Dulwich College — a parent guide to 11+ entry

Dulwich College is an independent boys' school in south-east London, founded by Edward Alleyn in 1619 and part of the Dulwich Foundation. This page covers the school's character, the 11+ entry process, the papers and interview, and the bursary route.

Listen to this guide (narrated)

School profile

Type: Independent day and boarding school, boys-only
Ages: 7 to 18 (Junior School, Senior School and Sixth Form)
Location: Dulwich Common, London SE21
Foundation: Dulwich Foundation (founded 1619)
Website: dulwich.org.uk

What makes Dulwich distinctive

Dulwich is one of the most academically selective boys' schools in London, regularly compared with Westminster, St Paul's and — at the South London level — Whitgift. The campus is large and well resourced, with the feel of a small university. The co-curricular offer is broad and seriously pursued: sport (notably rugby and cricket), music, drama, science, and the arts.

A small boarding element sits alongside the day population, which shapes the community in particular ways — international pupils, weekend life, and the sense of the school as a place as well as a timetable. Day pupils and boarders mix.

The 11+ entry process

Dulwich runs its own admissions process; it is not part of a consortium. The headline dates:

Registration opens: spring (around April), the year before entry
Registration deadline: autumn (October / November) of Year 6
Online adaptive entrance test: early December of Year 6
Interviews (shortlisted candidates): December / January
Offers: February
Acceptance: February / March

Confirm exact dates with the admissions office each cycle. Dulwich has moved to an online adaptive assessment sat in early December — earlier than its old January written papers.

The entrance test

Dulwich has moved to a bespoke two-part online assessment, sat in early December and lasting around three hours in total (including breaks):

Adaptive part — Mathematics, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Questions get harder or easier depending on the answers given, and candidates cannot go back to change earlier answers.
Non-adaptive part — English, Puzzles and Problem Solving, and Creative Comprehension. Fixed difficulty; candidates can move back and forth.

The Mathematics is demanding — genuine problem-solving and reasoning rather than rote method — and remains the academic benchmark for this group of schools. Dulwich is notable for including both verbal and non-verbal reasoning in its assessment.

The interview

Shortlisted candidates are invited for a one-to-one interview, usually 20 to 30 minutes with a senior member of academic staff. Dulwich interviews are known for going deeper than most — interviewers follow threads, ask probing follow-ups, and look for genuine intellectual engagement rather than rehearsed answers.

The conversation typically covers what the boy reads, his interests inside and outside school, how he approaches problems, and what he is proud of. There may be lateral or open questions that test how the boy thinks rather than what he knows.

What Dulwich looks for

Beyond strong academic performance, Dulwich looks for:

Intellectual curiosity — interests pursued with real depth.
Self-awareness — the ability to talk honestly about what is hard.
Breadth — genuine engagement outside the classroom.
Resilience — the workload increases steeply through the senior years.

Fees and bursaries

Dulwich sits at the upper end of London independent-school fees. It also runs a substantial means-tested bursary programme, including awards of up to 100% of fees for families who qualify. Bursaries must be declared at registration. See the bursaries and scholarships guide for the process and what to expect.

How to find out more

Attend an open day or open morning — bookings on the school website each spring and autumn.
Read the most recent admissions brochure for current fees, deadlines and exam dates.
For SEN families, contact the SENCo directly to discuss reasonable adjustments to the assessment process.

Sources

dulwich.org.uk — Dulwich College admissions