US Boarding Schools That Pay

America's elite boarding schools have endowments worth more than some universities — Phillips Exeter's is around $1.6 billion. A handful of them use that money to pay for brilliant students from anywhere in the world. This chapter tells you which ones actually deliver for international students, and which ones look generous but are not (for us).

The Honest Picture First#

Full financial aid for international students at US boarding schools is real but rare. These schools admit maybe 10–17% of all applicants, and a full-scholarship international applicant is competing in a much smaller pool. The students who win these places combine top grades, strong English, and a story the school remembers. I will show you how to maximize your odds — but go in with open eyes, and apply to UWC in parallel.

The Schools That Deliver#

Phillips Academy Andover (Massachusetts) — the gold standard. Andover is need-blind for ALL applicants, including international students — your family's finances do not affect your admission chances — and it meets 100% of demonstrated need with grants, not loans. Nearly half the school receives aid, and the average grant is around $45,000 against a boarding fee near $80,000. Deadline: February 1 (financial aid via the Clarity platform). andover.edu

Phillips Exeter Academy (New Hampshire) — famously, families earning under $125,000 pay no tuition, and Exeter meets full need with grants for everyone who qualifies. International families can apply for aid (Exeter gives explicit instructions for families without US tax returns), though you should confirm with the aid office how the income pledge applies to your country's documents. Aid deadline: January 15. exeter.edu

Choate Rosemary Hall (Connecticut) — pay attention if you are African. Choate runs the Gakio-Walton International Scholars Program, created specifically for students from Kenya and continental Africa: full financial aid PLUS books, supplies, round-trip flights home for four school breaks, and a funded summer program before you start. One or two students per year, no separate application — you are considered automatically when you apply for admission with aid. choate.edu

The Davis Scholars schools — six schools (Andover, Lawrenceville, Taft, Westminster, Emma Willard, and Milton Academy) host Davis International Scholars: multi-year, full-need scholarships for students from underrepresented countries — explicitly including Southern Africa — with around $25,000 per year continuing into your US university degree afterward. Only about 8 places per year, recruited through the ASSIST application (next chapter), so mark your interest there.

Groton School (Massachusetts) — free tuition, room, and board for families earning under $150,000 under its GRAIN initiative, need-blind, all-grant aid. Its pages do not explicitly confirm the threshold applies to international families, so email admissions and ask directly — politely asking costs nothing and signals seriousness.

The Hotchkiss School (Connecticut) — meets 100% of need with grants only (average grant around $65,000, plus funds for travel, books, and insurance). Need-aware for admission, but a real option.

The Schools to NOT Count On#

This will save you wasted applications:

• St. Paul's School — wonderful aid, but its free-tuition threshold is explicitly limited to US-based families, and international aid is limited.
• St. Andrew's School (Delaware) — caps international aid at about 50% of tuition in nearly all cases. Half a scholarship at an $80,000 school is still an impossible bill.
• Cate School — international aid exists but is openly described as limited, and full need is not guaranteed.

The pattern: apply where the school publishes an explicit international aid process (Andover, Exeter, Choate, Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville), not where you hope one exists.

How the Application Works#

• Platforms: almost every school accepts the Standard Application Online (SAO) at ssat.org or the Gateway to Prep Schools application — one set of essays and recommendations, sent to many schools. Platforms open in July–August.
• Tests: the SSAT is the standard entrance exam (aim for the 90th percentile or above — that is the realistic bar for funded internationals). Take it in October, retake in December if needed. Fee waivers exist; ask.
• English: if English is not your first language: roughly TOEFL 100–110, IELTS 7.5, or Duolingo English Test 135–140 to be competitive. Some schools will not even interview below their threshold, so take this test early.
• Financial aid: almost universally through the Clarity platform (~$65, shared across schools) — due with your application.
• Deadlines: January 15 at most schools, February 1 at Andover. Decisions come March 10, deposits due April 10.

Your Boarding School Strategy#

1. Anchor on Andover (need-blind) and Exeter (under-$125k pledge)
2. If you are African, make sure Choate is on your list — Gakio-Walton was built for you
3. Apply via ASSIST and tick the Davis Scholars interest (next chapter)
4. Take TOEFL/Duolingo and SSAT early — scores gate everything
5. Use SAO + Clarity to apply to 4–6 schools for nearly the same effort as one