International Admissions

Ciao. Kon'nichiwa. Bonjour. Ni hao. Hola.

We are so pleased to learn of your interest in our program! The Agnes Irwin School welcomes students from around the world to our 24-acre campus, 10 miles west of Philadelphia, where we've been enrolling outstanding international high school students for more than six years.

Global citizenship is a key component of our academic program. Through the work of our Center for the Advancement of Girls at Agnes Irwin, we are deeply committed to providing a rigorous education through the lens of what is best for girls, and encourage each student to think both locally and globally.

As an international student in our program, you will be fully immersed in our high school academic schedule, as every class you take is part of our regular and challenging course of study.

How It Works

We enroll a very select number of international students, as Agnes Irwin offers a day program, and we do not offer residential housing. We work in coordination with several organizations. The application process must be coordinated through one of the agencies listed here. All applicants must also take and submit a recent TOEFL score and an SSAT score, which must be shared with our school through the portal for these testing agencies. Each applicant must also be interviewed, and preference will be given for the limited spaces we have available to any family who is able to make an in-person visit to our school. Each agency listed below works with the applicant family, so tours and visits must be scheduled and will be hosted by one of these agencies. Each organization works with all facets of supporting an international student's application process as well as their experience at our school, so long as the family is in compliance with all program expectations. We welcome any candidates who meet our academic requirements and who are working through one of the agencies listed below.

Agencies for the 2024-25 school year are:

Ivy International Group
15 New England Executive Park
Burlington, MA 01803
978-558-4216
akatten@usivy.net
New Oasis International Education
13861 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 400
Herndon, VA 20171
703-429-4664
admission@newoasisedu.com
AIEP (Apex International Education Partners)
101 Marshall Lane
Derby, CT 06418
203-992-2437
info@aiepusa.com

Important Information

Enrollment Agreements, I-20 Documentation, & Visa Application Assistance

Upon accepting your daughter, The Agnes Irwin School will issue to the agency an enrollment agreement which notes a required deposit. The signed agreement and the actual deposit must be received by the school by the stated deadline. Each agency will assist the accepted family to be sure that the deadline for these two key items is met. Once the deposit is secured by the school an I-20 will be issued directly to the accepted student, as The Agnes Irwin School is an accredited SEVIS institution. It is the responsibility of each enrolled student to manage her I-20 document properly during the time of her enrollment at the School.

Housing

Each agency listed here is responsible for assisting with the selection of a host family and then arranging for that living setup. If a family who is enrolling wishes to meet or tour the home of a prospective host family, this arrangement is coordinated exclusively by the agency you are working with.

Application Process for International Students

Below, you'll find detailed instructions for how to apply to The Agnes Irwin School as an international student, as well as important deadlines to consider. After our first admission application deadline, we welcome applications on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions, please contact admission@agnesirwin.org.

Step 1: Review Requirements

Requirements

Candidates who intend to be successful in the consideration process must meet the following requirements for applying:

Each candidate must be nearly fluent in English. This includes spoken, written, and reading abilities.
All candidates must live with a host family — and in almost every case these host families will be selected and managed by one of our partners — during the duration of the student’s enrollment in our program. Host families are determined after the student is accepted.
Each candidate’s family is responsible for all costs. Accepted international students are expected to pay their deposit before an I-20 will be issued. In addition to the fees for the academic program and the host program, all enrolled families are required to make a deposit to the school food service program (fee and due date to be stipulated at acceptance). This credit balance will be used for the cost of food purchases, charges in the school store, as well as other incidental fees over the course of the school year.
It is the responsibility of each family to make proper arrangements for visas, transportation at all holidays and when returning to school, and to meet all stated costs at the dates noted in AIS communications. The agency partner will assist with the coordination of travel pick up and drop off.
Each enrolled student must have a current passport, and must supply the school with a scanned copy at the time of application.
Health insurance is required for all international students and proof of insurance must be demonstrated as part of each applicant’s record. The partnering agency can assist with recommendations regarding the purchase of appropriate insurance.
A confidential financial statement from a bank certifying the family’s ability to meet all required fees is a required document for each application. If the student already has an F-1 Visa, this may be submitted instead of this proof.
All documents submitted for an applicant must be originals. It is our preference that documents be translated into English whenever possible and submitted with the seal of the translator.

Step 2: Submit Test Results

All international applicants are required to submit the results of both the TOEFL examination and either the ISEE or the SSAT examination. The results of both tests must be submitted to The Agnes Irwin School within two weeks of the date of application in order to receive an admission decision in a timely manner.

TOEFL Exam

Each candidate must submit a TOEFL score. To meet the challenges of our excellent academic program, the Admission Committee seeks a score of 100 or above.

All TOEFL results must be submitted directly to The Agnes Irwin School through Educational Testing Service prior to finalizing an application. Scores that are copied or noted in any other way will not be considered.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, TOEFL is now offering an at-home testing option for students. You can find more information specific to at-home testing here.

You can register for the TOEFL on the ETS website. Our TOEFL code is C634.

SSAT and ISEE

Candidates should request that their SSAT or ISEE results be submitted through our school portal. We will not accept these scores in any other method of delivery. A copy of the score will be seen as information but not a final credential. These scores are required in order to have a complete application.

Register for the SSAT on their website. Our SSAT code is 1338.
Register for the ISEE on their website. Our ISEE code is: 395400.

Step 3: Submit Application Materials

Step 4: Submit Records & References

Step 5: Submit Personal Documents

All documents submitted for an applicant must be originals or scanned originals and should be submitted at the same time as school forms (see Step 4). It is our preference that all documents be translated into English whenever possible and submitted with the seal of the translator.

Required personal documents include:

A scanned copy of the student’s birth certificate, passport, and all immunization records.
A confidential financial statement from a bank certifying the family’s ability to meet all required fees is a required document for each application. If the student already has an F-1 Visa, this may be submitted instead of this proof.
Health insurance is required for all international students and proof of insurance must be demonstrated as part of each applicant’s record. The partner agency can assist with recommendations regarding the purchase of appropriate insurance.

Step 6: Interview

Once each of the previous steps has been completed and all documents have been submitted as noted for a complete application, AIS will contact the family regarding the scheduling of an interview. Please know that the agency you choose will be involved in the application process, and that families may also have an interview with that organization as a preliminary step in the consideration.

It is our preference to meet a family in person on our campus, and for each applicant to be able to meet our students and teachers. If a visit to our campus is not possible, a virtual interview will be conducted for candidates who meet all requirements as stated.

Step 7: Review and Notification

International student applicants who complete the entire application process, and who coordinate their application with our partners, will have their application reviewed by the Admission Committee. If accepted, each family is expected to pay the deposit immediately and all other fees as stated by the required dates. Once these expectations have been met, the I-20 process will begin. The I-20 is only sent once the deposit is received by our bank, and is sent directly to the family's home address.

Once an F-1 Visa has been issued, a copy should be scanned and sent to admission@agnesirwin.org.

Dates to Know:

To receive a decision, international students should review the following deadlines.

Submit between early November and early August:

Online Application Form
School records
Confidential references from two current teachers
Personal documents
The results of both a TOEFL exam and an ISEE or SSAT

After announcements are released for the first round of applications (January 15, 2025), we welcome applications on a rolling basis.

Learn more about Upper School:

Curriculum Overview Meet the Director Signature Programs Meet the iTeam Student Life

Lihui Liao, International Student Coordinator

New International Student Orientation, Fall 2023