How to Get Into Phillips Academy Andover: Deadlines, Cost, Aid and College Matriculation
By Rona Aydin
What is Phillips Academy Andover’s acceptance rate?
Andover does not publish a current one. We found no recent applicant count, admit count or acceptance rate on its home, About, Admission or application pages, or in its 2026-27 school profile (Andover Admission; School Profile 2026-27). The most recent figure we found on andover.edu is a news release dated April 29, 2015, which reports “3,026 completed applications” and “an admit rate of 14 percent” (Andover news, April 2015). We found no Andover figure for any later year. What Andover does publish is the size of the school: the 2026-27 profile lists 1,167 students, 858 boarding and 309 day, which makes boarders 73.5% of the school by our calculation.
Where do Andover graduates go to college?
Andover reports matriculation in two ways in its 2026-27 school profile: a three-year list grouped into bands (the profile does not name the three class years) and a Class of 2026 list that marks colleges with five or more and ten or more matriculants. Neither gives exact counts.
| College | Three-year band (2026-27 profile) | Class of 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia University | 30 or more | Ten or more |
| Cornell University | 30 or more | Ten or more |
| University of Chicago | 30 or more | Ten or more |
| Harvard University | 20 to 29 | Five or more |
| Stanford University | 20 to 29 | Five or more |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 20 to 29 | Five or more |
| Brown University | 20 to 29 | Ten or more |
| Yale University | 10 to 19 | Five or more |
| Princeton University | 10 to 19 | Five or more |
| University of Pennsylvania | 10 to 19 | Five or more |
| Dartmouth College | 10 to 19 | Listed, fewer than five |
The profile also reports that “Students are not ranked, and we do not report a cumulative grade average,” that grades run from 0 to 6, and that the middle 50% SAT total for the Classes of 2025 to 2027 was 1370 to 1530. Our guide to the best feeder schools for the Ivy League compares Andover with other schools that publish lists.
What does Andover cost, and how does financial aid work?
For 2026-27, Andover lists tuition of $79,800 for boarding students and $63,840 for day students (Andover tuition and financial aid). Andover describes itself as “one of the few independent schools in the country to admit students regardless of financial need” and says it meets “100 percent of each student’s demonstrated financial need” and that “we meet that need with grants (essentially scholarships), not loans.” According to the same page, 47% of students receive financial aid. The Financial Aid Requirements page adds that Andover “sets no prescribed ceiling on family income when offering full scholarships,” that it does “not include the value of a family’s home up to $650,000” when assessing assets, and that “Currently, the percentage of the student body on aid is 47 percent, while maintaining 12 percent of the student body on full scholarship” (Andover financial aid requirements). Families apply for aid through Clarity Tuition, and Andover communicates aid awards on March 10.
When are Andover’s application deadlines for fall 2027?
- Deadline. The admission application and the financial aid application are both due February 1, 2027 (Applying to Andover).
- Platform. Most parts of the application, including the candidate profile, writing sample, essay, parent statement, grades and recommendations, go through the Gateway to Prep Schools application (Gateway to Prep Schools); interview scheduling and a short video response are handled in Andover’s own portal.
- Testing. “Students must submit one of the following: SSAT (Upper Level), ISEE (Upper Level), PSAT, SAT, or ACT.” International students at non-English-medium schools outside the United States are asked to take the TOEFL iBT, the IELTS or the Duolingo English Test.
- Decisions. “Our decision release date is March 10” (Andover Admission FAQs). Andover also communicates financial aid awards on March 10. We did not find a published reply date.
What is student life like at Andover?
Andover was “Founded in 1778” (About Andover) and became coeducational in 1973 through its merger with Abbot Academy (Andover history). Every student, boarding or day, belongs to one of five residential clusters; the Residential Life page describes each as “a handful of dorms, about 220 students, 40 faculty families” (Andover residential life). Andover lists “300 courses offered, including 8 world languages and 150 electives” (Andover learning).
How does Andover compare with Phillips Exeter Academy?
| Andover | Exeter | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1778 | 1781 |
| Enrollment, 2026-27 | 1,167 (858 boarding, 309 day) | 1,096 (890 boarding, 206 day) |
| Boarding tuition, 2026-27 | $79,800 | $71,797 |
| Day tuition, 2026-27 | $63,840 | $56,077 |
| Students receiving aid | 47% | 49% |
| Published income threshold | None; no income ceiling for full scholarships | Families making less than $150,000 pay no tuition |
| Application deadline, fall 2027 | February 1, 2027 | January 15, 2027 |
| Testing | Required (SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT or ACT) | Required (test list varies by grade) |
| Decision release | March 10 | March 10 |
| Latest acceptance rate on the school site | 14% (2015 news release) | 11.0% (2021 fact sheet) |
By our calculation, Andover’s 2026-27 boarding tuition is $8,003 higher than Exeter’s. Both schools release decisions on March 10. Exeter publishes an income level below which families pay no tuition; Andover does not, but says it sets no income ceiling on full scholarships. Our guide to getting into Phillips Exeter Academy covers Exeter in detail.
How should families approach an Andover application?
The view of Oriel Admissions is that families should plan around what Andover publishes rather than unofficial acceptance rates: a February 1, 2027 deadline, a required test score, a multi-part Gateway application and need-blind admission. Because Andover meets full demonstrated need with grants, in our view the aid application deserves the same care as the admission file. In our experience, many families apply to several large boarding schools; our guides to the top boarding schools and to Lawrenceville, in New Jersey, cover others.
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Into Phillips Academy Andover
Andover does not publish a current acceptance rate. The most recent figure we found on its website is an April 2015 news release reporting 3,026 completed applications and an admit rate of 14 percent. We found no Andover figure for any later year.
The admission application and the financial aid application are both due February 1, 2027. Andover releases admission decisions and communicates financial aid awards on March 10.
Andover requires a test score but accepts several tests: applicants must submit one of the SSAT (Upper Level), ISEE (Upper Level), PSAT, SAT or ACT. International students at non-English-medium schools outside the United States are asked to take the TOEFL iBT, the IELTS or the Duolingo English Test.
Tuition is $79,800 for boarding students and $63,840 for day students. Andover says 47% of students receive financial aid and that it meets 100% of demonstrated need with grants rather than loans.
Yes, by its own description. Andover says it has a need-blind admission process, so the financial aid application does not affect the admission decision. It also says it sets no prescribed ceiling on family income when offering full scholarships.
In its 2026-27 school profile, Andover lists 30 or more matriculants over three years at Columbia, Cornell and the University of Chicago, and, among others, 20 to 29 at Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Brown. For the Class of 2026, it marks Columbia, Cornell, Brown, the University of Chicago and USC with ten or more.
The 2026-27 school profile lists 1,167 students: 858 boarding and 309 day. Every student belongs to one of five residential clusters.
Oriel Admissions suggests planning around the published requirements: the February 1, 2027 deadline, a required test score and the Gateway to Prep Schools application, with the financial aid application prepared at the same time. We also suggest comparing Andover with other large boarding schools on cost, aid policy and deadlines.
Sources: Andover Admission, Andover Admission FAQs, Andover news release, April 29, 2015, Applying to Andover, Andover tuition and financial aid, Andover financial aid requirements, Phillips Academy School Profile 2026-27, About Andover, Andover history, Andover residential life, Andover learning, Gateway to Prep Schools, Andover, Exeter tuition and costs 2026-2027, Exeter financial aid, Exeter How to Apply, Exeter at a Glance, September 2021. All read October 27, 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.
