Bursaries – Free and Subsidised Places

We warmly welcome applications from parents and guardians with academically strong boys who need full or partial financial support to send their son to Dulwich College.

Bursaries provide financial assistance with school fees. Whilst the majority of bursaries are offered on entry to Year 7 (11+), we also award bursaries to boys joining in Years 3 (7+), 4 (8+), 5 (9+), 9 (13+) and 12 (16+).

We also offer a range of scholarships. Please refer to our scholarships pages for more information about how we acknowledge academic, sporting and cultural excellence.

Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, we are able to give over £4.8 million every year to support 214 bursary awards

High academic ability

All boys who are offered a place at Dulwich College are in the top 15% of the academic ability for their age group across the UK. Your son’s current school should be able to advise you about whether your son falls within this range of high academic ability.

For boys applying to join Years' 3-7, a guide is that they should be working at Greater Depth in English and Mathematics at primary school. For boys applying to the Senior School, specimen papers are available on the College website.

125 pupils receive a free place at Dulwich College

Is Dulwich College the right school for my son?

We are a diverse and welcoming community in many different ways, including language, ethnicity, socio-economic background, religious beliefs, and LGBTQ+. We ensure that every pupil is fully integrated into College life and pastorally supported. We greatly value the ongoing relationship with parents and carers at every stage during a boy’s time with us.

Are we eligible for a free or subsidised place?

The criteria listed below provide a guide of the circumstances in which a household might be eligible for a bursary award:

A combined gross income of less than £100,000
Both parents are working (or actively seeking employment)
Ownership of only one residential property with a mortgage or living in rented accommodation
Savings and/or discretionary spending of less than £10,000
No frequent and/or expensive holidays, new or luxury cars or investment in significant home improvements

For information about how applications for financial support are assessed, please see our FAQ section below.

Alumni who held bursary awards at Dulwich

Selvin, Luke, Ennan and CJ talk about what a bursary award meant for them

Selvin

Ennan

Luke

CJ

CJ OA — CJ

After leaving the College in 2006, CJ studied urban planning, design and management at UCL and then founded the Urbanist Platform.

Play Video

FAQs

How are applications for financial support assessed?

The assessment primarily considers gross family income, assets and liabilities.
Means-testing is conducted in partnership with a third party, Bursary Assessment Associates. Parents are required to fill in an online bursary application form, provide evidence of their financial circumstances and a representative from Bursary Assessment Associates will either visit you at home or meet you online. The application process is covered in detail on the form, along with the list of documents required.
The means-testing process considers the affordability of school fees based on each family’s financial circumstances. Dulwich College recognises that judgements about what sacrifices a family should make to pay school fees will be personal.
However, the following factors will also be considered:
- Opportunities to release any capital: significant capital savings and investments would be expected to be used for the payment of school fees, as would equity values in property and land holdings.
- In cases of separation, the contribution made by the absent parent:
- Contribution to household costs by other members of the wider family, by other adults unrelated to the child, or by outside sources;
- Where siblings or at other fee paying schools or places of education, it is expected that those organisations are also offering assistance with fees;
- The ability to improve the financial position or earning power of the family subject to the wider family context;
- Discretionary support to the other family.

The school reserves the right to amend its assessment process at anytime.

How do we apply and when will we be assessed for a bursary?

Step 1

Complete the online registration form and tick the box to say you are applying for a bursary. If your son is in receipt of pupil premium you will not need to pay a registration fee.

Step 2

At the beginning of November you will be contacted by our Admissions' Team who will send you a link to a bursary form which you will need to complete by the end of November. The confidential bursary assessment process is managed by an independent company appointed by Dulwich College.

Step 3

Bursary awards are made at the same time as an offer of a place at Dulwich College.

Can my son apply for a scholarship as well as a bursary?

Various scholarships are available at each point of entry. Please look at the scholarships section of the age group you are interested in applying for. Academic, Music, Art and Sports’ scholarships can be awarded in addition to a bursary. The maximum level of support will be 100% of tuition fees.

This range of scholarships recognises excellence in a number of areas and very often our awards go to boys from families who would find the paying of full school fees difficult. When this is not the case, we are pleased there is a tradition of families not accepting the awards personally but asking that the support they would have received be transferred to the Bursary Fund to enable others to benefit would not otherwise be able to pay for a place at the College.