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FAQs

Who can apply?

The College is for 16-19 year olds. Almost all of our students are 16 when they first start, but a very few are a year older or younger. We are not constrained by borough boundaries, and we do not favour applicants resident in particular areas.

We have two 'partner schools': students from these schools have to meet the same conditions of entry as applicants from other schools, but they are first in the queue.

How many places are available?

We usually take about 650 students from schools across North London. However, not all the students who are offered a place will actually come: some fail to get the grades, others choose to stay at their own school sixth form. So we offer more places than we actually have - usually up to a third more.

What criteria are used when  selecting for interview?

The criteria include your academic potential, journey to College, school report, availablility of subjects your contribution to your current school and participation in extra curricular activity.  Please be aware that in most years the College has been severely oversubscribed and we cannot guarantee to interview all students even if they meet our minimum criteria.

Are there any fees?

The College is funded directly by the government and is free to EU citizens. We do ask for a £100 contribution towards books and materials and charge a deposit of £50. The deposit is returnable at the end of the course. Overseas students may be required to pay fees - see here

When will I hear whether I have a conditional place or not? 

We aim to let everyone know the outcome of their application by the end of April.

Can I change subjects after I have been offered a place?

If you would like to change subjects, please write to us or email explaining what you want to change and why. We will do our best to accommodate you but cannot guarantee this since other subjects may be full. Likewise, if you wish to change courses following the publication of GCSE results we will do what we can to facilitate your request.

What happens if I do not reach the offer conditions?

You may lose your place, but in many cases students who narrowly miss the offer grades are accepted quite happily if we can fit them in. Sometimes we have to renegotiate the course.  Note that all students are expected to have passed Maths and English at grade C or above.

If I get a waiting list place what are my chances? 

This varies from year to year and often depends on which subjects are wanted. It is not possible to put any sort of figure on this. The more flexible you are about your subject choices, the more likely it is that we can fit you in. If you are keen to have a place, let us know after the GCSE results are published.

What sort of offer can I expect?

We usually stipulate an average GCSE score across all subjects and A/B grades in specific subjects:

Note that these are the minimum average GCSE scores required. Unfortunately we cannot offer interviews or places to all students who do meet our entry criteria because we are so over-subscribed.

Are applications processed in date order?

We try to do this but it is very difficult to make decisions until we have seen almost everybody.  High demand subjects delay decisions whereas low demand subjects can often be dealt with more speedily. On the whole applicants should not worry about this. Applications received before the deadline are all treated equally.

What does it mean if I am called for interview later than someone else?

We have so many applications that we spread interviews out over a number of days. We do not make large-scale decisions about to whom we will offer places until we have completed the bulk of the interviewing. If, for example, you are interviewed on our second big interview day, you will not be disadvantaged in any way.

 Do we operate any quotas when selecting students? 

No.. Each applicant is judged on their merits and we operate no quotas of any sort.

 If I start with 4 AS can I continue with 4 A2 in the second year? 

This is possible but we would expect high grades in the AS exams at the end of the first year.

 If I change my mind about a course once I have started can I change?