International Students

Enrollment Management Association (EMA), or using the Gateway to Prep Schools application. Both applications incorporate biographical data and essay questions. For details about completing either application, visit either the SAO or The Gateway website. Please note that Taft has no preference for one application or the other; the choice is entirely yours.

No, Taft does not offer ESL courses.

Taft highly recommends that applicants whose primary language is not English take the TOEFL, the IELTS, or the Duolingo English Test. We also require that all applicants for 9th and 10th grade take the SSAT.*** 11th grade and PG applicants may submit SSAT, PSAT, SAT, or ACT scores. We look for an internet-based score of 105 or higher on the TOEFL, a minimum score of 7.5 on the IELTS, a minimum score of 140 on the Duolingo, and the median SSAT score for those accepted last year was the 87th percentile.

TOEFL Code: 3834
SSAT Code: 7600

While we prefer to meet all applicants in person, we understand that time and distance may make that difficult for international students. If you are unable to travel to Taft for an interview, we ask that you contact the Admissions Office after completing the Admissions Inquiry Form. If you are scheduling an appointment in January, we ask that the application be complete prior to that appointment date. We will then work to set up a Zoom interview, or an interview with a Taft alumnus or current parent in your country.

Note: We have partnered with Vericant, a trusted interview service with offices in 13 different cities throughout China, to conduct our interviews in that country. Chinese students interested in applying to Taft who are unable to visit our campus to interview in person must contact Vericant, who will conduct an interview and proctor a short writing sample, which they will submit to Taft for review.

Taft prefers to accept students entering the 9th, 10th or 11th grades. There are times when it is appropriate to enter as a post-graduate (PG) as well.

All admissions decisions are communicated via the Taft Admissions Portal on March 10.

All students must let Taft know by April 10 at the very latest whether or not they are going to enroll. Enrollment contracts and deposits are due at this time.

Taft must receive your enrollment contract and deposit prior to an I-20 being issued. "Initial Status" I-20's are emailed to new students in early June. This should give you enough time to get the proper visas and make travel arrangements. Upon arrival to campus, the student will receive a new, hard copy of the I-20 with the status changing to "Continued Attendance".

The Taft school year begins in early September. We host an International Student Orientation two days prior to classes starting. We do not accept students mid-year.

Yes, Taft requires that each student — domestic or international — have a parent or guardian who can collect a student — healthy or ill — from campus within 48 hours of the school requesting the student leave campus.

There are a number of organizations that provide guardianship and other services for international students during the school year. A list of such organizations can be found here. Families should reach out to such organizations directly to evaluate their services and safety protocols.

While we take pride in meeting the full financial need of all admitted students (including international students), we typically do not offer application fee waivers. Please note that the application fee is not required to interview.