and to promote an open-minded and outward-looking mentality so that boys are ready to make a really positive contribution to their wider community. Tradition is important here and still shapes some of our guiding principles but we seek to build on the past while looking to the future. This is, and will remain, a forward-thinking school that enthusiastically embraces innovation and new opportunity. We are committed to making an Eton education accessible to talented boys whatever their background and very significant levels of financial support are available through our various financial aid scheme
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