Div, a non-examined seminar programme in history, literature, and philosophy, is timetabled for every year group.
RU Leading British boarding school for boys — original thinking since 1382
Why this school
Div, a non-examined seminar programme in history, literature, and philosophy, is timetabled for every year group.
79.6% of A-Level grades were A* or A in 2023; 17% of leavers proceeded to Oxford or Cambridge.
Winchester Fives and Winchester Football are sports played in courts and grounds unique to the college.
Winchester College has operated continuously since 1382, making it one of the oldest schools in England. Bishop William of Wykeham founded it to educate scholars, and that purpose has held for over six centuries. Today, around 740 pupils aged 13–18 are educated on a historic campus in Hampshire. Full boarding sits at the core of school life. Since 2022, the sixth form has admitted day pupils on a co-educational basis. Winchester College sits within the HMC (Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference) and is inspected by the ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate). Boarding fees stand at £60,000 (2025/26) per year; day fees are £45,954 (2026/27) per year.
Winchester follows the GCSE and A-Level pathways. In 2023, 88.4% of GCSE results were graded 7 or above, with 50.5% at grade 9. At A-Level, 79.6% of grades were A* or A. Approximately 17% of leavers take up places at Oxford or Cambridge, and a number proceed to universities in the United States, including Harvard, Columbia, and MIT.
Every year group also takes part in Div — a non-examined, in-house programme covering history, literature, and philosophy. Div is unique to Winchester. It runs throughout a pupil’s time at the school, developing the habit of structured argument and close reading. It is not a bolt-on enrichment course; it sits on the timetable alongside examined subjects.
The sixth form offers A-Levels across a broad range of subjects. Day places have been open to both male and female pupils since 2022, a structural change that broadens the academic and social character of the upper school.
Winchester is a full-boarding school organised into 11 houses. The 70 King’s Scholars, elected by competitive examination, live in College. The remaining pupils are housed across ten Commoner houses. Each house is led by a housemaster supported by a team of tutors, with pastoral oversight running around the clock. Meals, prep, and weekend activities are largely organised at house level. The school’s financial support programme distributes approximately £3.5 million in bursaries each year, with around 20% of pupils receiving some level of assistance.
Winchester runs more than 30 sports. Alongside rugby and rowing, the school maintains two games specific to its site: Winchester Football (known informally as Winkies), played on the school’s own grass courts, and Winchester Fives, a variant of the handball game played in courts unique to the college. The Boat Club trains on the River Itchen and has a competitive record at Henley Royal Regatta.
Music runs across choirs and ensembles, and drama productions take place throughout the year. The CCF (Combined Cadet Force) operates on site. The college holds 94 listed buildings, and its collections include a museum open to the wider community alongside grounds that host public events.
The campus covers approximately 250 acres, including around 100 acres of ancient water meadows and riverside ground along the Itchen. The 94 listed buildings range from medieval stonework to later additions, and the site includes playing fields, a boathouse, and dedicated arts and music facilities. Taken together, the built environment is a working record of English institutional architecture across six centuries.
Winchester is in Hampshire, approximately one hour by road from both London Heathrow and London Gatwick — the two primary international entry points for families travelling from the Middle East, Europe, and beyond. Winchester railway station connects directly to London Waterloo in just under an hour.
Annual tuition
£62,100 per year · full boarding · Senior · Years 9-13
Other tier breakdowns shown below.
| Stage | Year groups | Type | Audience | Fee / year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | Years 9-13 | Full boarding | — | £62,100 |
| Senior | Years 9-13 | Day | — | £45,954 |
London Heathrow & Gatwick — approx. 1 hour by road from Winchester, Hampshire.
You may also like
Full boarding fees for 2025/26 are £60,000 per year. Day fees for 2026/27 are £45,954 per year, charged at £15,318 per term across three terms. VAT status is not stated by the school.
The principal entry point is at age 13 (Year 9). Pupils sit the Winchester College Entrance Examination, which is separate from the standard Common Entrance. A small number of King’s Scholars are elected annually by competitive academic examination and live in College.
Yes. The college distributes approximately £3.5 million in bursaries each year. Around 20% of pupils receive some level of financial support, ranging from partial to full fee remission based on assessed household income.
Div is a non-examined subject taught to all year groups at Winchester. It covers history, literature, and philosophy through seminar-style discussion, and sits on the standard timetable rather than operating as an optional enrichment programme. No equivalent course exists at other UK schools.
The sixth form began admitting female day pupils in 2022. Boarding for boys aged 13–18 remains the core structure of the school; co-education applies specifically to sixth form day places.
In 2023, approximately 17% of leavers received offers from Oxford or Cambridge. A number of pupils each year go on to universities in the United States, including Harvard, Columbia, and MIT.
The school is divided into 11 houses — one for the 70 King’s Scholars and ten Commoner houses. Each house is led by a housemaster with a supporting tutor team. Pastoral oversight operates around the clock, and much of daily life, including meals and weekend activities, is organised at house level.
Winchester is approximately one hour by road from both London Heathrow and London Gatwick. Winchester railway station offers a direct service to London Waterloo in just under one hour, making transfers straightforward for international families.
Submit your request and our manager will contact you shortly
20 Wenlock Road, London, England, N1 7GU
+44 7520 603085
info@edvision-group.com
