Admissions FAQs

The enrolment process is outlined on the Enrolment Process page, and you can submit your application online via that page.

No. A child must be born at the time of application, as the full name and true date of birth are required.

Yes, when submitting an application you must pay a non-refundable Application fee of $175.

No, we accept applications throughout the year. We encourage you to submit an application as early as possible, as delaying the process will reduce the chances of obtaining a place.

Yes, we are registered with CRICOS to accept Full Fee Paying Overseas Students (FFPOS). CRICOS provider number: 00580G.

Yes, CGS offers Scholarships. Please visit the Scholarships page for further information.

For the Red Hill campus, the main entry points are Pre-School, Kindergarten, Year 3, Year 5,  Year 7 and Year 11. For the Northside (Campbell) campus, the main entry point is Pre-Kindergarten. These are the main entry points because one or more classes are added to the existing cohort. Applications for entry to all other year groups (known as non-main entry points) are welcome, though places only become available following the departure of current students and are therefore limited in number. We recommend contacting the Admissions Office prior to submitting an application in these year groups.

The non-main entry points are Pre-Kindergarten at Red Hill, Kindergarten at Northside, and Years 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10.

At CGS, Pre-School is for 3-year-olds, and Pre-Kindergarten is for 4-year-olds. Both Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten are offered on either a full-time (5 days per week) or part-time (5 days per fortnight) basis. The days of attendance are set upon the acceptance of a place and we do not offer flexible times/days. Note that Pre-School is not offered at the Northside Campus.

The Northside campus is located in the suburb of Campbell and has a small student total population of approximately 100 students. It is home to one class in each year level from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 2. When Northside students finish Year 2, they continue in Year 3 at the Red Hill Campus. The Red Hill campus is located on the Southside of Canberra, in the suburb of Red Hill, and is home to Pre-School to Year 12 students.

Please email the Admissions Office at admissions@cgs.act.edu.au stating the full name of your child (the applicant) and what change you would like to make to the application.

The School will make offers to applicants on each waiting list in the following order until all places in each year group are full:

• Scholarship winners and applicants with academic scholarship results in the top 25% of external applicants by performance rank (applies to Years 7 and 11 entry only)
• Siblings of current students by age at registration date
• Siblings and children of Canberra Grammar School Alumni by age at registration date; and
• Other applicants by age at registration date.

NB: For those who submitted an application before 1 May 2018, your child’s application will be considered by the date of application. For those who submitted an application on or after 1 May 2018, your child’s application will be considered by their age at registration.

Please see our Admissions Policy for full details.

The best chance of obtaining a place is to submit an application as early as possible once you start to consider CGS as a potential school for your child.

We understand that you may move to Canberra or consider CGS at short notice for a variety of reasons and therefore will not have registered your child from a young age; this does not mean you have no chance of obtaining a place. Each year level is different, and each time of year is different. The best thing to do in this instance is to contact the Admissions Office to enquire about availability before submitting an application.

We cannot say how likely it may be that you obtain a place if the desired year of entry is two or more years away.

For main entry points, first offers will be made as early as 20 months from the entry year and as families accept and decline offers for the remaining places we progress through the waitlist in the subsequent months. Often, the better question to ask is ‘How is the waitlist progressing?’

For non-main entry points, places only become available following student departures and therefore we often do not know about availability earlier than one term prior to entry. If a place becomes available we will contact the applicant highest on the waitlist to offer an interview. Essentially, while you do not hear from the School, it remains that there is no availability in your desired year.

Please note that families can only be contacted using the details provided and it is the responsibility of families to inform the School of any changes in contact details after application.

We do encourage families to be active in their involvement in the admissions process and we welcome you to check on your child’s application.

We are not a selective school. This means that a student’s address and/or academic ability neither advantages nor disadvantages them in being considered for a place.

We do not have any links to other grammar schools and therefore, any associations would not increase your child’s chances of obtaining a place.

Offers are not transferable. If an offer is made and is not accepted, your child will return to a waitlist and their position will again be determined by their date of application (or age at application from 1 May 2018). We cannot guarantee a place in the future, even if you have previously had an offer made to you.

Yes. The School Renewal Charge (SRC), collected by the School on behalf of the CGS Foundation, must be paid when an offer is accepted. It is non-refundable, not tax-deductible, and is paid per student, not per family.

You can contact the Admissions Office by booking a phone call or completing the Enquiry Form below.