- Location
- Marlborough, Wiltshire
- Recorded age range
- 13–19
- Education
- British · A-Level
About Marlborough College
Founded 1843 — co-ed boarding+day HMC school, ~970 pupils on a historic Wiltshire campus, A-Level + Pre-U with verified fees published per term.
Marlborough College was founded in 1843 in the market town of Marlborough, Wiltshire. About 970 pupils aged 13-18, all-boarding for the most part with a small number of day pupils. The school went fully co-educational in 1989 and has been a quietly influential reference point in UK independent education ever since — alumni include Princess Catherine of Wales. The curriculum runs A-Level alongside Pre-U options. Published 2025-26 fees (inclusive of VAT): boarding £61,809 per annum (£20,603 per term), day £49,449 per annum (£16,483 per term). Recent leavers' destinations include Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, Edinburgh and St Andrews.
School life and areas of focus
- Founded 1843 in Marlborough, Wiltshire
- Fully co-educational since 1989
- 970 pupils — predominantly boarding
- A-Level + Pre-U pathway
- Alumni include Princess Catherine of Wales
- Strong arts + sport calendar
- Founded 1843 by Church of England clergy — 183-year history
- Co-educational since 1968 (one of the very first major HMC boys' boarding schools to admit girls)
- ≈1,004 pupils with substantial boarding population
- Set on a 300-acre rural campus in Marlborough, Wiltshire (the historic chalk-downs Marlborough estate)
- HMC and BSA member
- Most famous alumna: Catherine, Princess of Wales (future Queen of the United Kingdom)
- Substantial bursary programme via the Marlborough College Foundation
- 1,004-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Church of England foundation
Education and school life
Explore the curriculum and subjects below. Our team can help you find out about subject choices, year groups and programme availability.
- Programme type
- Boarding school
- Curriculum
- British, A-Level
- Teaching language
- English
- Campus setting
- rural
Subject areas
- Mathematics
- Further Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Biology
- English Literature
- Classics
- History
- Geography
- Economics
- Politics
- Philosophy
- French
- Spanish
- German
- Italian
- Mandarin
- Art
- Music
- Theatre
- Design Technology
- Literature (Sir John Betjeman, Louis MacNeice, Siegfried Sassoon alumni)
- Drama
- Sciences
- Sport (rugby, cricket, hockey, sailing)
Listed memberships and accreditations
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- The Rugby Group
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
Study and progression pathways
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- Imperial
- Edinburgh
- St Andrews
- International universities
- Oxbridge
- Russell Group (Cambridge, Imperial, Edinburgh, Bristol)
- US Ivy League universities
- Sandhurst / Royal Navy
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
- 1843
- Recorded student population
- 970
- Campus setting
- rural
- Boarding
- Listed in the catalogue
- Co-education
- Listed as co-educational
School-wide directory record
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- School stages
- Senior, Sixth Form
- Directory age range
- 13-19
- Student intake
- Co-educational
- Attendance
- Day and boarding
- Religious ethos
- Church of England
- Inspectorate
- ISI
- Total pupils
- 1004
- Boys · number / share
- 565 · 56.27%
- Girls · number / share
- 439 · 43.73%
- Pupils receiving SEN support · number / share
- 0 · 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan · number / share
- 0 · 0%
Directory and catalogue figures are shown separately because their age groups or record dates may differ.
Recorded examination results
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- Qualification
- A-level
- Results year
- 2025
- Average grade
- A-
- Progress score
- 0.12 (Above Average)
- AAB or higher
- 24.80%
Results are for the year shown, separately from the estimated catalogue indicators.
Tuition and costs
Recorded GBP school fees
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
| Attendance | Recorded range |
|---|---|
| Day fees | £16,483.20 |
| Boarding fees | £20,602.80 |
These historical directory amounts are not a confirmed school quotation. The billing period, VAT, academic year and included costs need confirmation from the school.
Catalogue USD figures
Catalogue fee range · USD
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.
Ask the UniCampus team about the fee period, entry year, boarding and additional costs.
Ask about current feesPlanning 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
- 13+ Common Entrance pre-test (Year 6); 16+ October prior to entry
- 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
Source notes and alternative records
Dated background research is retained below; source descriptions may differ and have not been newly verified by UniCampus.
School background research · 2026-05-31
School background notes
Source record dated 2026-05-31 · Source text retained in English
Marlborough College was founded in 1843 by a group of Church of England clergymen specifically to provide affordable boarding-school education for the sons of clergymen and Anglican professional families — a category of family that struggled to afford the existing public-school fees. The school sits today on a 300-acre rural campus in Marlborough, Wiltshire, on the historic chalk-downs Marlborough estate of the Seymour family (the family of Jane Seymour, third wife of Henry VIII, and the Dukes of Somerset). Marlborough became co-educational in 1968 — one of the very first major HMC boys' boarding schools in England to admit girls — and today educates around 1,004 pupils with a substantial boarding population. The Master is Louise Moelwyn-Hughes.
The school is a member of the HMC and the Boarding Schools Association. The 300-acre campus includes the historic Mound (an ancient hilltop earthwork, believed to be one of the few surviving Neolithic monumental constructions in the area, on the same scale as Silbury Hill), the Old Bath House (a Roman bath), a substantial Chapel (Grade II* listed), and very extensive boarding accommodation.
