Admissions Process for Sons of Old Boys

Old Boys will remember (with a mixture of nostalgia and horror) the experience of attending the entrance examinations at the College. Every year, the College has hundreds of families who are seeking a Jesuit education for their son at St Aloysius’ College. In recent years, close to 500 youngsters have attended for entry into Years 3, 5 and 7 in the coming years.

St Aloysius’ College continues to be blessed with strong demand from new and existing families with approximately 160 new places available on an annual basis. It is a challenge for the school when we are regularly are not able to offer a place at the College for many well-deserving Catholic boys and their families. Unlike other schools, our enrolments have only increased marginally over the last decade. However, commencing in 2025, the College will grow its Senior School population by an additional 27 students into Year 7. This growth will continue for six years until 2030.

St Aloysius’ College has holistic criteria in considering applications which reflects the holistic nature of the curriculum offered at the College. Consistent with our Jesuit tradition, we form boys through their heads, through their hands and through their hearts. Most families who apply to the College desire this form of formation for their sons.

Many years ago, the Jesuits determined that this school would offer a more narrow curriculum given our limited resources and an academic orientation was pursued. As a school with this deliberate academic orientation, the entrance examination is an important consideration in our enrolments process. We want to ensure that boys can flourish academically at St Aloysius’ given the absence of a more comprehensive curriculum.

We also place significant value on a family’s faith life. 96% of our students are baptised Catholics making us one of the most nominally Catholic schools in the nation. Reception of the sacraments is one example of a faith commitment as is the involvement of the family in their local Catholic parish. A parish priest’s positive reference is an important part of the application process.

In addition, the character of a young boy is also important in our decision-making. His interests outside of the classroom, his relationships and his values are all of interest to us as we seek well-rounded young men who will embrace the holistic nature of an education at St Aloysius’. Young men who already demonstrate their predilection to pursuing the magis in their lives. These are fleshed out in the interview that forms a core component of our application process. A prospective family’s connection to the College is also an important consideration. We prioritise families who already have a son at the College and, where possible, want to keep families together.
This valuing of connection extends to our Old Boys – men who possess a distinctive relationship with their school in Milsons Point. The College interviews all applicants whose father is an Old Boy of the College.

We do this because inter-generational enrolments are a positive good for our community and its mission. Approximately 17% of current students are sons of Old Boys. This compares favourably with other independent boys’ schools that we are associated with. We take delight that our alumni desire an education for their sons that they themselves received.

Within the context of these criteria, there is no automatic qualification for any applicant. All of the considerations listed above are important including the demonstration of an active, genuine faith life.

MN Tannock
Principal