This is a Prototype Web Site Archived for Historical Purposes Only
Demonstration Developed in 1995 by Tay Vaughan ('62) and Hilary Knight ('97)
Visit www.The GovernorsAcademy.org for the most current version

Welcome to Governor Dummer Academy
America's oldest independent boarding school.

One Elm Street
Byfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
508-465-1763 Voice
508-462-1278 Fax
Home: www.gda.org

The Application Process

In order to be considered for admission, applicants should fulfill the following requirements:

1. The candidate should contact the Academy in the fall or early winter of the year prior to that which he or she wishes to enter. A personal interview and tour of the GDA campus should be made at that time. If distance makes a visit impractical, the Admissions Office may arrange for an Academy representative to meet the student nearer his or her home. We recommend that appointments be scheduled during the academic day, but are glad to make other arrangements when parent and student schedules make this impossible.

2. The candidate must take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), administered at centers throughout the world on five Saturdays during the year. Registration forms and additional information may be obtained through the Academy or from the Secondary School Admissions Test Board (SSATB), 12 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ 08540. The Academy recommends that the candidate take the December or January SSAT. Governor Dummer also will accept the Independent School Entrance Examination offered by the Educational Records Bureau in New York (telephone 800/989-3721). The Academy also recommends that international students take the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL) examination.

3. The candidate, his/her family and school must complete all application forms. The application should be returned to the Academy as soon as possible with a $35 fee ($45 outside the U.S.). The remaining forms, which will be sent by return mail, include a student questionnaire, a request for school records, English and mathematics teachers' recommendations and a personal recommendation. The filing deadline for these forms and the preliminary application is February 1, 1996. Governor Dummer Academy will notify candidates of admissions decisions on March 10, 1996. Parents of those admitted are to respond to the Academy no later than April 10, 1996.

4. Candidates applying for financial aid in the form of grants and loans must meet the requirements of financial need, character and academic potential. If need is indicated on the final application for admission, parents are asked to complete a Parents' Financial Statement form, which should be returned by February 1. If the candidate's parents are separated or divorced, both parents must supply financial information. Scholarship aid totalling approximately $1,150,000 is awarded to approximately 29 percent of the student body annually without regard for race, color, religious belief or national or ethnic origin.