How to Get Into The Loomis Chaffee School: Acceptance Rate, Fall 2027 Deadlines, Tuition and Aid
By Rona Aydin
Does Loomis Chaffee publish an acceptance rate?
No. Loomis Chaffee does not publish an acceptance rate, an applicant count or the number of students admitted on its Key Facts, application or tuition pages, or in its College Admission Profile 2026-27, so any rate quoted for the school is an outside estimate (Loomis Chaffee Key Facts; Loomis Chaffee College Admission Profile 2026-27). It does publish the size and shape of the school:
| Key fact | Loomis Chaffee |
|---|---|
| Students | 748: 519 boarding (70%) and 229 day (30%) |
| Grades | 9 to 12 and postgraduate |
| Campus | 300 acres in Windsor, Connecticut |
| Student to faculty ratio | 4:1, with 199 faculty |
| Average class size | 11 students |
| Courses | 266, of which 84 are advanced or college level |
| International students | 101 (13.5%) |
| Students receiving financial aid | 33% |
Loomis Chaffee is one of the ten founding members of the Ten Schools Admission Organization (Ten Schools). In our view, the lack of a published rate means families should plan around what Loomis does publish: its deadlines, its test-optional rules and its financial aid budget. Our guide to the Ten Schools compares the member schools.
When are the Loomis Chaffee deadlines for fall 2027?
Loomis Chaffee lists January 15, 2027 as the application deadline for fall 2027 and January 31, 2027 as the financial aid deadline (Loomis Chaffee Application Process). All candidates who apply by January 15 receive a decision on March 10, 2027.
| Milestone | Date | Status on November 4, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Application deadline (Gateway or SAO) | January 15, 2027 | Open |
| Financial aid application deadline | January 31, 2027 | Open |
| Test scores received, if submitting | February 1, 2027 | Upcoming |
| Decisions for applications submitted by January 15 | March 10, 2027 | Upcoming |
| Enroll or decline deadline | April 10, 2027 | Upcoming |
Loomis does not admit students mid-year. Applications received after January 15 are considered on a rolling basis after March 10 if space becomes available, but the school notes that financial aid is extremely limited at this time, so in our view a family that needs aid should treat January 15 as firm.
Is testing required at Loomis Chaffee, and what else does the application need?
No standardized test is required unless a student needs to show English proficiency. Loomis says it “no longer requires standardized testing for admission with the exception of English language proficiency,” and that “Students who elect not to submit scores will not be penalized in any way” (Loomis Chaffee Testing Policy).
| Applicant | Loomis Chaffee testing rule for fall 2027 |
|---|---|
| Grades 9 and 10 | Optional; if submitting, Loomis prefers the SSAT or ISEE (SSAT code 4672) |
| Grades 11 to postgraduate | Optional; if submitting, Loomis prefers the PSAT, SAT or ACT |
| First language not English, fewer than two years in an English-instruction school | English proficiency required: TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo |
| Applicants not submitting scores | An additional academic recommendation is strongly recommended |
| All applicants | Test Optional Form required on the admission portal |
Loomis accepts either the Gateway to Prep Schools application or the Standard Application Online (SAO) and says it has no preference, though applicants should not submit both (Loomis Chaffee Application Process). The fee is $75 for students living in the United States, Canada or Mexico and $160 outside North America. The rest of the file includes:
- Official transcripts with current and prior-year grades; applicants to Grade 11 through postgraduate send all high school coursework.
- Three required recommendations, from the current English teacher, the current mathematics teacher and the current principal or guidance counselor, plus a Parent/Guardian Statement for all candidates.
- Optional personal or additional academic recommendations.
- An interview, which is not required but strongly encouraged; each student is granted one, virtual, on campus or off campus, and international residents submit the English Proficiency Form before scheduling.
Testing rules differ among peer schools: Hotchkiss and Deerfield both require standardized testing for fall 2027 applicants (Hotchkiss How to Apply; Deerfield How to Apply). Our guides to Hotchkiss and Deerfield cover those rules, and our ISEE preparation guide helps families decide whether a score would add to a Loomis file.
