Apply - University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Thank you for your interest in Lab!

The deadline to apply to Lab was November 13, and has now passed. We are no longer taking applications for the 2023–2024 academic year. Current and recruited University of Chicago faculty who have missed the application deadline are asked to email Irene Reed, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid.

While we cannot currently take additional applications, we strongly encourage you to fill out the inquiry form linked below. An inquiry is not an application. Rather, the form keeps Lab aware of your interest in a particular grade. If space becomes available, however, we may contact you and invite you to apply at a later date. Every year, we invite families from our inquiry pool to apply to Lab. Please fill out the form below, and we would be happy to be in touch.

Thank you so much,

The Admissions Team

Inquiry Pool

Admissions process overview

en español

Si usted le gustaria hablar con alguien en español en relación con el proceso de solicitud, por favor envia
un email a Arcelia Guerrero Wolfe: aguerr2@ucls.uchicago.edu. ¡Gracias!

Applying to Lab

Application process by grade

Nursery 3

Approximately 138 seats are expected to be available.

Online application and parent questionnaire
$85 application fee
Birth certificate or passport copy
Online teacher recommendation form if student is enrolled in a preschool or daycare program
Attend school tour and overview
Schedule virtual parent meeting
In-person student assessment/playgroup (to be scheduled)
Optional: financial aid application

Nursery 4 and Kindergarten

Approximately 5–10 seats in each grade are expected to be available for Nursery 4 and Kindergarten. Waitlisted applicants will be notified as seats become available, with the waitlist remaining open until the start of school.

Online application and parent questionnaire
$85 application fee
Birth certificate or passport copy
Online teacher recommendation form required only if the student is enrolled in a preschool or daycare program
Current grades/progress reports, if applicable
Attend school tour and overview
In-person student assessment/playgroup (to be scheduled)
Attend virtual parent meeting (late March through May)
Optional: financial aid application

Grades 1–2

Approximately 5–10 seats are expected to be available at grades 1 and 2. Waitlisted applicants will be notified as seats become available, with the waitlist remaining open until the start of school.

Online application and parent questionnaire
$85 application fee
Birth certificate or passport copy
Online teacher recommendation form
Online principal recommendation form
Last year grades/progress reports
Current grades/progress reports
Attend school tour and overview
In-person student assessment (to be scheduled)
Attend virtual parent meeting (late March through May)
Optional: financial aid application

Grades 3–5

Approximately 3–7 seats are expected to be available at each of these grades. Waitlisted applicants will be notified as seats become available, with the waitlist remaining open until the start of school.

Online application
$85 application fee
Birth certificate or passport copy
Principal recommendation form
Teacher recommendation form
Last-year grades/progress reports
Current grades/progress reports
Most recent standardized test scores
In-person student visit day and academic assessment (to be scheduled)
Video response to be completed by student
Attend school tour and overview
Attend virtual parent meeting (late March through May)
Optional: Financial aid application

Grades 6–8

Approximately 10–15 seats are expected to be available in grade 6, with some students being seated in March. Approximately 3–5 seats are expected to be available in grade 7, and approximately 3–5 seats are expected to be available in grade 8. Waitlisted applicants will be notified as seats become available, with the waitlist remaining open until the start of school.

Online application
$85 application fee
Birth certificate or passport copy
Last-year grades/progress report
Current grades
Most recent standardized test scores
Principal recommendation form
Math teacher recommendation form
English teacher recommendation form
Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)
Lab’s ISEE code is 141335, Lab’s SSAT code is 7853
In-person student visit day (includes student interview)
Attend school tour and overview
Grade 6 only: schedule virtual parent meeting (September through December)
Grades 7–8: schedule virtual parent meeting (late March through May)
Optional: financial aid application

Grade 9

Approximately 15–25 seats are expected to be available in grade 9, with some students being seated in March. Waitlisted applicants will be notified as seats become available, with the waitlist remaining open until the start of school.

Online application
$85 application fee
Birth certificate or passport copy
Last-year grades
Most recent standardized test scores
Principal recommendation form
Math teacher recommendation form
English teacher recommendation form
Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)
Lab’s ISEE code is 141335, Lab’s SSAT code is 7853
Current grades
Parent interview
Student interview
Schedule virtual parent meeting (September through December)
Optional: financial aid application

Grades 10 & 11

Approximately 3–5 seats are expected to be available in grades 10 and 11. Families interested in grade 12 should contact the admissions office before submitting an application. Waitlisted applicants will be notified as seats become available, with the waitlist remaining open until the start of school.

Online application
$85 application fee
Birth certificate or passport copy
Last-year grades
Most recent standardized test scores
Principal recommendation form
Math teacher recommendation form
English teacher recommendation form
Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) or Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT)
Lab’s ISEE code is 141335, Lab’s SSAT code is 7853
Current grades
Parent meeting
Student interview
Schedule virtual parent meeting (late March through May)
Optional: financial aid application

Priority enrollment

A note about priority enrollment consideration

As a division of the University of Chicago, our admissions process gives priority consideration to the children of the University of Chicago faculty, the children of employees of the Laboratory Schools, the siblings of current Lab students, and the children of Lab alumni. However, every class includes many families who are not University affiliated. We welcome all applicants, and we continuously strive to include as many families as possible in our growing community. Regardless of priority or affiliation, completion of the application process does not guarantee admission. All applicants are expected to pursue a number of educational alternatives.

Financial Aid

For full consideration, a separate financial aid application must be completed between November 1, 2021 and January 31, 2022.
More information is online here .
Ability to pay is not a consideration during Lab’s admissions process. While financial aid is designed to help shrink the gap between what a family can afford and the cost of a Lab education, all families are expected to contribute some portion towards tuition and fees.

Nursery age requirements

Applicants to Nursery 3 must be two years old on or before Sept. 1, 2022
Applicants to Nursery 4 must be three years old on or before Sept. 1, 2022

IMPORTANT If your child has a summer birthday (born between June 1 - August 31) we ask that you apply to your child’s age appropriate program, as follows:

Children born between September 1, 2019–August 31, 2020 should apply to Nursery 3.

Children born between September 1, 2018–August 31, 2019 should apply to Nursery 4.

Click below for more clarification on age requirements for N3–N4 applications.
Applicants to Kindergarten must be four years old on or before Sept. 1, 2022
Applicants to Grade 1 who are not currently enrolled in Kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2022
Applicants to other grades should apply to the grade immediately following the grade in which the applicant is currently enrolled.