International Applicant FAQs

We do not accept students at midyear. Our admissions application deadline is January 15 to begin study the following September. We do not generally accept Grade 12 students. Most new students enroll for grades 9 or 10, with a few coming in as 11th graders. Repeating a grade is acceptable and sometimes advisable to improve English language skills, provided that the student will not reach age 20 before graduating.

We do not generally accept 12th grade students. Most new students enroll for 9th and 10th grade, with a few coming as 11th graders.

The SSAT score is optional for Tabor admission. International Students whose native language is not English should submit a TOEFL score or one of the other standardized English language fluency test scores (such as IELTS or Duolingo). Candidates for Grade 11 may submit a PSAT or SAT score in place of an SSAT score. Non-native English speakers who have studied in an English language curriculum for at least three years do not need to submit a TOEFL score; however, due to our competitive international admission applicant pool, submitting at least one or both standardized test scores (TOEFL or SSAT) may help the application.

Repeating a grade is acceptable and sometimes advisable to improve English language skills, provided that the student will not reach age 20 before graduating.

Our minimal TOEFL score is 100 or higher, depending on the country. The average TOEFL score for our newly enrolled International Students this year is 104. For students applying for 10th and 11th grades, the TOEFL score expectations are somewhat higher than those for 9th grade candidates. For the SSAT math score, we look for a SSAT percentile score of 80% or higher. A student’s current English course score, the current English teacher recommendation, the SSAT verbal score, and the interview are also considered to assess English ability.

Tabor does not offer an ESL course. All International Students take regular English classes. Students may take seek English language support in our ASSSIT Learning Center, or within the English Department.

Our Admission Office and International Center representatives do admission travel to Europe, Asia, and the Atlantic Islands during the summer and fall. Please check our Visits & Events page to locate any planned travel for receptions and interviews. If you are unable to visit the campus, please arrange a Zoom interview with our Admission Office. Admission candidates from mainland China are asked to do a preliminary interview in China with Vericant for approval by our Admission staff, and also to submit a 100+ TOEFL score, before they continue with their Tabor application.

Yes. We have around 100 International Students each year to whom we issue I-20 Forms. Newly enrolled International Students send us financial certification, a parent affidavit, and a copy of their passport page. In most cases, our newly admitted students succeed in obtaining student visas. American citizens who live abroad and return to home overseas for long vacations are considered International Students at Tabor.

Our experience has been that our students and their families do not want too large a group of students from a single country that might draw them away from the community. Our largest group is from China, and we seek balance among different cultures and traditions in building a collective community spirit and atmosphere. In general, our enrollment of new students from different countries and regions approximately matches the number of students from each country or region that graduate the previous spring.

Financial aid is available for International Students, on a limited basis. In line with the school’s student body composition, a majority of financial aid is awarded to domestic students. Please request our Tabor-specific financial aid application form for International Students, if you wish to apply for this.