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Contact us to discuss your child’s enrolment in our Early Learning Centre, for Prep, Year 7 or for VCE. We may also have limited vacancies in other year levels.

To enrol your child, please complete the Online Enrolment Application.

Please also read the Cornish College Terms of Business, which are included in our Enrolment Booklet.

Alternatively, if you are unable to complete your application online, please download and complete the Application for Enrolment form in our Enrolment Booklet. Please read this in conjunction with the Cornish College Terms of Business.

If you have any questions in relation to enrolment or our educational offering, please contact Admissions on (03) 9781 9000 or email admissions@cornishcollege.vic.edu.au


Information for all parents

When an application is lodged, a non-refundable application fee of $100 is payable to the College. Receipt of your application will be acknowledged, and your child’s name added to the enrolment waiting list for entry in the year and level nominated. Please note that submission of this form does not guarantee a place at the College.

An interview with the Principal (or delegate) of the College is arranged approximately 24 to 18 months before entry, which the parents or guardian and student attend, bringing with them current school reports (if appropriate). The purpose of this interview is for the College to learn about your child and his/her needs so that we can ensure an appropriate program is available. If a place is available, we may make an offer of enrolment. Please note that we may decline to make an offer without providing a reason. Although Cornish College is an open entry College, children are tested prior to commencement (usually excludes Early Learning Centre and Prep) to ensure that the best possible program can be provided.

Please note that admission to Cornish College is subject to availability of places, gender balance, satisfactory interview and assessment, the College’s capacity to provide an appropriate program for the child, and acceptance of Cornish College Terms of Business in force at the time. As it may not be possible to accommodate all applicants, the waiting list will be ordered according to date of application but with priority given to the siblings of current students, children of current staff members and children of past students. A small number of places will be kept for award at the Principal’s discretion.


Information for Early Learning Centre parents

For our Early Learning Centre, a child’s age at the time the Application for Enrolment form is lodged may be used when making offers of places.

At Cornish College, we see the time in our Early Learning Centre as the start of a journey through to Year 12. To avoid the Early Learning Centre being used as a short-term education option, a non-refundable pre-payment of $1,500 of the Prep fees will be required prior to entry to Early Learning Centre. This amount will be taken off the first term account when the child enters Prep. This applies only to children who have no other siblings currently attending the College.

Child care payments changed from 2 July 2018 when Child Care Subsidy replaced Child Care Benefit. Since this date, Centrelink no longer pays childcare fee assistance for children attending Registered Care. For further information, please visit www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/child-care-subsidy


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Step 1
We would encourage all families interested in enrolling at Cornish College, to attend one of our school tours.

Step 2
Complete and submit an Application for Enrolment form, which is on the Cornish College website under the Enrolments tab. A copy of your child’s birth certificate, last school report and NAPLAN test results are also required. A non-refundable Application Fee of $100 is payable upon submission of the Application for Enrolment form.

Step 3
Upon receipt of your completed Application for Enrolment form, your child’s name will be added to the waitlist of those seeking entry in the preferred year(s) and the year level(s).

Step 4
Taking into consideration that admission is subject to availability of places, gender balance and waitlist position, parents and prospective students may be invited to attend an enrolment interview with a senior member of our teaching team.

Step 5
Following the enrolment interview, a formal Letter of Offer may be given. Payment of a non-refundable $1,100 Admission Fee (includes Cornish Alumni Life Membership) and signed acceptance of the College’s Terms of Business will be required by the date nominated on the Letter of Offer, to secure your child’s place.

Submitting an Application for Enrolment for your child formally registers your interest in Cornish College, but does not guarantee a place. Several factors impact on whether a place can be offered including (1) the availability of places at the required year level (2) the gender balance in that year level and (3) the fit between the student and the learning environment at Cornish College.

