Fettes College · Edinburgh, UK

Fettes College — photo 1 — Catalogue photographs. Visit the school’s website to confirm current campus and facilities information.

Catalogue photographs. Visit the school’s website to confirm current campus and facilities information.

Location: Edinburgh
Recorded age range: 7–18
Education: British · A-Level · IB

About Fettes College

Edinburgh's flagship co-ed boarding+day school, founded 1870 in a Grade A-listed Scott Bryce building — A-Level + IB Diploma, ~800 pupils ages 7-18.

Fettes College was founded in 1870 with a bequest from Sir William Fettes, in a Grade A-listed building designed by David Bryce on a 100-acre Edinburgh campus. About 800 pupils across Prep and Senior schools, fully co-educational. The Senior School runs both A-Level and IB Diploma at sixth form — an unusual offer for a Scottish boarding school and one of the reasons international families pick Fettes over English boarding alternatives. Notable alumni include former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair. Recent leavers' destinations include Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, St Andrews and leading US universities.

School life and areas of focus

Founded 1870 — Edinburgh's flagship boarding school
Grade A-listed Bryce building on 100-acre city campus
A-Level + IB Diploma at sixth form (rare in Scotland)
Fully co-educational, Prep + Senior
Strong UK + international university pipeline
Tony Blair era alumni network

Education and school life

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Programme type: Boarding school
Curriculum: British, A-Level, IB
Teaching language: English
Campus setting: urban

Subject areas

Mathematics
Further Mathematics
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
English Literature
History
Geography
Economics
Politics
Philosophy
French
Spanish
German
Mandarin
Art
Music
Theatre
Theory of Knowledge
PE

Listed memberships and accreditations

Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS)
HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
IB World School

Study and progression pathways

Oxford
Cambridge
Edinburgh
St Andrews
International universities

Academic profile in the catalogue

Catalogue review date: 2026-05-18

Typical class size: 15 · catalogue record
Student / teacher ratio: 1:8 · catalogue record

The source does not specify a measurement year for these figures. Ask our team about current class sizes and staffing.

Campus, boarding and student community

Catalogue profile

Founded: 1870
Recorded student population: 800
Campus setting: urban
Boarding: Listed in the catalogue
Co-education: Listed as co-educational

Tuition and costs

Catalogue USD figures

Estimated catalogue fees · USD

$55,000 – $80,000 USD

This figure is an estimate, not a confirmed quotation from the school.

Catalogue figures are shown in US dollars (USD). The fee period and academic year are not specified in this record. UK institutions generally publish their own fees in pounds sterling (GBP); check the current fee schedule rather than treating this range as a GBP price.

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Planning your application

Entry requirements depend on the school, age group and programme. Talk to the UniCampus team about school reports, language requirements, assessments and your application timeline.

Catalogue application window: Common Entrance / interview ages 7+, 11+, 13+, 16+
Listed intake: September 2026

These catalogue notes do not confirm an available place or a current deadline. MEC guidance can help you organise a shortlist and prepare questions for the school.

Support recorded in the catalogue

Scholarships or bursaries: Listed; eligibility and availability need confirmation
Visa application support: Listed; confirm what assistance is provided

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Earlier school research

Earlier background notes are preserved here alongside the school profile. They describe the source record at the time; staff, memberships and study options may have changed.

Saved background research2026-05-31

Earlier school information · original English text

Fettes College was founded in 1870 under the will of Sir William Fettes (Lord Provost of Edinburgh) as a Scottish boys' boarding school. The school operates today on a 90-acre campus in central Edinburgh, dominated by David Bryce's spectacular 1870 Victorian Gothic main building (Grade A listed Scottish historic monument). Fettes became co-educational in 1980 and today educates around 750 pupils with a substantial boarding population. The Head is Helen Harrison.

The school is a member of the HMC and the Boarding Schools Association and offers the IB Diploma alongside A-Levels. The school's most internationally famous alumnus is Sir Tony Blair KG — Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 (three consecutive Labour election victories in 1997, 2001 and 2005, the only Labour leader to do so), the Prime Minister who led Britain into the 2003 Iraq War, and one of the most consequential British politicians of the post-war period. Blair attended Fettes from 1966 to 1971.

The Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton — winner of the 2008 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton, the white witch Jadis in the Chronicles of Narnia films, the Ancient One in Doctor Strange — was a Fettes pupil. The actress Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense, Manhattan, The Father) was a Fettes girl. The school operates a substantial bursary programme via the Fettes Foundation.

Founded in saved research: 1870
Campus setting in saved research: urban
Leadership in saved research: Helen Harrison (Head)
Religious ethos in saved research: Church of Scotland

Subjects in the saved record

International Baccalaureate Diploma
Sciences
Mathematics
Modern languages
Music
Sport (rugby)

Education pathways in the saved record

Oxbridge
Russell Group (Edinburgh, St Andrews, Cambridge)
US Ivy League universities

School-life notes

Founded 1870 — 156-year history
Co-educational since 1980
Set on a 90-acre campus in central Edinburgh
Distinctive Victorian Gothic main building by David Bryce (Grade A listed)
HMC, BSA and SCIS member; IB Diploma alongside A-Levels
Most internationally famous alumni: Sir Tony Blair and Tilda Swinton
Substantial bursary programme via the Fettes Foundation

Recorded memberships

HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation)
SCIS
ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)

Alumni in the saved record

Sir Tony Blair, KG (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1997-2007 — three-time Labour election winner; led Britain into Iraq War)
Ian Smith (last Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia; declared Unilateral Declaration of Independence 1965)
Olivia Williams (actress — The Sixth Sense, Manhattan)
Tilda Swinton (Oscar-winning actress — Michael Clayton; Doctor Strange; The Chronicles of Narnia: Jadis the White Witch)
Old Fettesians active in UK politics, the arts and the professions

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Catalogue review date: 2026-05-18