Phillips Exeter Academy was founded by John Phillips in 1781. For more than 200 years, we have remained true to the principles on which Phillips founded the school: to unite "goodness and knowledge" in learning and to cultivate "the minds and morals" of students.

The Summer School seeks students who are motivated to learn and prepared to contribute fully to classroom work and the community. The UPPER SCHOOL accepts applications from both U.S. and international students entering grades 10, 11, or 12 or PG. If you wish to apply, you must complete a candidate questionnaire, submit a transcript and teacher and school recommendations, write an essay about your interest in attending Exeter, and pay the appropriate application fee. Non-native speakers of English must also submit a recent English composition complete with the teacher comments. We strongly encourage non-native English speakers to submit a documented TOEFL score as a supplement to their applications. The Summer School, which requires proficiency in written and spoken English, does not offer an ESL (English as a Second Language) program.

The ACCESS EXETER program accepts applications from both U.S. and international students entering grades 8 or 9. The application packet is the same as the UPPER SCHOOL, but international students must be fully fluent in English.

Financial Aid
The Summer School offers limited financial aid to eligible students and their families. We award full or partial scholarships to students demonstrating both need and merit. Nearly 30 percent of our students receive some form of aid. If you are interested in applying for financial aid, please request a financial aid form and submit it with your completed Summer School application no later than March 1st. Unfortunately, our limited resources precludes us from offering financial aid to international students.