The school's most internationally famous alumna is Catherine, Princess of Wales (formerly Catherine Middleton, married 29 April 2011 to William, Prince of Wales, future King William V — and herself the future Queen of the United Kingdom). Princess Catherine attended Marlborough in the late 1990s and progressed to read history of art at the University of St Andrews, where she met the Prince.
Marlborough has produced an exceptional literary alumni list. Sir John Betjeman, the Poet Laureate from 1972 to 1984 — the great elegist of post-war English suburban life — was a Marlburian. Siegfried Sassoon, the WWI war poet of The Old Huntsman and Counter-Attack and the autobiographical Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man trilogy — was an Old Marlburian. Louis MacNeice, the Anglo-Irish poet of the MacSpaunday generation (with Auden, Spender and Day-Lewis), was a Marlborough boy.
The Victorian designer, socialist and founder of the Arts and Crafts movement William Morris — whose Morris & Co designs remain in production today and whose News from Nowhere is one of the founding texts of British socialism — was a Marlburian. Sir Anthony Blunt, the Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures unmasked in 1979 as the "Fourth Man" of the Cambridge Five Soviet spy ring, was at Marlborough. Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes — the last British Governor of Hong Kong who handed the colony to China in 1997, later Chairman of the BBC Trust and Chancellor of the University of Oxford — was a Marlburian. The Hollywood actor James Mason (A Star is Born, North by Northwest, Lolita) was an Old Marlburian.
The school operates a substantial bursary programme via the Marlborough College Foundation.
- Founded · source note
- 1843
- Campus setting · source note
- rural
- Religious ethos · source note
- Church of England
- School leadership · source note
- Louise Moelwyn-Hughes (Master)
- Scholarships · source note
- Mentioned in saved research; confirm current terms
Additional subject and programme notes
- Literature (Sir John Betjeman, Louis MacNeice, Siegfried Sassoon alumni)
- Drama
- Sciences
- Mathematics
- Music
- Sport (rugby, cricket, hockey, sailing)
Listed education pathways
- Oxbridge
- Russell Group (Cambridge, Imperial, Edinburgh, Bristol)
- US Ivy League universities
- Sandhurst / Royal Navy
Memberships and accreditations in the source
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
School-life notes
- Founded 1843 by Church of England clergy — 183-year history
- Co-educational since 1968 (one of the very first major HMC boys' boarding schools to admit girls)
- ≈1,004 pupils with substantial boarding population
- Set on a 300-acre rural campus in Marlborough, Wiltshire (the historic chalk-downs Marlborough estate)
- HMC and BSA member
- Most famous alumna: Catherine, Princess of Wales (future Queen of the United Kingdom)
- Substantial bursary programme via the Marlborough College Foundation
Notable alumni listed in the source
- Catherine, Princess of Wales (formerly Catherine Middleton — wife of HRH The Prince of Wales; future Queen of the United Kingdom)
- Sir John Betjeman (Poet Laureate 1972-84)
- Siegfried Sassoon (WWI poet — The Old Huntsman, Counter-Attack; Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man)
- Louis MacNeice (Anglo-Irish poet of the MacSpaunday generation with Auden, Spender, Day-Lewis)
- William Morris (Victorian designer, socialist, founder of the Arts and Crafts movement; News from Nowhere)
- Sir Anthony Blunt (Soviet spy; later Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures — uncovered 1979 as Fourth Man of the Cambridge Five)
- Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes (last Governor of Hong Kong; Chairman of the BBC Trust)
- James Mason (Hollywood actor — A Star is Born, North by Northwest, Lolita)
- Sir Mark Tully OBE (BBC India correspondent)
- Princess Eugenie of York
Additional school record · 2026-05-30
Additional saved school information
Source record dated 2026-05-30 · Source text retained in English
- Scholarships · source note
- Not identified in this source
School-life notes
- 1,004-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Church of England foundation
Schoolscout introduction
Marlborough College offers a vibrant and inclusive environment where academic excellence is complemented by a strong emphasis on personal development. Situ...
School location
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- Recorded address
- Marlborough College, Bath Road, Marlborough, Wiltshire, South West, SN8 1PA
- Postcode
- SN8 1PA
Questions in the source record
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18 · Original English answers
What type of school is Marlborough College?
Marlborough College is a co-educational independent mainstream school for pupils aged 13 to 19, located near Wiltshire in Wiltshire. The school offers education from Senior through to Sixth Form, with pathways leading to GCSEs and A Levels.
How do I apply to Marlborough College?
Applications typically begin 1–2 years in advance and may include registration, assessments and interviews. Families can explore the UK private school admissions timeline to understand key dates and entry points.
What are the fees at Marlborough College?
The cost of attending Marlborough College typically ranges around £16,483 per term, with variations based on age and boarding.
Is Marlborough College a day or boarding school?
Pupils at Marlborough College can attend as boarding.
Is Marlborough College selective?
Entry to Marlborough College is based on overall fit and, where relevant, academic assessment.
Contact our team for current dates, entry criteria and fees.
Plan your next step with UniCampus
Our team can help you explore programmes, understand fees and prepare for your application.
Enquire about this schoolCatalogue review date: 2026-05-18