Document checklist for school and university applications
Most delays in admissions come from missing paperwork. Gather these documents early and keep scanned copies in one folder.
For international school applications
- Child's passport (photo page) and, if available, residence visa
- Parents' passports
- Birth certificate
- School reports for the last two years, plus the current year if available
- Confidential reference from the current school
- Standardised test results (CAT4, MAP or similar) if the current school uses them
- Learning support, EAL or educational psychology reports, if any
- Vaccination and medical records
- Passport-size photographs
- Proof of address or employer letter, if the school asks
For university applications
- Passport (needed for UCAS, the Common App identity section and later the visa)
- Transcripts or school reports, usually from Year 10 or Grade 9 onwards
- Predicted grades, sent by your school
- Reference or recommendation letters, sent by teachers or counsellors
- English test results, sent directly from the testing organisation
- SAT or ACT scores, if used, sent from College Board or ACT
- Personal statement or essays
- Portfolio, for art, design or architecture courses
- Financial documents, for US I-20s and many student visas
Translations and certified copies
Documents not in English usually need an official translation. Schools and universities differ on whether they want certified copies, notarised copies or simply scans. Ask before paying for certification. For visas, embassy requirements are usually stricter than the institution's.
Keep a record
Make a simple table of each school or university, the documents it wants, what you sent and when, and any reference number. It saves time when an admissions office asks whether you have sent something.
Related: admissions calendar.