King’s Ely（国王伊利学校）is a private day and boarding school in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, about 15 minutes north of Cambridge. The school’s own history pages trace its origins to at least 970 AD, which would make it one of the oldest schools in England. Today it educates around 1,150 boys and girls aged 2 to 18, including roughly 200 boarders, and its international pages say students from more than 40 nationalities study there. This guide compiles what the official website and its 2026/27 international fee schedule publish about programmes, entry requirements, costs and application support, as accessed on 5 August 2026.
King’s Ely: history, setting and school structure
King’s Elysits beside Ely Cathedral, and the school and the cathedral have been linked throughout their long history. The website explains that the school originated with the monastery of Ely re-founded under Benedictine rule in 970, that Henry VIII granted the school its Royal Charter in 1541, and that the school became co-educational in its millenary year, 1970. The school is organised in five sections: Nursery (ages 2-4), Pre-Prep (4-7), Prep (7-13), Senior (13-16) and Sixth Form (16-18). A practical detail for families: Ely station is about a 5-minute walk from the school, and trains to central London take around 60 minutes.
International families should note what the school says about its community: in its admissions FAQ, King’s Ely states that around 90% of its students are British and that there is no separate international school — overseas pupils are integrated into the Junior and Senior sections alongside British students. This is a deliberate model, and it shapes everything from class composition to boarding houses.
International programmes: Prep, one-year IGCSE and Sixth Form
King’s Elyruns three international routes. In Prep (Years 3 to 8), international students join mainstream classes and receive bespoke ESOL tuition in groups of typically no more than five pupils, with up to eight dedicated English lessons per week; at the end of the academic year students usually sit a Trinity College London ESOL examination matched to their level. Year 7 and 8 students can follow a fully immersive programme with a dedicated mentor, and the school says successful students can join the full mainstream curriculum at King’s Ely Senior in Year 9.
The flagship Senior route is the one-year IGCSE programme for students aged 15-16. The school says students study five to eight IGCSEs in small classes of 8-12, with nine lessons of English and five lessons of each subject per week, and that the programme has averaged 90% A*-C grades. Early in Year 11, eligible students are invited to apply for the Sixth Form, with interviews for Year 12 places held in October.
In the Sixth Form, international students follow the same A Level programme as everyone else — most students take three A Levels from a list that includes biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, further mathematics, economics, English literature, history, geography, French, German, Spanish, Latin, classical civilisation, computer science, politics, psychology, product design, film studies, photography, fine art, textiles, business, drama and theatre, music, physical education and religious studies — plus the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). International Sixth Formers receive up to three lessons per week of IELTS university English preparation, and the school states that all IELTS exams are taken at UKVI-approved centres in London. The school’s own pages cite recent destinations including Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Russell Group universities and universities in the USA, Switzerland, Holland and China; these are the school’s published claims, not guarantees.
Entry requirements and assessment for international applicants
For September 2027 entry, the King’s Elywebsite states an initial application deadline of 30 October 2026. The application process is the same shape across sections: complete the Registration Form and pay the registration fee, sit the relevant assessments, attend an interview if invited, receive an offer, and return the Acceptance Form with the deposit. International registration fees can be paid online through Flywire.
The assessment differs by section. For King’s Ely Prep, overseas students sit entrance assessments in Mathematics and English (ESOL) and, if successful, interview with the Head of King’s Ely Prep, which the website says can be arranged via Skype. For King’s Ely Senior, overseas students sit assessments in Mathematics and English and, if successful, interview with the Vice Principal Academic. The school says offers are usually made within 10 working days of the assessment and parents have 14 days to accept. For the Sixth Form, students not following a British curriculum take assessments in English and Maths, which can be done remotely, followed by an interview via TEAMS with the Director for International Students.
