Joining our College
Choosing the right school is an important decision for every family, and we’re here to make the process as easy as possible. Our Admissions Officer, Mrs Chrissie Hall-Davis, is available to answer any questions and offer guidance at any stage. She can be reached at 029 2026 1832 or via email at admissions@how.gdst.net. If you’ve missed any of our key dates, Chrissie will be happy to arrange a personal tour for you and your family. Entry requirements for the College and specific subjects can be found at the bottom of this page.
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1 —College Open Evening
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2 —College Taster Morning
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3 —Apply for a place
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4 —Apply for a scholarship
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5 —Interviews
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6 —Offers sent
College Open Evening
Discover life at Howell’s College! Join us for our College Open Evening on Monday 29th September, explore our campus, and chat with teachers and students about your future.
College Open Evening
College Taster Morning
We invite students to join us at Howell’s on Saturday, 11th October, from 9am to 1pm for our College taster lessons. This is a great opportunity to experience what life is like at Howell’s and explore some of the A level subjects they might be interested in.
College Taster Morning
Apply for a place
When you’re ready to proceed, please register and pay the £180 registration fee. At this point, we kindly ask that you also provide the most recent school report and a one-page CV.
Apply for a place
Apply for a scholarship
Apply for a scholarship
Interviews
All students applying for a place will be invited to an interview with our College leadership team, where they will have the opportunity to discuss their academic and personal achievements, as well as their aspirations and goals for the future.
Interviews
Offers sent
Offers of places and scholarship awards will be emailed by Wednesday 17th December, with a deadline for acceptance on Thursday 12th February. We accept applications throughout the year; however, students applying later will not be eligible for scholarships or bursaries.
Offers sent
Entry requirements
Entry to Year 12
All students must meet our entry requirement and achieve a range of at least six grades at GCSE (A*-C or 9-5) including a grade C or 5 and above in English and Mathematics. For the student to be able to access the conceptual level required for the AS level courses, they should achieve a grade B or 6 and above in the subjects that they wish to take at A level, with the exception of certain subjects which have specific grade requirements.
Students who achieve a significant number of A*s at GCSE may be offered an Honorary Academic Scholarship and invited onto our Scholarship Programme. All students can take four A levels and an EPQ, alongside other academic enrichment and extension opportunities such as the Laureate Award, GDST Lead, or EESW (Engineering Education Scheme Wales)
If the student does not meet the minimum entry criteria for the College, they may be able to undertake an agreed alternative pathway, based on their individual circumstances. Your school report from Year 11, indicating a positive attitude to learning and community will be a key element of any offer.
Entry to Year 13
Students who perform highly in all four AS levels in Year 12 will be encouraged to continue with all four to support highly competitive applications to Oxbridge or Ivy League institutions.
Students in Year 12 will need to achieve AS level or internal Summer Assessment results that demonstrate that they have the ability to access the conceptual level or skill level required for the second year of the overall A level.
International students
International students applying to the College from overseas will complete an assessment in the subjects that they intend to study at A level, and an English and Mathematics assessment. They will also have an English Language speaking assessment via either in person or via an online interview.
Subject specific requirements
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Students who wish to study Biology at A level need to achieve at least B grade (or level 6) in both Biology (or Combined Science) and in Mathematics at GCSE.
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Students who wish to study Business Studies at A level must achieve at least a B grade (or level 6) in Mathematics at GCSE.
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Students who wish to study Chemistry at A level must achieve at least an A grade (or level 7) at GCSE in both that subject (or Combined Science) and also Mathematics.
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To study Digital Technology, students must achieve at least a B (or level 6) in English and Mathematics.
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Students who wish to study Economics at A level must achieve at least a B grade (or level 6) in Mathematics at GCSE.
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Students who wish to study Mathematics at A level must achieve an A grade (or level 7) at GCSE. Further Mathematics students must have achieved an A* (or level 9) at GCSE.
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Students who wish to study Physics at A level must achieve at least an A grade (or level 7) at GCSE in both that subject (or Combined Science) and also Mathematics.
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Students who wish to study Psychology at A level must achieve at least a B grade (or level 6) in English and Mathematics.