Our application process at Rugby School Nigeria is usually a three-step process. First families or guardians must fill out the application form online for their child/children. Once the form has been completed, the admissions team will arrange a date for the applicant where they will take two exams (they are taken together) and then have an interview with either our Head of School or one of the Vice-Principals. The full admissions process can be run in-person or virtually, depending on the location of the applicant.
Sixth Form Entry
Students looking to apply for our Sixth Form programme must still go through the full admissions process listed below, including CATS4, PASS and the student interview.
Students from the US or Canada must provide a detailed transcript that includes an overview of courses taken for their last 2 years. We will also need term reports (each term’s report) from their last academic year.
For students looking to transfer midstream and join in Year 13, please look at the Uncommon Year Group Entry section of the Acceptance Conditions page.
Upcoming Assessment Dates
In-Person Assessment: July 4th, 2026
CAT 4 Examination
First prospective students must take our assessment. We run our entrance assessment using the CAT 4 examination. The CAT4 (Cognitive Abilities Test, 4th edition) is a standardised assessment designed to measure a student’s reasoning abilities to predict academic potential and support personalised learning. We test for how students think and learn, rather than testing knowledge on specific subjects.
It covers four areas:
- Verbal Reasoning: thinking with words, understanding and using concepts expressed in language, important for essay-based subjects and communication skills.
- Non-Verbal Reasoning: Recognising patterns, shapes, and relationships among objects, useful for problem-solving and subjects requiring visual analysis
- Quantitative Reasoning: Working with numbers and mathematical relationships, indicating potential in mathematics and
- Spatial Ability: Mentally generating and transforming visual images, important for understanding diagrams, maps, and spatial relationships
This exam format enables us to provide our teachers with a profile of students’ learning preferences and potential. Which therefore allows them to immediately differentiate students learning from the first day of school. We can tailor teaching strategies and pace of learning to induvial needs, identify areas for additional support and even aid in subject selection for older children. It gives us a foundation for understanding your child’s academic ability, and we can monitor their future academic progress using this data as a benchmark.
PASS Exam
The PASS exam is a psychometric survey called Pupil Attitudes to Self and School, designed to assess students’ attitudes, motivation, and wellbeing rather than academic knowledge.
It covers three main areas: contextual, self-regard and motivational and requires no preparation. The PASS exam provides insights into students’ attitudes and wellbeing, helping us understand why some students may be reluctant, disengaged, or disruptive learners. It identifies students who may be at risk of social exclusion, bullying, poor attendance, or low motivation, even if they appear academically successful. Our “whole person, whole point” ethos is in place even from our assessment approach – understanding what other emotional and social factors the students are facing, and how those experiences impact their learning experience is key. This evaluation ensures that we know key social and emotional areas where students may need additional support and influences approaches to discipline, to personal development classes and other forms of student engagement.
Student Interview
This interview comes after we have confirmed that an applicant has met our requirements in the CATS 4 exam. Applicants will have a conversation with either the Head of School or with one of the Vice-Principals. This is to see if we are a good cultural fit for the applicants. It is important to note that an applicant can pass the CATS4 examination and fail the interview. We actively look for students that model our learner profile and are very character driven when evaluating if applicants will thrive at Rugby School Nigeria; which is why the interview is a major determinant of acceptance.
Once this process is completed, families will receive an offer from the school – either full or conditional acceptance (for more information on conditional acceptances please visit our Acceptance Conditions page). Upon submission of the acceptance form references will be requested form the applicants previous schools.
If you have any additional questions about the admissions process, feel free to reach out to us at:
- moc.aireginloohcsybgur@snoissimdA
- +2349130333000 (also available on WhatsApp)
Additional Learning Needs
For students with any additional learning needs, we require an evaluation from educational or clinical psychologist to be presented to the school. This is done in order to determine the access arrangements required to meet the needs of the child/children. The applicant must still go through the full admissions process, including CATS4, PASS and the student interview.
