Taft Admissions Overview
Taft admissions, step by step.
Start with the entry grades and the two application platforms. Then see what goes into the file.
Checked against Taft's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
The application
What the application includes.
Taft accepts the Standard Application Online or the Gateway to Prep Schools application.
- Entry grades
- New students enter in grade 9, 10 or 11. A postgraduate year is sometimes possible.
- Postgraduate year
- Taft prefers grades 9, 10 and 11 for entry and says a postgraduate year is appropriate at times.
- Steps
- Apply with either the Standard Application Online or the Gateway to Prep Schools application. First complete the inquiry form to set up a Taft Admission Portal.
- Accounts
- Families need both a Taft Admission Portal and an account with either the SSAT or Gateway to Prep Schools.
- The parts
- Both applications include biographical data and essay questions. Teachers and school staff submit recommendations. Portfolios are optional.
- Recommendations
- Recommendations come from a principal or guidance counselor and an English and a math teacher, and are due January 15.
- Fee waiver
- Domestic families experiencing financial hardship can request an application fee waiver, and waiver requests open August 1. Taft typically does not offer fee waivers to international students.
- Deadline
- January 15, 2027
- Decisions
- March 10, 2027
- Reply
- April 10, 2027
SSAT and ISEE practice
Admissions test practice.
Practice is shared across our private school sites.