Application Preparation
Prepare for the pieces Lawrenceville reads
The application mixes SSAT or ISEE scores, school reports, recommendations, essays and a parent statement. Start with the testing plan. Second and Third Form scores must be taken on or after June.
Checked against Lawrenceville's published admissions pages on November 4, 2026.
Testing
The SSAT or ISEE.
Lawrenceville asks applicants to submit SSAT or ISEE scores. Check the rule for your student's grade.
- Rules
- Second Form (9th grade) applicants must submit SSAT or ISEE scores taken on or after June. Third Form (10th grade) applicants can send SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, SAT or ACT scores taken on or after June. Fifth Form and postgraduate applicants send PSAT, SAT or ACT scores.
- School codes
- Lawrenceville's SSAT code is 4564 and its ISEE code is 310680. TOEFL is optional, with code 9153.
- Fee waivers
- Fee waivers are available for SSAT and ISEE test takers. Families ask by email with SSAT/ISEE Waiver Request as the subject.
- 01
Pick a test date that leaves time for a retake before the deadline, and check the school codes on Lawrenceville's pages when you register.
- 02
Remember that Second and Third Form scores must be taken on or after June.
SSAT and ISEE practice
Admissions test practice.
Practice is shared across our private school sites.
Applying to more than one school?
Essays
The essays and parent statement.
This is the part of the application where your student speaks in their own voice.
- Student essays
- The application asks for student essays. The prompts are shown inside the application.
- Parent or guardian statement
- The Parent/Guardian Personal Statement gives Lawrenceville a chance to learn about the child through a parent's eyes. The school says there are no right or wrong answers.
- 01
Read the essay prompts inside the application before drafting anything.
- 02
Let your student write alone. The parent statement is the place for your own voice.
- 03
Choose real experiences over impressive-sounding ones.
Interview
An interview that runs in both directions.
- When interviews begin
- Interviews begin in September.
- Requirement
- The application includes a campus tour and an admission interview when available. International applicants attending school abroad can interview online through Vericant, which fully satisfies the interview requirement and gets the same consideration as one with a Lawrenceville admission counselor.
- Booking
- Campus visits that begin in September are limited to families who have submitted Part 1 of the Gateway application.
- Format
- Lawrenceville describes the interview as a conversation that runs in both directions. It says visiting in person and meeting online carry exactly the same weight, and that interviewing early carries no weight in the decision.
- Grading
- Lawrenceville tells applicants it is not grading them in the interview, and that parents get their own time with the school.
- Day student cutoff
- Day student interviews are available until November 13, 2026. Boarding student interviews can be done any time before the January 15 application deadline.
- 01
Prepare two or three stories, not scripted answers.
- 02
Practice explaining an interest out loud, including what your student still wants to learn.
- 03
Bring one or two real questions about daily life in a House.
Preparation plan
A plan that works backward from the deadline.
Adjust the pace to your student's schedule. The order matters more than the exact days.
First
Send the inquiry
Start with the inquiry form, then begin Part 1 of the Gateway application.
Early
Book an SSAT or ISEE date
Second and Third Form scores must be taken on or after June. Check the school codes on Lawrenceville's pages.
Fall
Schedule the interview
Interviews begin in September. Day student interviews are available until November 13, 2026.
Next
Draft the essays
Read the prompts inside the application first, and let your student write alone.
Before the deadline
Submit and confirm
Send recommendations, school reports and the aid application by January 15.
After submitting
Watch the portal
Decisions are released on the Admission Portal on the published date.