If you are considering ACS Cobham International for your child, the first thing to untangle is what kind of school it actually is. It is often described in one line as an IB international school, but the reality is more specific: it offers the International Baccalaureate and the American Advanced Placement side by side, plus its own high school diploma, and it runs a rolling admissions process. That combination changes how you should plan. This guide sets out the programs, what entry involves, what it costs, and how application support can slot into the process without taking over your judgment.
The programs on offer
The school serves ages 2 to 18, split into Lower School (ages 2 to 10) and Senior School (ages 10 to 18). Within Senior School, the final High School years (ages 16 to 18, grades 11 and 12) are where the choices get sharply defined. Students pick one of three tracks: the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) programme, or the school’s own high school diploma.
The choice of track is the decision that shapes everything afterwards. The IBDP is broad and cross-curricular, built around six subject groups plus core requirements, and is widely recognised in the UK and Europe. AP is depth-focused, common in US admissions, and its scores can convert to university credit. Which one fits depends on how your child learns and where they hope to study. As a reference, the school’s 2026 results showed an IBDP average of 35 points against a world average near 30, with 28 percent scoring 38 or higher, while in AP, 92 percent of exams returned 3 or above with a 3.7 mean. Treat those as context, not a promise.
What entry actually involves
ACS Cobham runs rolling admissions, so there is no single deadline to chase; families can apply at various points across the school year. The admissions team offers open days, private visits and online meetings for families who cannot travel. There is no published blanket English test threshold; whether an assessment is needed, and in what form, depends on the year group and the individual case. Materials generally centre on basic student information, recent school records and the intended intake year.
Because seats in popular years and in boarding can fill ahead of time, enquiring early is the reliable move. For older students moving from an A Level or another national curriculum, the school runs a course-and-record review and weighs fit more than language alone. On top of the paperwork, under-18 welfare and accommodation arrangements sit with the family and are part of the picture worth sorting early.
What it costs at Cobham
Fees at ACS Cobham follow the school’s published 2026-2027 rates for this guide, charged per semester with two semesters a year. Day tuition runs from £30,000 a year for Grades 1–2 up to £39,960 for Grade 12, with Grades 9–10 at £39,660 and Grade 11 at £39,720. For grades 11 and 12, day fees already include transcripts, diplomas and university/career planning, while exam and application fees are separate. Boarding plus tuition runs from about £64,800 for Grade 8 to £69,060 for Grade 12, and transport is separate.
One timing point matters for planning: boarding students need the first year’s tuition and boarding paid in full before the school issues the CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance to Study) that underpins a student visa. That locks a meaningful sum before the visa outcome is known. Build this into your cash-flow planning rather than discovering it after an offer.
Boarding and campus life
Boarding opens from grade 8 (age 13) and runs to grade 12. Two houses cover it: Fields House for ages 13 to 17, with capacity for roughly 110 students, and Woodlands House for ages 16 to 18, opened in 2017, with about 113 beds and en-suite rooms. Both are run by resident house parents with a medical centre on site. The school offers 7-day and 5-day boarding; the 7-day option includes weekend activities, while 5-day suits families based in the UK. The campus is about 128 acres in the Surrey countryside, and facilities include a 500-seat performing arts centre, a sports centre with a 25-metre pool and an AstroTurf pitch.
Boarding life is structured but the student still owns their own study. House staff handle day-to-day welfare; the school’s own pages are the authority on grades, houses and admissions.
How application support fits in for an ACS Cobham application
Application support can help with the organised, administrative side of a Cobham application: mapping the school’s admissions logic, lining up materials against the official lists, checking figures against the official pages, and turning the CAS-to-visa steps into a timeline. What should stay with you are the judgment calls — which track, day or boarding, the budget ceiling, and whether to accept an offer. No matter how much support you use, the school’s own website and the admissions office remain the authoritative source for fees, grades and policy.
If you are weighing whether to use support, keep three checks in mind: does the party point to official pages rather than invent numbers, will they give you written versions of material and fee lists with clear sourcing, and will they pass your specific case to the school to verify rather than assume. Applied that way, support lowers friction instead of adding a new layer of uncertainty.
To get a real feel before committing, an open day or private visit is the most honest test — let your child see the houses and grounds and let you judge the commute and scale. If you cannot travel, an online meeting with the admissions team is a sensible first step. That first-hand look will tell you more about fit than any page of figures.