Emma Willard School is a place to discover what it means to be your best self. We commend you on taking the initiative to seek out the perfect school for you. By doing so, you already show that you are ready for something more than the high school experience.
Madame Emma Hart Willard founded her school on the basis of providing girls with a first-class education that challenged, inspired, and enabled them to serve and shape their worlds.
More than 200 years later, Emma Willard School proudly continues to carry on this mission.
Emma Willard School's curriculum allows girls to focus their future aspirations, and equips them with the interdisciplinary knowledge competitive colleges are looking for.
Our academic program offers more than 140 courses, including Advanced Placement options, where girls engage in discourse that brings context to high-level concepts and understanding of the world we live in. Personalized study programs enable girls to dive deep into a topic or field of their choosing, and gain hands-on experience.
Education at Emma isn’t limited to the classroom—it’s woven into the fabric of our community. With girls from around the world and across the United States, and faculty and staff with a wide breadth of life experiences, you will broaden your perspective the moment you walk onto campus.
Bonds created between Emma Girls in the residence and dining halls, while practicing for an athletics match or arts performance, at one of our many cherished traditions, and all the little moments in between, define many girls’ Emma experience.
Welcome to the admissions process at Emma Willard School
Applying to a new school can be overwhelming. The admissions team at Emma is here to help make the application process as easy as possible. To begin, download the checklist (below) to print out, put on the fridge, and easily track your Emma application process.
If you have every box checked, congratulations! Relax, and take a peek at Emma news. We look forward to being in touch in March.
Emma Willard School has adopted a test-optional admissions policy as of November 1, 2020. Read the announcement here.
We can’t wait to meet you, even if it’s just on paper to start. This is your chance to tell us all about yourself. We accept the following applications:
If using the Emma Willard School application, you will need to create a myEmma username and password. Click on the Apply button anywhere on the site and follow these directions:
Select the blue "Create Account" link to create a myEmma username and password.
After entering your basic information, select the "Create Account" button.
Our system may recognize you by your email address!
If the system recognizes your email address, your email address will be highlighted in red after you press submit.
If this occurs, select the "Forgot Login?" button. You will then be prompted to enter your email address to receive an automatic reply containing your myEmma username and password.
Once you receive a myEmma username and password you will have access to complete the online application, monitor your progress through the admissions process and learn more about Emma Willard School.
We are conducting our interviews virtually this year, using a variety of platforms that function best around the world, including Vericant, Skype, Duolingo, and Google Meet. We'll look forward to meeting you!
Candidates from Mainland China: In keeping the health and wellbeing of our applicants in mind, Emma Willard School has partnered with Vericant and Duolingo to assist in interviewing candidates from Mainland China. Candidates living in and attending a school in Mainland China should contact Vericant to schedule an in-person appointment: www.vericant.com/students or use the Duolingo platform for at-home testing and interviewing: englishtest.duolingo.com/home. The Vericant interview or Duolingo interview will serve as the candidate's interview for admission. All Vericant and Duolingo interviews must be submitted to Emma Willard School by November 1. If the candidate chooses Duolingo, the testing component will also replace the TOEFL test.
We love to hear from your current teachers. Hearing directly from them helps us learn even more about you, your strengths in the classroom, and what excites you most. We request completed recommendation forms from three current teachers, including your:
The curriculum at Emma is rigorous. Your transcripts provide us with clues on how you will do academically here. The transcripts should come from an official at your school and contain a minimum of two years of credits as well as the first semester or trimester of the current academic year. Please fill out a transcript release form.
The cost of application is $50 for a domestic student, and $100 for an international student. International students are determined by their permanent address. The application fee can be paid by credit card online, or by check via mail.
Please submit an academic paper or essay that you wrote for your current or previous English or History class
Assigned by a teacher and graded;
Must be submitted in English;
Typed or handwritten;
Should demonstrate a thorough understanding of course content or discussions;
Should be a minimum of 150 words;
Should be analytical, not creative work.
Please submit a graded math test (not a quiz)
Should cover the most advanced topics you have learned to date;
Must be submitted in English;
Must show work and thought process around math topics and arriving at an answer.
If an applicant feels that standardized test results, whether the SSAT, ISEE, SAT or state-based exams, represents her well and supports her academic profile, she is still welcome to submit them in addition to the graded math test and academic paper.
International Students
Applicants with a first language that is not English are required to submit either TOEFL or Duolingo results to assist with academic placement. However, we will not require students to submit standardized test results from the SSAT, ISEE, or other exams.
Along with your TOEFL or Duolingo test results, please provide:
SSAT test results
OR
An academic paper or essay that you wrote for your current or previous English or History class ;
Assigned by a teacher and graded;
Must be submitted in English;
Typed or handwritten;
Should show a thorough understanding of course content or discussions.
A graded math test (not a quiz) ;
Should cover the most advanced topics you have learned to date;
Must be submitted in English;
Must show work and thought process around math topics and arriving at an answer.