No guarantees, no refunds: The cost to get on top private school waiting lists

It now costs at least $200 just to get on the waiting list for more than a third of Victoria’s most expensive private schools, as desperate parents clamour for limited spots at the exclusive institutions.

Five schools increased the cost of their waiting list application in 2024, though one of Victoria’s most sought-after boys’ schools dropped its fee by hundreds of dollars.

The most expensive waiting list fee for an independent or Catholic school in Victoria is $500 at The Geelong College. The fees are often non-refundable and do not count towards enrolment costs once successful.

Those that increased waiting list fees include Carey Baptist Grammar Kew – doubled to $200 – and Caulfield Grammar, which raised its fee by $100 to $250. Haileybury College upped its fee by $15 to $275.

But Catholic boys’ school St Kevin’s in Toorak bucked the trend, dropping its application fee from $500 to $200.

A spokesman for the school said it had “strong waiting lists for many years to come”.

“St Kevin’s has reduced its waiting list fee to $200 to bring it in alignment with other APS [Associated Public Schools of Victoria] schools,” he said.

The association includes Haileybury, Xavier College and Brighton Grammar School.

However, when asked by The Age, St Kevin’s did not confirm the number of prospective students on the list.

“Positions are offered following interviews with the students and their parents, and priority for enrolment is given to Catholic families and sons of Old Collegians,” the spokesman said.

The date a student is put on the list is prioritised, which is why the school had a strong waiting list, he said.

Haileybury said its waiting list varied across campuses and year levels.

“Priority is given to siblings of existing students, children of Old Haileyburians and staff members,” a spokeswoman said.

Analysis of 55 schools by The Age shows 20 now charge at least $200 to get on the waitlist. The schools assessed are among the most expensive in the state, with Geelong Grammar – which has a waiting list fee of $350 – charging $52,000 a year for year 12 students.

The Geelong College principal Dr Peter Miller said the school had significantly more interest than places available, and the fee was a way to ensure people were committed “and not making their application among many other schools”.

“The application fee is not the only way to regulate the length of a list, and we have tried to keep it manageable for most people considering private education for their children,” he said.

Miller said that once parents had registered their interest and paid the $500, interviews and offers for places usually happened close to when the child was expected to start.

But he said interviews for year 7 started two years earlier, as did placement offers. “A decade ago, the process was closer to the entry point – later in year 6 for a year 7 entry,” Miller said.

The extended lead time for year 7 was due to high demand and the need to settle schooling decisions sooner rather than later, he said.

That is something Melbourne mother of four Danni Duncan wishes she knew earlier.

The nutrition coach and her husband, Chris, planned to send their eldest daughter, Harper, to a nearby public school, but were shocked to find they were just out of the catchment zone.

Government schools have to accept school-aged children in their zone, while selective-entry schools accept students who perform well on an entrance exam.

Duncan, who grew up in the ACT, wasn’t aware of the zones, and after visiting the schools her daughter could attend, didn’t think she would thrive there.

Instead, they decided to send her to a private school – and that’s when they learnt about the waiting lists.

“I really started panicking because people were telling me to get into a private school you needed to put a name down as soon as they were born,” she said.

At one point, the couple set up a whiteboard so they could work through their options.

One plan was to rent out the family home and move closer to the inner-west public primary school they initially liked.

After a frantic search, they were able to arrange a tour at a private school for Harper, then four. There, Duncan spoke directly to the principal and “talked up” Harper, before the school agreed to interview her to see if she was suitable.

Even though it went well and the school was eager to add Harper to the waiting list, the school pointed out there was still no guarantee of a place.

The next shock was learning they had to pay a fee to get on that list.

“I understand why, but at the time I was like, ‘Oh my god, really,’” Duncan said.

Until a spot opened up, they were still studying the whiteboard.

“It all worked out in the end, but it was a very stressful process,” Duncan said.

“I’ve just had another baby … and the last thing you’re thinking of is enrolling your kid into school.”

Regent Consulting’s Paul O’Shannassy said the Duncan family was lucky – it was often easier to place students in primary school than secondary.

“It’s also always easier for girls than for boys,” said O’Shannassy, who helps parents find the right private school for their children.

He said competition for entry to boys’ schools was always harder, with only seven boys-only schools in the state. There are also only five selective government schools in Victoria, while NSW has nearly 40.

Despite the gripes about waiting lists, O’Shannassy said he was “yet to see a better way to do it”.

Independent Schools Victoria chief executive Rachel Holthouse said waitlist fees helped cover the cost of administering, processing and assessing applications.

“There are also costs in keeping applications up to date. The same applies if the school has a waiting list,” she said.

Holthouse said there was also no “average” waiting list length as they fluctuated year to year. It also depended on the school, population shifts and demand for places.

The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.