The Laboratory Schools are organized as follows:
Nursery School and Kindergarten: N3, N4, and K (ages 3–6)
Primary School: Grades 1–2 (approx. ages 6–8)
Lower School: Grades 3–5 (approx. ages 8–11)
Middle School: Grades 6–8 (approx. ages 12–14)
High School: Grades 9–12 (approx. ages 14–18)

All applicants should begin the application process in fall of the year prior to enrollment. Thus, Nursery 3 applicants are two years old when they apply and are three years old when they enter Lab.

Nursery 3 applicants must be three years old before September 1 of the year of entry (two years old before Sept. 1 of the year of application)

Nursery 4 applicants must be four years old before September 1 of the year of entry (three years old before Sept. 1 of the year of application)

Kindergarten applicants must be five years old before September 1 of the year of entry (four years old before Sept. 1 of the year of application)

Grade 1 applicants who are not already enrolled in Kindergarten must be six years old before September 1 of the year of entry (five years old before Sept. 1 of the year of application)

Applicants to other grades should apply to the grade immediately following the grade in which the applicant is currently enrolled.

Applicants from non-US schools who have significantly different age or grade-level cutoffs are asked to email the admissions office at admissions@ucls.uchicago.edu.

Lab's application process begins in the fall of the year prior to enrollment. For example, entering ninth-grade students begin the application process in September of their eighth-grade year. Similarly, Nursery 3 (three-year-old children) applicants are two years old when they apply, and are three years old when they enroll at Lab.

The application deadline for entry in fall 2022 is November 14, 2021.

Nursery 3, Grade 6, and Grade 9 are typically the best points of entry into Lab. Other grades typically have openings only through student attrition. Special circumstances determine the consideration of applications to Grade 12.

Yes! Every class contains a diverse group of families, including many who are not affiliated with the University of Chicago. Lab welcomes all applicants, both affiliated and non-affiliated, into its community.

All applicants to the Laboratory Schools go through a holistic application process that seeks to understand both the applicant and their family.

All families are also required to pay an $85 application fee and submit a descriptive summary of their child, teacher recommendation forms, and two years of progress reports. Details for each grade level of application are made available at the start of the application process.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact the Admissions Office at 773-702-9451.

We believe that each child is an individual, and can shine in ways not captured by test scores or paper applications. Therefore, we strive to have individual interactions with all of our applicants.

Our youngest applicants (Nursery 3, Nursery 4, and Kindergarten) will be invited to attend a virtual assessment. 

Applicants to Grades 1–4 will be invited to participate in an age-appropriate virtual assessment.

Applicants to Grades 5 and above will be assessed using either the Independent Schools Entrance Exam or the Secondary School Admissions Test. In addition, Middle School (Grades 6–8) and High School (Grades 9–12) applicants will meet virtually with a member of the Admissions Committee.

Applicants to Lab for the 2021–2022 academic year will be notified on March 4, 2022.

Each year, a number of highly qualified students apply to grades where Lab has limited space. Students who have completed the application process and are academically and socially prepared to join the Laboratory Schools may be asked to join Lab's wait pool until space becomes available through student attrition.

Students in the wait pool are not ranked, and the Admissions Office cannot provide families with an applicant’s number or position within the pool. Wait pools are only open/active for the current admissions season. Students who wish to be considered for admission the following year must reapply.

The Laboratory Schools are a division of the University of Chicago and, like the University of Chicago Hospitals, the Law School, or the Chicago Booth School of Business, we are an integral part of the University community. Nearly half of our families are employed by the University and many more have connections to it, past and present.

Lab's mailing address is 1362 E. 59th Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

Please note: the Laboratory Schools are currently closed to visitors.

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools
Admissions Office
1362 E 59th St Chicago, IL 60637
Telephone: 773-702-9451
Email: eshadmissions@ucls.uchicago.edu (for Grades N3–2)
Email: admissions@ucls.uchicago.edu (for Grades 3–12 and other general questions)
Email: financialaid@ucls.uchicago.edu (for financial aid questions)
Website: www.ucls.uchicago.edu/admissions