Ten Schools Admission Organization
The Ten Schools Admission Organization, established in 1952, is a collaborative consortium of ten highly selective college-preparatory boarding schools located primarily in the Northeastern United States. The organization coordinates collective outreach and domestic and international recruitment efforts, while maintaining shared admissions standards, such as a uniform enrollment decision deadline of April 10.
Sociologists have identified the member institutions as part of a "select" tier of American secondary schools that play a significant role in the socialization of the American elite and the maintenance of class cohesion through rigorous academic and social "crucibles." As a group, the member institutions are characterized by their substantial financial endowments and their historical status as "feeder schools" for the Ivy League and other highly selective universities. Collectively, the schools award over $125 million in financial aid annually to support a diverse student body.
Overview
Member institutions cooperate in their outreach to prospective students, sharing resources at domestic and international admission fairs.Although several TSAO schools no longer publish their endowment figures, in 2016 the TSAO contained ten of the twenty wealthiest traditional college-preparatory boarding schools in the United States, as measured by total size of endowment. Seven TSAO members are also members of the Eight Schools Association, another group of large college-preparatory boarding schools.
At times, TSAO schools adopt common policies with respect to applicants and admitted students, such as a uniform deadline to accept or reject offers of admission. The TSAO does not have a uniform policy with respect to standardized testing, and two of its member schools remain test-optional as of the 2024–25 application cycle.
With one exception, every TSAO member educates both boarding and day students, and offers a postgraduate year. St. Paul's School educates only boarders, and admits neither post-graduates nor incoming seniors.