What does Loomis Chaffee cost, and how does financial aid work?
For 2026-27, Loomis Chaffee tuition is $77,340 for boarding students and $59,460 for day students, plus a $1,005 technology fee and a health center fee of $665 for boarders and $320 for day students (Loomis Chaffee Tuition and Financial Aid). Tuition plus those required fees comes to $79,010 for boarding and $60,785 for day students, by our calculation. Students who need a Form I-20, or who use the Office of International Student Support, also pay a $1,140 international student fee. Students bring their own computer, and optional tuition refund insurance costs 1.7% of net tuition.
| 2026-27 | Boarding | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $77,340 | $59,460 |
| Technology fee | $1,005 | $1,005 |
| Health center fee | $665 | $320 |
| Tuition plus required fees, by our calculation | $79,010 | $60,785 |
| Books, art supplies and academic materials | $1,200 to $1,600 | $1,200 to $1,600 |
Loomis says that for 2026-27 it awarded $14.2 million in financial aid to 33 percent of its student body, with grants from $1,000 up to the full cost of tuition and an average grant covering 80 percent of tuition. The aid pages we read do not state a policy of meeting 100% of demonstrated need. The Financial Aid FAQs say “In most cases we only admit students whom we are able to fund through our financial aid budget,” and that each year a small number of admitted students are placed on a financial aid waiting list while a second group is denied admission because Loomis cannot provide aid for them (Loomis Chaffee Financial Aid FAQs). Families must indicate on the admission application that they are applying for aid.
| 2025 family income | Aided families, 2026-27 | Most common family contribution |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $50,000 | 24 | 21 under $5,000 |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | 31 | 27 under $5,000 |
| $100,001 to $150,000 | 35 | 24 under $5,000 |
| $150,001 to $200,000 | 35 | 18 at $5,001 to $10,000 |
| $200,001 to $250,000 | 23 | 7 at $5,001 to $10,000 |
| $250,001 to $300,000 | 23 | 10 at $10,001 to $20,000 |
| $300,001 to $350,000 | 10 | 3 at $10,001 to $20,000 and 3 at $30,001 to $40,000 |
| $350,001 and above | 27 | 6 at $20,001 to $30,000 |
In the two income ranges up to $100,000, 48 of 55 aided families contributed under $5,000, by our count. Above $250,000, contributions spread widely, and some aided families in the top range contributed more than $60,000, which in our view shows that aid can reach families with higher incomes. Loomis says it weighs income, assets, debt, tuition at other schools, the number of family members, the age of parents and other factors reported on the Clarity application (Loomis Chaffee Financial Aid Distribution).
Where do Loomis Chaffee graduates go to college?
Loomis publishes the names of colleges, not counts. Its College Admission Profile 2026-27 lists the institutions where “four or more Loomis Chaffee students have matriculated” over the past five years, alongside a separate Class of 2026 list (Loomis Chaffee College Admission Profile 2026-27; Class of 2026 Matriculations). The profile also says all 748 students plan to attend four-year colleges and universities.
| College | Four or more Loomis matriculants, past five years | On the Class of 2026 list |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Yes | Yes |
| Yale University | Yes | Yes |
| Princeton University | Yes | No |
| Stanford University | Yes | Yes |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Yes | Yes |
| Columbia University | Yes | Yes |
| University of Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes |
| Brown University | Yes | Yes |
| Cornell University | Yes | Yes |
| Dartmouth College | Yes | Yes |
| Duke University | Yes | No |
| University of Chicago | Yes | Yes |
| Georgetown University | Yes | Yes |
| Williams College | Yes | Yes |
For the Class of 2026, the middle 50% ranges were 610 to 750 on SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, 590 to 770 on SAT Math and 28 to 33 on the ACT composite, figures Loomis says include all tests taken whether or not a student chose to submit them. Over the past five years, Loomis has graduated 19 National Merit Semifinalists and 87 Commended Scholars. Every student is assigned one of six college counselors at the beginning of the sophomore winter term (Loomis Chaffee College Guidance). Our guides to Ivy League acceptance rates, Harvard and Yale cover the college side.
