Admission

Welcome to Germantown Academy

GA’s Family Centered Admission Process ensures that prospective families and students are provided with the thoughtful information they need to best understand our program, philosophy, and community, while parent input, school information and admission assessments help us get to know each applicant. Our goal is to ensure that our students are in the best position possible to be both happy and successful at GA by learning as much as we can about them, and by offering them the opportunity to learn about our private school!

Admission Process

Students at independent private school in Montgomery County PA sit in school lobby

As members of our community, all students complete the same admission process which is developmentally aligned between the age of the applicant and the division to which they are applying.

Traditional entry grades include PreK, Kindergarten, 5^th Grade, 6^th Grade, 7^th Grade, and 9^th Grade. Non-Traditional entry grades have limited space availability which is typically based on attrition. GA does not accept applications to 12th Grade

First Round

If you would like to be considered in the First Round of admission decisions for January notification, your admission file must be complete by December 12. We suggest the following timeline:

Applications Open - Applications will open online at the end of August 2025.
Admission Decisions - Notifications for First Round decisions will be sent by middle of January 2026.

Rolling Admission

All applications whose admission files are complete after December 12 will be considered in our Rolling Admission process and notification will begin January 26. Please note – we typically fill many of our 9^th grade spaces in our First Round so we encourage you to follow our suggested timeline. Admission for all other grades occurs throughout the year.

Admission FAQs

To learn more about how to apply, please select the appropriate division.

Early Childhood

PreK
Kindergarten
1^st Grade
2^nd Grade

START HERE

Upper Elementary

3^rd Grade
4^th Grade
5^th Grade

START HERE

Middle School

6^th Grade
7^th Grade
8^th Grade

START HERE

Upper School

9^th Grade
10^th Grade
11^th Grade

START HERE

Financial Aid

Financial Aid is available to families who demonstrate financial need.

START HERE

The GA Investment

Multiple members from the Class of 2025 are attending University of Pennsylvania, Indiana University, Tulane University, Penn State University, Georgetown University, New York University, and University of Michigan. FULL LIST.

Faculty/Student mentorships continue well after graduation.

More than 1/4 of each graduating class plays a sport in college.

Young alumni say their greatest assets in college are time management and the ability to write exceptionally well.

Philadelphia Region Independent School Enrollment Consortium (PRISEC)

Germantown Academy is a member of the Philadelphia Region Independent School Enrollment Consortium (PRISEC).

As part of our shared commitment to a fair and transparent admission process for families exploring independent schools across the Greater Philadelphia region, PRISEC member schools have agreed upon the following common admission process dates:

Earliest Application Deadline: December 1
Earliest Notification Date: January 10
Earliest Commitment Deadline: February 15

If you’ve been asked to reply to an offer of enrollment or scholarship that does not align with these “no earlier than” process dates, or a personal family circumstance requires an exception to the above, here are the next steps:

1) Call the school that is asking you to reply earlier than the agreed-upon dates listed above and ask for an extension on your reply to their offer.

2) If no extension is granted, call the other school(s) to which you have applied and ask for an exception and expedited review and/or decision.

Getting Here.

Students come to GA from more than 90 cities and towns. School districts within 10 miles of GA provide busing to school. Many Middle and Upper School students from Doylestown to Philadelphia use SEPTA as transportation to school. The train stop is right across the street from campus.

When students start at GA, they stay at GA.

GA’s annual attrition rate is 3 percent – one of the lowest among independent and religious schools in the area. Our school welcomes 80-90 new families annually.

Teachers make a commitment.

Our faculty average years of teaching at GA is 18. Eighteen faculty and staff members are also graduates of GA.

Financial assistance is available.

More than 30 percent of the students at Germantown Academy receive some form of need-based financial assistance each year.

I work until 5pm each day.

Many Middle and Upper School students congregate in the Roberts Family Library (until 5pm) and the Korman Family Pavilion (until 6pm) to socialize and study. An aftercare program called SPARK is available for all Lower School students from 2:50-5:45pm and can be attended and paid for on a daily, weekly or yearly basis.

Bienvenido a GA.

GA offers several modern and classical languages, including Spanish, French, Chinese, Latin, and our Head of School’s favorite – German (as an elective).

Music appreciation.

Annually, 375+ students from all three divisions play an instrument, and performances include divisional concerts with bands, orchestras and ensembles. Choral groups are found all across the school as well.

Opportunities to compete.

GA hosts more than 80 Middle and Upper School sports teams and club programs. With more than 75 percent of the student body participating, Patriots can find their place here.

The path to college.

100+ colleges and universities visit the GA campus for small-group information sessions and an annual college fair.

Germantown Academy welcomes students of all backgrounds. If you would like either translation or interpretation services during the admission process, please CLICK HERE to send an email request to the Admission Office. Thank you!

Germantown Academy Non-Discrimination Policy

Germantown Academy is committed to a policy of non-discrimination in all aspects of our community’s actions and relationships on any basis including but not limited to race, religion, ancestry, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, familial status, disability, veteran status or national origin. As required by Title IX, GA does not discriminate in the consideration of applications for admission on the basis of sex.