Free Resources
Free Choate admissions resources.
Guides to every part of the process, plus a free planner sent by email.
Free resources and guides
Start with the guides parents ask for most, then get the free planner by email.
Choate Admissions Overview
What the application includes, how testing works, and what the school asks for.
Read the guideKey Dates
The deadlines for this cycle, with a live countdown.
See the datesApplication Preparation
How to prepare each part of the application, with a week-by-week plan.
Plan preparationSchool Fit
What to weigh beyond selectivity before your student applies.
Think it throughTuition and Financial Aid
Where to find current tuition and how the aid application works.
Read about aidParent FAQ
Short answers to the questions families ask most.
Read the FAQFree Choate Application Planner
A one-page plan with a week-by-week checklist, sent by email.
Get the plannerFree download
The Choate Application Planner
A one-page plan for every part of the application, with a step-by-step checklist. Free, and it opens right on this page.
Your Choate application planner
The dates and requirements that shape the year, then a plan to work through in order.
- Steps
- Choate lists six steps to apply: inquire, schedule an interview, submit standardized tests, complete the application, apply for financial aid, and check the Choate Application Status Portal.
- Application due
- Choate lists January 15 as its application deadline.
- Late materials
- If the Gateway application is submitted by January 15, late recommendations, transcripts, or test scores that arrive by February 1 still allow an on-time decision.
- Testing
- Standardized testing is optional for admission to Choate.
- Interview
- Choate conducts interviews from September through February for students applying for the following fall.
- Interview format
- All Choate admission interviews take place online; in-person interviews are not offered.
- Financial aid
- Choate lists January 15 as its financial aid application deadline.
- Decisions
- Financial aid decisions are released online beginning March 10, at the same time as admission decisions.
- 01
Submit the Inquiry Form early, since the interview invitation follows it.
- 02
Decide about testing by taking one full timed practice test, then choose whether to sit for the SSAT or ISEE and send scores.
- 03
Schedule the one online interview the school allows, and prepare two or three real stories rather than scripted answers.
- 04
Ask teachers for recommendations in the fall and give them plenty of time.
- 05
Draft the essays in the fall, revise for substance first, and polish only after the reflection is clear.
- 06
If you are applying for aid, gather tax documents early so the aid forms do not compete with essays in January.
- 07
Submit the Gateway application by the deadline, then check that every late item arrives in time.
Dates and rules can change. Check each one on the school's own admissions pages.