What academic programs and history shape Loomis Chaffee?
The highest-level Loomis courses carry the CL (College Level) designation, which the school says it considers “AP level or higher.” The profile lists over 50 term and yearlong CL courses and 15 Advanced courses, and notes that because of sequencing it is difficult for a student to take more than seven credits of CL courses and four advanced courses in four years. Loomis does not rank students or report a GPA. Its Innovation Trimester gives about a dozen students the resources to identify and solve community-wide problems, Guided Research Projects in the humanities, environmental science and molecular biology offer mentored research, and about 20% of seniors earn a Global and Environmental Studies Certificate (Loomis Chaffee College Admission Profile 2026-27).
The Loomis Institute was chartered in 1874 by five siblings who had lost all of their children and founded a school as a gift to the children of others. It opened in 1914 to 39 boys and 13 girls; the girls moved to The Chaffee School in 1926, and the two schools reunited on the Island campus in 1970, at the confluence of two rivers (Loomis Chaffee Mission and History). Loomis says it operated as a tuition-free school until the 1960s (Loomis Chaffee Tuition and Financial Aid).
How should families plan a Loomis Chaffee application now?
In the view of Oriel Admissions, a family applying for fall 2027 should first decide whether to submit scores: a strong SSAT or ISEE can help, but a student who does not submit should line up a third academic recommendation, and all applicants must file the Test Optional Form. Choose Gateway or SAO, book the one interview Loomis allows, and request the English, mathematics and counselor recommendations before the winter break. A family that needs aid should mark it on the application and file by January 31, 2027, given that Loomis describes aid as extremely limited. In our experience, the essays and interview carry the most weight when they connect a student to something specific at Loomis, such as a CL sequence or the Innovation Trimester. Our guides to Lawrenceville and reach, match and safety schools help balance a boarding school list.
Frequently Asked Questions About Loomis Chaffee Admissions
Loomis Chaffee does not publish an acceptance rate or applicant counts on its admission pages or in its College Admission Profile 2026-27, so any figure quoted elsewhere is an outside estimate.
The application is due January 15, 2027, and the financial aid application January 31, 2027. Applicants who meet the January 15 deadline receive a decision on March 10, 2027 and must reply by April 10, 2027.
Yes. Loomis does not require standardized testing except English proficiency for students whose first language is not English and who have had fewer than two years in an English-instruction school. Students who do not submit scores are not penalized.
No. Interviews are not required but are strongly encouraged. Each student is granted one interview, which can be virtual, on campus or off campus.
Tuition is $77,340 for boarding students and $59,460 for day students. With the technology and health center fees, the totals are $79,010 for boarding and $60,785 for day students, by our calculation.
It can. Loomis says that in most cases it admits only students it can fund through its aid budget, and it describes aid as extremely limited at this time. In 2026-27 it awarded $14.2 million to 33% of students.
Loomis Chaffee has 748 students: 519 boarding students and 229 day students. The student to faculty ratio is 4:1 and the average class has 11 students.
Over the past five years, four or more Loomis students enrolled at each of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT and the other Ivy League universities, among many others. Oriel Admissions notes that Loomis publishes names, not counts.
Sources: Loomis Chaffee Application Process, Loomis Chaffee Testing Policy, Loomis Chaffee Key Facts, Loomis Chaffee Tuition and Financial Aid, Loomis Chaffee Financial Aid FAQs, Loomis Chaffee Financial Aid Distribution, Loomis Chaffee College Admission Profile 2026-27, Loomis Chaffee Class of 2026 Matriculations, Loomis Chaffee College Guidance, Loomis Chaffee Mission and History, Ten Schools Admission Organization, Hotchkiss How to Apply, Deerfield How to Apply. All read November 4, 2026.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
