International

Applicants

At Miss Porter's School, we define an international student as:

  • any student living outside of the United States, regardless of citizenship.
  • any student who is a non-U.S. passport or green card holder, currently living in the United States, but who will require an F1 visa to attend Miss Porter’s School.

 

We believe that students living outside of the United States have an additional set of needs (e.g. transportation, local support, summer storage, and visa processing, if applicable) that we strive to meet.

What support is provided for international students?
  • Transportation to/from JFK airport in addition to local airport, train,
    and bus stations for the beginning of school, end of school, and winter
    and spring breaks.
  • Summer storage (up to 5 boxes/bags).
  • Early arrival and orientation on campus.
  • Local host family (e.g. day student family or faculty family) for the first academic year.
  • International Student Advisors who serve as primary contact for both parents and students for all international student needs.
  • International Student Advisory which is a student group on campus that meets 5 times a year for fellowship, support, and celebrations of countries and cultures, in addition to campus events.
  • Visa processing and support for all years on campus, including visa transferring out process to colleges and universities.
  • Assistance with convalidation of studies if returning to home country.
Frequently Asked Questions

Generally, we do not accept mid-year international applicants due to full enrollment. Please contact the Office of Admission at admission@missporters.org to inquire about availability.

We do not offer any need-based financial aid to international students.* However, all students, domestic and international, are eligible for our limited merit scholarships.
*If you are a U.S. passport holder and file U.S. taxes, you are eligible to apply for financial aid.

We understand that it’s not possible for all of our international families to get to campus. We offer Skype, Zoom, or WeChat interviews for any students who are unable to come to campus.

TOEFL: We require the TOEFL iBT (internet based test) for non-native English speakers before scheduling an interview. Please request that your official TOEFL test results be sent directly to Porter’s. Our TOEFL test code is 8606.

Vericant (Chinese applicants from Mainland China): All applicants from Mainland China must interview with Vericant by January 1, though we recommend setting up your Vericant interview much earlier. The application fee to apply to Porter’s does not include the Vericant interview fee. To learn more about Vericant and to schedule an interview with them, visit vericant.com. Once the pre-application testing materials have been submitted and evaluated, we will contact you about scheduling an interview. If you are currently living and studying in the United States, we do not require Vericant.

SSAT/ISEE: We will no longer require standardized testing. If a student feels as though standardized test results represent them well and support their academic profile, they are, of course, still welcome to submit them.

No, we do not offer formal ESL or ELL courses to support international students. Applicants must possess sufficient English proficiency to succeed in Porter’s rigorous academic environment, as specified by our TOEFL requirements. We offer individual academic support during the school year.

For international students applying for 9th or 10th grade, the minimum TOEFL score required is 90. For international students applying for 11th or 12th grade, the minimum TOEFL score required is 100.

No, we do not accept the SLEP test or Cambridge Exams.

If you have studied in the United States or have studied at an American school (ex: Shanghai American School, American School Foundation of Mexico City) for at least 2 academic years, we will waive the TOEFL. Please note, international schools are not American schools.

Suggestions for submitting a strong application as an international student

Improve your English proficiency.
While we use the SSAT and the TOEFL tests as benchmarks for a student’s level of English proficiency, we also consider how much exposure the student has had to the language in her home country. If the language of instruction at your school is not English, we recommend that you:

Read

as much as you can in English, and read what you enjoy. We believe that you’ll read more if you enjoy what you’re reading.

Listen

to audiobooks, podcasts, or music in English.

Watch

movies or TV shows in English, with or without subtitles.

Do your research.
Before coming to campus, do some preliminary research about Miss Porter’s School. Come with specific questions or comments about what you are looking for and what our school can offer you!

Stay in touch!
Admission officers will frequently check in with you during the application process, but feel free to reach out on your own! Let us know what is going on in your life, like accomplishments and any news you would like to share. The more we get to know you, the more we can advocate for you.

MISS PORTER'S SCHOOL

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