United Kingdom · Abingdon, Oxfordshire · Founded 1847
Radley College
Full boarding for boys, rowing on the Thames, real tennis, beagling and a warmth that surprises visitors who expect a fortress.
The character
Radley is one of the last fully boarding boys' schools and is proud of it: the socials, as the houses are called, are homes, the tutor system is close, and the boys are polite, sporty and unusually cheerful. Academic results are strong; music and drama are excellent; the setting is a private park.
Good for
Boys who love sport and the outdoors, full boarding, families near Oxford
Less suited to
Day pupils, families who want co-education
Getting in
Register at birth or by Year 5 for the main list, pre-test in Year 6, Common Entrance at 13. Very few sixth-form places.
What it costs in total
At about £ 56,000 a year for boarding, the 5 years from 13 to 18 add up to roughly €370,000 in today’s money including typical extras, before fee increases, tutoring and flights. The Education Cost Calculator adds inflation, extras and a second child.
Fees are rounded 2025/26 figures from the school’s own schedule and change every year. The school’s current fee sheet prevails. The picture is an impression of the setting, not a photograph of the campus.
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