Academic entry criteria are published for the Sixth Form: six GCSEs at Grade 5 or above, with at least four at Grade 6 or above, and a recommended minimum Grade 7 at GCSE if Maths or Science A Levels are planned. Year 12 scholarships are available in Academic, STEM, Music, Art, Dance, Drama and Sport, with applications due by 23 October 2026 for 2027 entry (signed and endorsed scholarship applications by 16 October 2026); candidates may apply for at most two scholarships, and the combined value of any two cannot exceed 10% of the day tuition fee. Note that the school’s FAQ says bursaries and scholarships are currently not available for its Prep and Senior international programmes — the Sixth Form scholarship route is the exception.
2026/27 international fees and deposits
King’s Elypublishes a dedicated International Fees and Charges schedule for September 2026 to August 2027; since January 2025 all quoted fees are inclusive of VAT where applicable, and there are three terms per year. Day fees per term are: Years 3-4 £7,726; Years 5-6 £8,374; Years 7-8 £8,614; Years 9-11 £11,332; the one-year iGCSE Year 11 £15,554; Years 12-13 £11,574. Boarding fees per term are: Years 3-4 £12,293; Years 5-6 £12,974; Years 7-8 £13,165; Years 9-11 £17,067; iGCSE Year 11 £20,719; Years 12-13 £17,554. Acremont Pre-Prep (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2) day fees are £5,508 per term.
Upfront costs are also published: a non-refundable registration fee of £180 (inc VAT) for international students not living in the UK (the UK domestic rate is £120), plus on acceptance a £600 Acceptance Deposit and, for non-UK-resident students, an Additional Deposit equal to one full term’s fees, both refundable (without interest) against the final account when the pupil leaves. ESOL and curriculum support for Years 3 to 11 (excluding the iGCSE year) is charged up to a maximum of £6,664 per year; Year 12 and 13 students receive IELTS preparation within the Sixth Form fee. Flexi-boarding is charged per night at £77 for Prep and £93 for Senior per the 2026/27 international schedule.
The published fee notes explain what is included: the school fees cover lunch for day pupils and breakfast, lunch and evening meal for boarders, plus school trips compulsory for whole year groups, basic stationery and textbooks up to Year 11, and standard GCSE examination entry fees. A Level examination fees, elective trips, agreed one-to-one learning support, home-school minibus use, and music and drama examinations are charged in addition. The international admissions FAQ adds that the school fees include transfer from the airport at the start of the programme and to the airport at the end.
Boarding and daily life for international students
King’s Elysays its boarding houses, some of which date back to the Middle Ages, house international students fully integrated with British full and flexi-boarders and some day students. In Years 9-11 there are normally 3-4 students per room, while A Level students have single or double rooms in Year 12 and mostly single rooms in Year 13. The boarding programme includes a schedule of Saturday and Sunday events and full-day trips, with access to the gym, sports hall, library and arts and music facilities on weekday evenings.
The school’s international pages also mention the wider support picture: a dedicated Director for International Students handles international admissions and interviews, ESOL staff provide tailored language support across the year groups, and the Sixth Form includes university preparation through personal tutors and the EPQ. Because the school is close to Ely’s town centre and station, students can travel independently to Cambridge or London at weekends, which families often factor into their planning.
Planning checklist and application support
For a family starting now, the sequence published across the King’s Elypages is: confirm the relevant entry point and deadline (initial deadline 30 October 2026 for September 2027 entry), register with the form and fee via Flywire, complete the section-specific assessments, attend the interview, accept the offer within 14 days, pay the Acceptance and Additional Deposits, then arrange the visa and travel around the published term dates. For the one-year IGCSE route, early contact matters because places follow assessment results and registration order, and the school recommends early registration for Year 9 entry in particular.
All figures in this guide come from the official King’s Ely website and its 2026/27 international fees schedule, accessed on 5 August 2026. Fees, deadlines and entry criteria change annually, so the current official pages are the reference for anything time-sensitive. Families who want to map these requirements onto a specific student’s year group, English level and budget can talk it through with our advisers, who can walk through the details.