- Location
- Winchester
- Recorded age range
- 13–19
- Education
- British
About Winchester College
Founded in 1382. Renowned for academic excellence and beautiful campus. Impressive educational pedigree. Commitment to nurturing future leaders.
School background from the saved source · 2026-05-30
Winchester College was founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England, as a feeder school for New College, Oxford, which Wykeham founded in 1379. The two institutions were intentionally created as a single educational pipeline — boys would be educated at Winchester and then proceed automatically to New College — and remain linked in the modern era through shared scholarships and academic connections. Winchester is the oldest of the nine Clarendon Schools defined by the Public Schools Act 1868 (the others being Eton, Westminster, Harrow, Charterhouse, St Paul's, Merchant Taylors', Rugby and Shrewsbury) and is one of the oldest continuously operating schools in the English-speaking world. The school has occupied the same site in the centre of Winchester for over 640 years.
Winchester remained a boys-only school for almost the entire 640 years between its founding and 2022, when it admitted girls for the first time. The college is otherwise a full-boarding school for boys and girls aged 13-18, with around 700 pupils. The Head Master, since 2024, is Elizabeth Stone — the first woman to hold the post in the school's history.
The college's most internationally significant cultural feature is its sustained record of academic outcomes: by Oxbridge offer rates as a percentage of cohort, Winchester is consistently in the very top tier of all UK schools. The traditional progression to New College, Oxford continues to operate, and the school's classical, mathematical and modern-languages programmes are among the strongest at any English school.
The Old Wykehamist alumni list runs through the central history of English public life. Two recent Prime Ministers attended: Sir Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, who served as Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957 (the Suez crisis defined his tenure); and Rishi Sunak, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer through the COVID-19 pandemic before becoming Prime Minister from October 2022 to July 2024. The Labour Party leader Hugh Gaitskell (1955-63), the former Chancellor and Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe, the wartime ambassador Sir Stafford Cripps, and the historian-Viceroy Field Marshal Earl Wavell are among the school's senior twentieth-century political and military alumni.
In philosophy, A. J. Ayer's Language, Truth and Logic (1936) brought Vienna Circle logical positivism to English audiences. In sculpture, Sir Anthony Gormley OBE RA created The Angel of the North. In military history, Sir Michael Howard OM CH was the Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford. The school operates a substantial bursary programme via the Wykeham Foundation, intended to maintain William of Wykeham's 1382 vision of educational excellence for boys regardless of family means.
School life and areas of focus
- Academic
- Sports
- Boarding experience
- Founded 1382 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester — 644-year history
- Oldest of the nine Clarendon Schools (Public Schools Act 1868)
- Founded as a feeder school for New College, Oxford — the two were founded together by Wykeham
- Co-educational from 2022 (after 640 years as boys-only)
- Boarding school for ages 13-18
- Set in the historic city of Winchester, Hampshire
- PMs Anthony Eden and Rishi Sunak are both Old Wykehamists
- Substantial bursary programme via the Wykeham Foundation
- Founded 1382 — 644 year tradition
- 734-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Christian foundation
- A-Level A*-B*: 68% achieve AAB+
- Strong Oxbridge progression
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
- Teaching language
- English
- Campus setting
- urban
Subject areas
- Academic
- Sports
- Mathematics & physics (consistent top UK Mathematical Olympiad placings)
- Classics (the school's founding identity under William of Wykeham)
- Music
- Modern languages
- Cricket
- Sciences
- Sport
Listed memberships and accreditations
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
- One of the original nine Clarendon Schools
Study and progression pathways
- Sport
- Oxbridge (highest UK Oxbridge offer rate of any boys' school in most years; feeder to New College, Oxford)
- Imperial, UCL, LSE
- US Ivy League (Harvard, Yale, MIT)
- International universities
- Oxbridge
Academic profile in the catalogue
No review date is recorded for these catalogue figures.
The legacy catalogue contains estimated academic figures without a measurement source. Ask our team about current class sizes and progression results.
Campus, boarding and student community
Catalogue profile
- Campus setting
- urban
- 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
- Christian
- Inspectorate
- ISI
- Total pupils
- 734
- Boys · number / share
- 698 · 95.1%
- Girls · number / share
- 36 · 4.9%
- Pupils receiving SEN support · number / share
- 96 · 13.08%
- Pupils with an EHC plan · number / share
- 2 · 0.27%
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
- 0.36 (Above Average)
- AAB or higher
- 68.20%
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 | £14,799.60 |
| Boarding fees | £20,000.40 |
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
Estimated catalogue fees · 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
- Rolling
- 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
- Not specified in this record; ask the institution
- 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 · 2026-05-30
School background notes
Source record dated 2026-05-30 · Source text retained in English
Read this source's description in the school overview.
