Yes, but we do not recommend it. Demand for one of the few places on our IB course is highly competitive and every year we find ourselves refusing excellent applicants.

Yet it is not only a matter of competition for places. We are also very hesitant about the value of spending only the last two hectic and academically demanding years at Le Rosey. And we are not the only ones to think like this: younger siblings of those accepted in Class 1 always apply to join us earlier.

It depends on the profile of the student.  Some students are ready for boarding school at the age of 8; others prefer to wait.  Parents, for their part, should be also ready! They will have to accord their children increased autonomy and allow them to leave home for a part of the year without trying to exercise permanent control over them.

Many students arrive at Le Rosey aged between 12 and 14 and remain with us until they graduate.  Some begin earlier and the Junior Section is particularly well suited to 8- to 12-year-olds, providing a very supportive environment within the school as a whole.

It is worth noting that competition for places from class 3 onwards (US grade 9/UK year 10) is becoming increasingly intense.

The vast majority of Roséens graduate from Rosey in their “senior” year and then leave for university, usually because they really don’t want to leave! Nevertheless, there are some students (usually younger ones) who stay for only two or three years before moving on, usually to an equally prestigious school in the UK or US.  It is extremely rare for students over the age of 15 to leave Rosey before graduating.

Given that young people are always developing and changing, we don’t admit students before September for the following academic year.  That being said, if we receive an outstanding application two years before entry date, we may offer a conditional place, based on the applicant maintaining the same level and satisfactory reports at their current school.

Some students apply very early indeed, and we obviously keep notes and records, and these can be useful in making decisions when the application becomes official.

After September, the sooner, the better. Each age level and each nationality has a quota and will reach their limits in the course of the year, meaning that even excellent applicants can only be placed on the Waiting List. Furthermore, admission to class 3 (9^th grade, year 10), class 2 (10^th grade, year 11) and class 1 (11^th grade, year 12) is normally decided at two sessions, one in the autumn and the other in the winter (details above).

Four decisions are possible:

1. Acceptance and an offer is made to the candidate; in a few cases this may be linked to academic results throughout the year at the candidate’s current school
2. Refusal, which means that a candidate cannot come to Le Rosey in the following September; the application can, however, be carried over into the next academic year
3. Waiting List, meaning that candidates have the qualities to be admitted but that there are currently no places left for technical reasons (the class is full, or the national quota has been reached, for example). If the situation changes (something which does not depend on the school and which can, unfortunately, be as late as during the summer), parents are informed and decide whether to accept the place.
4. In a number of cases, the admissions decision may be deferred because of competition for the class applied for. This is usually for classes 1 and 2 or for certain linguistic quotas; this means that the commission considers all such dossiers together at a later date. In such cases, parents are informed of when a decision can be expected and the date when the dossier will be reviewed.

This is never the case. The quality of the application and the degree to which we feel the candidate will flourish at Le Rosey is the basis of every decision. What is more, the family’s values and respect for fairness and transparency should correspond to our own. There is a limited number of beds at Le Rosey and even the most brilliant and well-qualified student with the “best” connections may not be admitted if there is no room.

Le Rosey never accepts donations.  While most schools in the English-speaking world depend on their parents’ and alumni’s generosity, Le Rosey has no “Endowment Fund”: school fees are the sole source of finance for the school’s running and development, allowing us to remain entirely independent.

Rarely, but a place may open up in the course of the year following an early departure.  This is usually at the start of the second or third term (the beginning of January and April).

Yes! The vast majority of applicants spend a day on campus. Not only does it allow us to interview applicants and their families properly, it also gives students the chance to spend time with Roséens and decide whether this is the school for them.  After all, this is an important decision for all of us.

Le Rosey provides a particularly active and united international community, so it is best suited to children, themselves active and curious, and who want to share their lives with others from different cultural backgrounds. They will respond well to academic demands and will aim to play a dynamic role in society – beginning with that of their school. Roséens need to possess a real desire to improve and develop their talents and they will be ready to take on the workload and sacrifice that may be required.

It is worth noting that the worst reason for wanting to come to Le Rosey is to show off parents’ wealth and prestige.

And, of course, it may be that a child is ready to become a Roséen but that parents are hesitant. This has to be a family decision.

These are things that our experienced admissions committee always takes into account, and for this reason it is extremely unusual for a student to be unhappy at Rosey for any length of time or to leave the school in the course of the year

Le Rosey’s sister school in Crans-Montana is growing quickly but its language and nationality quotas are under less pressure than Le Rosey’s: excellent candidates wait-listed, deferred or even refused at Le Rosey can extend their application to Le Régent where they may be offered a place. If there is room, this is automatic for those on Le Rosey’s Wait List (WL) – with the advantage that even if they decide to enrol at Le Régent, candidates can remain on Rosey’s WL and even transfer back to Le Rosey if a place opens up before the end of September. This all happens with no extra cost or form-filling. Although academic, sporting, social and alumni links with Le Rosey are developing fast, Le Régent has a strong and distinctive character of its own, and even if some students who enrol there may hope for a transfer to Le Rosey, nearly all become attached to this vibrant and forward-looking school.