HIGHER EDUCATION
In another highly competitive admissions cycle, congratulations to our students who have secured a range of excellent university places for 2025 entry.
The top London colleges continue to attract a significant intake, with 64 students choosing to study at UCL, LSE, Imperial or KCL. Sixty-seven per cent of the year group are attending a top London college, or Oxford or Cambridge( 21 students), or another Russell Group university. Nine per cent are going to other UK universities. Of our 2025 leavers taking up a place at a UK university, 88 per cent gained a place at their firm choice.
ONCE AGAIN, Sevenoaks students spread their net wide and received offers from a range of institutions around the world. While the number of Russell Group and Oxbridge places remain reasonably steady, more students than ever before have chosen to focus on international options and UK universities which offer work placement and study abroad opportunities.
Our students continue to pursue diverse higher education pathways, in the UK and internationally, based on their suitability and personal fit. In line with previous years, 24 per cent of the entrants are heading to the US, Canada, Europe and other international destinations. The uptake of North American offers( 44 students) remains strong despite changes in the American political landscape. Many students held multiple offers in the UK, US, Canada and Europe, giving them three or more options to choose from. By supporting multiple applications to different countries, the school continues to help students find the best fit for them in a fast-changing geopolitical climate.
Our US offers this year have been impressive, with students accepting places at highly selective institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, UChicago, Dartmouth, Duke, UPenn, NYU and UCLA. Beyond the USA, our leavers are attending universities in Canada( McGill and the University of Toronto), the Netherlands( Tu Delft), France( Atelier de Sèvres), Spain( IE), Switzerland( St. Gallen), Sweden( Lund) and Malta( Queen Mary University of London, Malta campus), as well as the Trinity College Dublin and Columbia dual degree. One student has accepted a place on a highly competitive and sought-after degree apprenticeship in Software Engineering, combining lucrative paid work at Amazon with university study.
The Higher Education department aims to offer every student the best level of individually tailored support and advice. We have hosted several university information evenings this year, including a US information event, an Oxford and Cambridge information evening, a presentation by admissions representatives from Dartmouth, Duke, Northwestern, Georgetown and Vanderbilt, and an international universities fair.
Our university entry this year is a tremendous record of achievement. At a time when the media is full of comment about the value of a university education, we are delighted that our students continue to pursue this route. We wish all our new undergraduates every success in their higher education and future careers.
Wendy Heydorn, Director of Higher Education
SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2024-2025 17