- Founded · source note
- 1382
- Campus setting · source note
- urban
- Religious ethos · source note
- Church of England
- School leadership · source note
- Elizabeth Stone (Head Master)
- Scholarships · source note
- Mentioned in saved research; confirm current terms
Additional subject and programme notes
- Mathematics & physics (consistent top UK Mathematical Olympiad placings)
- Classics (the school's founding identity under William of Wykeham)
- Music
- Modern languages
- Cricket
- Sciences
Listed education pathways
- Oxbridge (highest UK Oxbridge offer rate of any boys' school in most years; feeder to New College, Oxford)
- Imperial, UCL, LSE
- US Ivy League (Harvard, Yale, MIT)
- International universities
Memberships and accreditations in the source
- HMC (Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference)
- BSA (Boarding Schools Association)
- ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate)
- One of the original nine Clarendon Schools
School-life notes
- Founded 1382 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester — 644-year history
- Oldest of the nine Clarendon Schools (Public Schools Act 1868)
- Founded as a feeder school for New College, Oxford — the two were founded together by Wykeham
- Co-educational from 2022 (after 640 years as boys-only)
- Boarding school for ages 13-18
- Set in the historic city of Winchester, Hampshire
- PMs Anthony Eden and Rishi Sunak are both Old Wykehamists
- Substantial bursary programme via the Wykeham Foundation
Notable alumni listed in the source
- Archbishop William Howley (Archbishop of Canterbury, 1828-48)
- Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (also of Ipswich School)
- Sir Thomas Browne (seventeenth-century polymath physician — Religio Medici)
- Sir Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1955-57)
- Rishi Sunak (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 2022-24)
- Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon (former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary)
- Hugh Gaitskell (Labour Party leader, 1955-63)
- Sir Anthony Burgess Gormley OBE RA (sculptor — The Angel of the North)
- Sir Anthony Hopkins (some sources; actor — The Silence of the Lambs)
- A. J. Ayer (philosopher — Language, Truth and Logic)
- Stafford Cripps (Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer; Ambassador to Moscow)
- Field Marshal Earl Wavell (Viceroy of India, 1943-47)
- Toby Young (journalist and free-school reformer)
- Sir Michael Howard OM CH (military historian; Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford)
Additional school record · 2026-05-30
Additional saved school information
Source record dated 2026-05-30 · Source text retained in English
Transcending subject boundaries for the sheer pleasure of learning, our educational ethos encourages pupils to make connections across disciplines. Immersive learning A Winchester education combines in-depth teaching, hands-on exploration, and access to remarkable voices. Pupils find themselves thoroughly immersed in culture and the exchange of ideas from the moment they arrive. Wykehamists pursue their quest for knowledge and understanding through traditional classroom teaching, their own research, and working collaboratively with other pupils; conversations that begin in lessons continue over house lunch or on the sports pitches.
Day pupils in our Sixth Form are fully integrated members of individual houses, following the principle of ‘everything but the bed’. This approach ensures they experience everything a day at Winchester has to offer. Day pupils stay for tea each day and are expected to stay for evening prep at least once a week. These arrangements create a strong sense of belonging and ensure they are thoroughly immersed in both the school community and house culture.
Our distinctive culture Manners Makyth Man – a culture built on courtesy, compassion, respect and trust. Winchester’s culture is rooted in the humanity and generosity of our Founder, William of Wykeham, and develops an instinctive understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Our motto, Manners Makyth Man, has been interpreted in different ways down the centuries, but it is often said that one can always spot a Wykehamist for their interest in and openness to others.
- Founded · source note
- 1382
- Campus setting · source note
- rural
- School leadership · source note
- Elizabeth Stone
- Scholarships · source note
- Mentioned in saved research; confirm current terms
Additional subject and programme notes
- Sport
Listed education pathways
- Oxbridge
- International universities
School-life notes
- Founded 1382 — 644 year tradition
- 734-pupil community
- Day and boarding places available
- Christian foundation
- A-Level A*-B*: 68% achieve AAB+
- Strong Oxbridge progression
Schoolscout introduction
Winchester College stands out as one of the UK's most prestigious independent schools, renowned for its rich history and commitment to academic excellence....
School location
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18
- Recorded address
- College Street, Winchester, Hampshire, South East, SO23 9NA
- Postcode
- SO23 9NA
Questions in the source record
Schoolscout · Source record dated 2026-05-18 · Original English answers
What type of school is Winchester College?
Winchester College is a co-educational independent mainstream school for pupils aged 13 to 19, located near Winchester in Hampshire. The school offers education from Senior through to Sixth Form, with pathways leading to GCSEs and A Levels.
How do I apply to Winchester College?
Most families apply to Winchester College 1–2 years before entry, with a process that can include tests, interviews and school reports. See the private school admissions timeline for when to apply and what to expect.
What are the fees at Winchester College?
Fees at Winchester College are approximately £14,799 per term, depending on the year group and whether pupils board. Families can learn more about UK private school fees and what is typically included.
Is Winchester College a day or boarding school?
Winchester College offers day and boarding options. Where boarding is available, this may include full, weekly or flexi arrangements.
Is Winchester College selective?
Winchester College is a selective independent school. Admissions may include assessments and interviews where applicable.
Contact our team for current dates, entry criteria and fees.
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