Deerfield Admissions Overview
Deerfield admissions, step by step.
Start with the grade your student is applying to, because that decides which test counts. Then see what else goes into the file.
Checked against Deerfield's published admissions pages on November 4, 2026.
The application
What the application includes.
- Who can apply
- Grades 9 through 12 plus a postgraduate year. Deerfield takes applications from students currently in 8th through 12th grade.
- Entry term
- Deerfield enrolls students for September only. It does not admit students in the middle of the academic year.
- Where you apply
- Applications go through Gateway to Prep Schools, which opened July 1. After the Gateway items are complete, families move to Deerfield's own Admission Portal checklist, which has additional items to complete.
- Application fee
- The application fee is $60 for students living in the United States or Canada and $125 for students living outside the United States.
- Fee waivers
- Application fee waivers are based on financial need, and the Candidate Profile has to be completed first. Deerfield does not offer fee waivers after January 31.
- Recommendations
- Deerfield requires recommendations from a current math teacher, a current English teacher and a third current academic teacher. A recommendation from a school counselor, placement director or principal is also required. Applicants may add one optional letter from a past or present teacher.
- Grades
- The school counselor, school placement director or head of school/principal submits grades. Ninth-grade applicants send the current first marking period and last year's grades. Applicants to grades 10 through postgraduate send the first marking period of the current year and all previous high school grades.
- Extra materials
- Most applicants do not need supplemental materials. Deerfield says extra materials do not necessarily strengthen an application and that duplicate or excessive submissions may not be reviewed.
- How Deerfield reads it
- Deerfield describes its process as holistic. Test scores are one of several ways the admission team gets to know a candidate.
- 01
Decide the grade your student is applying to first. Test rules, grade submissions and recommendation steps all depend on it.
- 02
Ask the admission office in writing before you apply if a requirement is a barrier for your family.
Testing
Which test applies.
Deerfield requires a standardized test, and the test depends on the grade your student is applying to.
- Requirement
- Standardized testing is a required part of the application. Deerfield suggests testing in October, November or December. January tests are accepted, but the application is considered only after the scores arrive.
- Grades 9 and 10
- Applicants to grade 9 or 10 submit the SSAT or the ISEE, taken between January 2026 and January 2027.
- Grade 11
- Applicants to grade 11 submit the ACT, PLAN, PSAT, SAT or SSAT, taken between September 2026 and January 2027.
- Grade 12 and postgraduate
- Applicants to grade 12 or a postgraduate year submit the ACT, PSAT or SAT, taken between September 2025 and January 2027.
- English-language proof
- Applicants whose primary language of instruction has not been English for at least three years, or who do not speak English as the main language at home, also submit an IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or Duolingo English Test taken between January 2026 and January 2027. Deerfield prefers a TOEFL score of 5.0 or higher.
- Score codes
- To send scores directly to Deerfield, use school code 2770 for the SSAT, 220685 for the ISEE and 9577 for the TOEFL. PSAT, SAT and ACT scores that are not on the transcript can be emailed to the admission office.
- 01
Book a test in October, November or December so scores arrive well before January 15.
- 02
Check each test date window against the dates above before you register.
- 03
Use the practice tests below to find out where your student starts before choosing a date.