Application Steps

Step 1. Request Information

As a first step, you must complete our Request for Information form.  In addition, if you have special interests, you may contact teachers and coaches in the arts, athletics, or in specific academic subjects.

Step 2. Begin Your Application

Begin your application online or download the application forms below.  Review these materials in detail and take note of due dates. The Application to Deerfield has four parts:

Application Part I: Candidate Profile

The Candidate Profile is the first step in applying to Deerfield; it is accepted by many schools and is designed to make the completion of biographical information easier for prospective students and parents. The Candidate Profile should be submitted well in advance of our application deadline of January 13. Please complete the Candidate Profile on the Gateway to Prep Schools website or download the PDF. In either case, your Candidate Profile should be submitted with the appropriate application fee:

• For students living in the United States or Canada, the fee is $60.
• For students living outside the United States or Canada, the fee is $125.
• Fee waivers are available by contacting the Admission Office.

Application Part II: Short Answers and Essays

Our Short Answers and Essays section of the application is unique to Deerfield. Please submit this section on or before our application deadline of January 13, 2012. You can complete this portion of your application at the Gateway to Prep Schools website or you can download a PDF version to complete offline.

Application Part III: School Report & Recommendation Forms

All recommendation forms are to be completed by your current teachers.  Download each of the four recommendation forms below, or complete this part of the application online at the Gateway to Prep Schools website.   Recommendations can take time, so be sure to ask your teachers early: early November is a good time to start.

• School Report including official transcript (Download PDF)
• Current English Teacher Recommendation (Download PDF)
• Current Math Teacher Recommendation (Download PDF)
• Personal Recommendation, to be completed by a current teacher other than English or Math (Download PDF)

Application Part IV: Graded Essay Paper

Please submit with your application a copy of a graded essay paper from one of your current academic classes.

• The copy should be complete with your teacher’s comments.
• Please include this cover sheet and email a scanned copy to admission@deerfield.edu OR send via postal mail to the address below.

Step 3: Standardized Testing

Sign up for standardized testing. When registering for the SSAT, be sure to provide Deerfield’s school code, 2770, so your test results (including your writing sample) are sent directly to us.

• Candidates for grades 9 and 10 should take the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) or the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE). Scores must be sent directly to Deerfield from SSAT/ISEE and must include the required writing sample. The SSAT and ISEE must be completed during the academic year in which an application is submitted.
• Deerfield’s SSAT school code is 2770.
• Deerfield’s ISEE school code is 220685.
• Candidates for grade 11 should take the SSAT, ISEE or PSAT.
• Candidates for grade 12 or the postgraduate year should take the PSAT, SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT.
• If English is not your first language, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) may be taken in place of the aforementioned tests. Deerfield’s TOEFL school code is 9577. The TOEFL must be taken within one year of the application deadline. We suggest that students submitting TOEFL scores also submit scores from the SSAT or SAT Reasoning Test.  (Please note our page for International Applicants.)

Step 4: Interview

Interviews are required for all admission candidates. Those who live within a 350-mile radius of Deerfield must visit for an on-campus interview.  Please email or call the Admission Office at (413) 774-1400  to set up a campus tour and interview. If you can’t visit campus, ask us about a Regional Admission Representative in your area who can interview you. Interviews must be completed by February 1.

Step 5: Complete and Mail Your Materials

Complete and submit ALL FOUR PARTS of your application before January 13.  Remember that you can submit your application online at the Gateway to Prep Schools website, or you can mail in information using the following address:

• Items sent via USPS Postal Mail should be sent to Deerfield Academy Admission Office, PO Box 65, Deerfield MA 01342-0065
• Items sent via FEDEX or UPS should be sent to Deerfield Academy Admission Office, 7 Boyden Lane, Deerfield MA 01342-0065
• Items sent via email should be sent to admission@deerfield.edu

Step 6: Check Your Application Status

After January 13, you can check the status of your application. Please understand that we are eager to assist families and students in answering questions and resolving difficulties that arise during the application process. Contact us at any time and we will do our best to make sure that applying to Deerfield is a positive experience!