This guide pulls together what international families need to know before applying to Ravenswood School for Girls, a Uniting Church day and boarding school for girls on Sydney’s North Shore. Everything below comes from the school’s official website, accessed on 4 August 2026. Tuition figures are the school’s published 2026 overseas student schedule, quoted in Australian dollars.
Programs at Ravenswood School for Girls
Ravenswood School for Girls runs from Prep to Year 12 on a single campus in Gordon, about 15 kilometres north of Sydney’s CBD, on 11 acres of grounds. The school describes itself as non-selective, accepting girls of all talents, abilities, faiths and cultures. The junior years sit in two stages: Prep combines the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Reggio Emilia approach and the school’s Positive Education model, while Kindergarten to Year 6 keeps the inquiry-based PYP framework alongside the mandatory outcomes set by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).
In the senior years, Years 7 to 12, students work toward one of two credentials in Years 11 and 12: the NSW Higher School Certificate (HSC) or the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Ravenswood School for Girls says it is the only school on Sydney’s upper North Shore offering both, which matters for families who want to keep university destinations open across Australia and overseas. For 2025 the school reports 31 IB Diploma candidates and 138 HSC candidates, a median IB score of 38 and a median HSC ATAR of 91.00; these are the school’s own published figures.
Entry Requirements for International Students
Ravenswood School for Girls is registered to accept a limited number of overseas students on a 500 Student Visa, from Kindergarten to Year 12. The school prefers overseas students to live with a parent or close relative; students in Years 7 to 12 may alternatively join the Ravenswood Residential College (RRC). There is no homestay option: overseas students not living with parents or approved relatives must reside in the Residential College to be eligible for enrolment.
Applicants submit a birth certificate, passport, visa details and evidence of English proficiency. Students whose first language is not English and who have studied in Australia for less than one year must sit the AEAS English assessment, and Ravenswood does not offer conditional places — the AEAS result must be submitted before a place can be offered. The required AEAS levels are: Years 4 to 6, Intermediate level above 46 percent; Years 7 to 9, Pre-Advanced level above 71 percent; Years 10 to 12, Advanced level above 80 percent. An application without an AEAS result can still be lodged; the student joins a waiting list until the English level is reached, though that does not guarantee a place.
For junior school students on a 500 visa, the school requires the student to live at all times with a parent or grandparent approved as nominated guardian by the Department of Home Affairs. Boarders in Years 7 to 12 need a guardian who is over 21, proficient in English and living in or near Sydney, able to step in during illness or when the boarding house closes for holidays.
Costs: 2026 Overseas Student Fees
Ravenswood School for Girls publishes a separate fee schedule for overseas students on a 500 visa, because the school receives no government subsidy for them. Under the 2026-27 published schedule, three enrolment-stage fees apply and none is refundable: an application fee of 400 AUD when the form is submitted, an acceptance fee of 1,900 AUD when a provisional offer is accepted, and an enrolment fee of 2,500 AUD when a confirmed offer is accepted.
The 2026-27 annual schedule combines tuition and an activity fee. Annual totals are: Prep 36,960 AUD; Kindergarten 37,460 AUD; Years 1 and 2 at 37,560 and 37,760 AUD; Years 3 and 4 at 43,700 and 43,800 AUD; Years 5 and 6 at 47,940 and 48,140 AUD; Year 7 at 58,100 AUD and Year 8 at 58,400 AUD; Years 9 and 10 at 61,120 AUD each; Year 11 at 60,290 AUD and Year 12 at 59,390 AUD. Boarding costs 38,730 AUD per year for all year groups, on top of tuition, and includes GST on the food component.
Payment plans under the 2026-27 schedule run annually, quarterly (four instalments due in advance at the start of each term) or monthly across ten instalments, with a 500 AUD discount for full payment by 30 January. Credit card surcharges are 1.75 percent for domestic cards and 3.50 percent for international cards, and accounts unpaid for 30 days incur a 75 AUD administration fee. New boarders pay a boarding bond of 25 percent of the annual boarding fee, and 500-visa students pay a tuition bond equal to one term’s tuition plus one term’s fees in advance. Siblings each receive a 1,000 AUD tuition discount.
Application Timeline and Support
Under the school’s 2026-27 published fee schedule, the enrolment path at Ravenswood School for Girls runs in four steps: submit the online application with documents and the 400 AUD fee; receive a provisional offer and accept it within one month with the 1,900 AUD acceptance fee; attend an interview up to two years before commencement (a Zoom interview can be arranged for families overseas); then, after a satisfactory interview, accept a confirmed offer within one month with the 2,500 AUD enrolment fee. If no place is available in the requested year group, the student is placed on a waiting list and no acceptance fee is due until a provisional offer is made.
Once a confirmed place is accepted, students applying for a 500 Student Visa need a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), and those not living with a parent or approved relative also need a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW). The school advises starting early because visa processing takes time. Note that changes to commencement dates may not be accommodated, and a change fee may apply; withdrawing requires a full term’s written notice, otherwise 25 percent of the annual tuition fee plus GST is charged.
For 2026 the school year runs in four terms: Term 1 from 28 January (Kindergarten and Prep from 3 February) to 2 April, Term 2 from 21 April to 26 June, Term 3 from 21 July to 25 September, and Term 4 from 13 October to early December. Families planning a 2027 start can work backwards from these dates, remembering that boarding places and AEAS scheduling are the two steps most likely to need lead time.
Living and Boarding at Ravenswood
Ravenswood School for Girls describes its boarding house, the Ravenswood Residential College, as a boutique residence of 50 students in Years 7 to 12, set in a heritage building the school describes as a home away from home. Boarders come from greater Sydney, regional NSW, interstate and overseas. On the academic side, the campus includes the Senior Learning Centre, the Mabel Fidler Building with its Learning Resources Centre, the Petre Innovation Science and Technology Centre, a performing arts centre with a 362-seat auditorium, and a 25-metre heated indoor pool; a school health care unit staffed by registered nurses operates Monday to Friday.
The campus sits a five-minute walk from Gordon railway station and the bus interchange, with direct access to the Pacific Highway. Overseas students should remember they are not eligible for rail or bus concession cards, so transport budgets should be planned at full fares. All figures in this guide are from the official website as of 4 August 2026, and the school’s published schedules are reviewed annually, so confirm current numbers before budgeting. If you would like help mapping your daughter’s situation — current year level, English level, boarding preference — against Ravenswood’s requirements, our advisers can talk through the options with you.