We recommend submitting the Application for Enrolment as early as possible and many parents enrol their children soon after birth. Progression through the enrolment process is in the order in which applications are received.
If no places are available for your preferred entry year and year level, your child’s application can be placed on a waitlist, which means that they will be offered a place if/when a place becomes available. Our waitlists are impacted by the changing situations of current and new families, so they are not static lists. As soon as a place becomes available, we will contact you to discuss a starting date for your child at the College.
If your Application for Enrolment indicates some flexibility regarding the year level at which you would like your child to commence at the College, the enrolment process will be conducted with a view to these multiple options. This approach maximises the chances of being offered a place.
New students are welcome to commence at Cornish College at any year level, depending on the availability of places. However, the largest intake of students occurs in our Early Learning Centre (3 year olds), Prep and Year 7, although there is also a significant intake in Year 4.
Our enrolment and interview process ensures that there is a good fit between a student and their learning environment at the College. Therefore, a range of factors is considered when offering places at the school, including academic results.
We are a school that sets high expectations for all our students. We value academic excellence in partnership with the holistic development of the learner and encourage all students to achieve their personal best.
Our school has a comprehensive student services team, providing programs for extension and enrichment along with programs for additional support.
In the Early Learning Centre we have a maximum of 22 places for three and four year-olds. From Prep to Year 3, there are a maximum of 22 students per class. From Year 4 to Year 6 we have two classes per year level with a maximum number of 26 students in each class. From Year 7 onwards we have three classes per year level with 20-26 students per class. An increase in enrolment numbers for Year 7 in 2020 have necessitated an increase to four classes for that year.
Religious Education is included in the curriculum with a focus on values and spirituality. Through our Religious Education classes, we encourage understanding and acceptance of all religions, cultures and beliefs. Religious Education is a compulsory subject up to and including Year 7.
We accept students of all faiths and also those who have no particular faith.
School fees include the cost of all camps and incursions/excursions offered as part of the curriculum. Additional costs include uniform, books and stationery required for each year level (except Prep – Year 4), an iPad for primary students and a MacBook for students from Year 7 onwards.
Our international programs also incur an additional cost. These include the Make A Difference Experience to Thailand, Cambodia or Laos (part of the Year 9 curriculum), Timor-Leste IMPACCT program (offered to Years 11 & 12 students) and cultural exchanges to Japan and France.
We offer two scholarships for students entering Year 7 – General Excellence Scholarships and the Robert Johnson Scholarship.
Scholarship testing for the General Excellence Scholarship is undertaken by an independent organisation, the Australian Council for Educational Research, and the results submitted to the College.

From time-to-time the College offers bursaries at particular year levels.  To find out more contact Admissions or call 9781 9000.

Cornish College offers a range of sports to students including AFL, soccer, basketball, swimming, athletics and netball. Short-term programs offered through the Physical Education and Sport curriculum have included fencing, sailing and yoga. Programs offered outside school hours include golf, sport climbing, tennis, cheerleading and running.
We are part of the Southern Independent Schools network (secondary) and the Kingston District Sports Association (primary) and participate in regular sporting competitions with other schools. These interschool competitions take place during the week.
We are not a Saturday sport school, as we believe that weekends are important times for families.
Our school adopts a restorative practices approach to student behaviour and wellbeing. This involves the parties involved working through and addressing issues together, guided and supported by a member of our Academic Care team. We consider a triangulated approach to disciplinary action that may involve punitive outcomes, the opportunity to educate and the responsibility to repair harm.
At Cornish College, we understand that academic progress and pastoral care are inextricably linked. Students need to be well supported and cared for, within the context of their academic preferences and abilities.
Academic Care is the term we use to describe our support program and we have nominated Academic Care leaders at each year level. We know that academic potential is achieved through personal and emotional growth

Enrolment process

If you would like to enrol your child, the enrolment process is:

  • Complete the Online Enrolment Application and pay the Application Fee
    (Alternatively, if you are unable to complete this online form, please complete and return the Application for Enrolment form in the Enrolment Booklet, along with the Application Fee)
  • Book in and come for a tour of the school – for a list of upcoming tours, click here
  • Attend an interview with a Head of School
  • Formal offer of a place may be made
  • Place is confirmed on acceptance of the College’s Terms of Business and payment of the non-refundable $1,100 Admission Fee*
  • Standardised testing will be required for all new students joining the College at Year 5, Year 7 and above, with diagnostic testing required at other year levels (excluding Early Learning Centre and Prep) to ensure that the best possible program can be provided
  • An orientation session for new academic year commencements will take place in November, prior to the year of commencement

*$1,500 forward fee deposit is payable for Early Learning Centre students

Enrolment Priority Policy

Some considerations will be taken into account when considering students for admission. These are (listed in the order of consideration):

  • Siblings of current students of Cornish College (please see specific requirements below)+
  • Children of permanent staff members
  • Alumni, or children of alumni, of Cornish College or St Leonard’s College, Cornish Campus, prior to 2012*
  • The date the Application for Enrolment form was received^

A small number of places will be kept for award at the Principal’s discretion.

+ Siblings will be prioritised providing an application is submitted within 26 months of the start of the school year they are due to commence.
* Alumni defined as any past student of St Leonard’s College, Cornish Campus, irrespective of whether that student completed Year 10.
^ There may be occasion where the College may give priority to a specific gender.

Enrolment Policy

The College’s Enrolment Policy contains additional detailed information.