Selborne College: Fees, Admissions, Results And Courses

A suburb of East London was named after it. Its rowing club is the oldest in South African schools. It has produced a Formula One world champion, a cricket wicket-keeping legend, one of Africa’s wealthiest investors, and over 56 Springboks. Selborne College has been shaping young men in the Eastern Cape for more than 150 years — and if you’re researching it for your son right now, this is everything you need: the history, the 2026–2027 application process, the fee structure, the boarding details, the subjects, and what sets a Selbornian apart.

School Overview: East London’s Oldest Boys’ Institution

Selborne College is an English-medium, all-boys secondary school situated on Dawson Road in the suburb of Selborne, East London — a suburb that was itself named after the school. It serves approximately 730 learners from Grade 8 to Grade 12 and operates with a boarding hostel that accommodates up to 75 boys. The school functions as a Quintile 5 public school under the Eastern Cape Department of Education and charges school fees, making it one of East London’s semi-private public institutions — well-resourced, tradition-rich, and academically serious.

The school’s sister institution is Clarendon High School for Girls — both schools trace their roots to the Panmure Public School founded on 8 October 1872 by Pastor Heinrich Muller, a German settler. The girls’ and boys’ sections eventually separated and developed into what are now two of East London’s most respected single-sex schools. Current headmaster Andrew Dewar, appointed in 2015, holds the distinction of being the first Old Selbornian to lead the school — he matriculated from Selborne College in 1988.

The school received its current name in 1907 when headmaster George Rattray renamed it Selborne College in honour of the Second Earl of Selborne, High Commissioner for South Africa from 1905 to 1910 and the author of the Selborne Memorandum — the political document that became the foundational blueprint for the Union of South Africa. The Selborne family’s coat of arms and motto were adopted as the school’s own: Palma Virtuti — Reward is to the Brave. The present campus was established in 1922 when the foundation stone was laid by Sir Frederic de Waal, Administrator of the Cape, on the school’s current site — two years before the Ceremony of the Key would be born from the same plot of ground.

The Ceremony of the Key: Understanding Selborne’s Traditions

No article on Selborne College can do justice to the school without addressing its traditions — because they are not decorative but structural. The most defining of these is the Ceremony of the Key, which dates to 8 November 1924 when Sir Frederic de Waal unveiled the War Memorial — a statue of a young soldier — that stands in front of the school. At the end of the dedication, he turned to Charles Prior, Head Boy, handed him a large silver key, and charged him with guardianship of the monument and the memory of those who had made the supreme sacrifice. Later that month, Prior formally passed custody to the incoming 1925 Custodian, and a tradition was born.

Every year since, the elected Custodian of the Key — chosen by popular vote of his matric classmates — hands custody to a Grade 11 boy at Founders’ Day. The ceremony was given its current military form by Colonel Tim Harvey in September 1939 and has been performed without alteration ever since. It is more than ceremony: it is the school’s annual public renewal of its commitment to the values of courage, sacrifice, and responsibility. Old Selbornians return in numbers for Founders’ Day, and the ceremony anchors a school community that stretches back across 150 years.

Selborne College Fees for 2025–2026

Selborne College’s school fees are set annually by the School Governing Body and must be approved at a formal meeting of parents. The school’s application form for 2026 admission — published in January 2025 — explicitly notes that the 2025 fee structure applied at the time of publication, and that fees for 2026 would only be confirmed in November 2025 following the SGB Budget Meeting. This means the figures below represent the most recent publicly confirmed rates available; parents should contact the school directly to confirm the 2026 and 2027 fee schedules before making any financial commitment.

Sources: Selborne College Application Form 2026 (published January 2025); StanGlobal.net fee verification. 2026 fees set post-SGB November 2025 meeting — contact the school for the current confirmed structure.

Application Form & Admissions: How to Apply for 2026–2027

The Selborne College website confirms that applications for 2027 are open as of the time of publication. The school publishes its application form as a downloadable PDF at selborne.co.za/admissions — though the school’s server can be intermittently unavailable, in which case contacting the school directly at pro@g.selborne.co.za or calling 043 722 1822 is the reliable fallback.

Notably, the 2026 application cycle required submission by 9 April 2025 with the note that no late applications would be considered. For the 2027 intake, a similar early deadline is likely. Interviews are typically conducted during April, May, and June for the following year’s entry. The application fee of R100 is payable on submission and is refundable only if the applicant is not accepted and formally requests the refund — not automatically.

Step-by-Step: The Application Process

Required Documents for Application

Academic Programme & Subjects Offered

Selborne College delivers the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) via the CAPS framework across Grades 8 to 12. The school’s academic philosophy is explicitly framed around providing a broad base that prepares boys for university, professional careers, or technical vocational education — not a narrow pipeline toward any single path. The Arts Block, which houses the Accounting, Afrikaans, Arts and Culture, and History departments, also hosts the school’s Major Lecture Theatre (The Whippet), the Ken McIntyre Museum, the Public Relations office, and the Neil Emslie Centre.

The Science department is notably well-equipped: the Biology laboratory has an internet-connected PC and data projector, and the Sciences block includes computer hardware running measurement software that connects to ultrasound units, electrical sensors, and chemical sensors — enabling learners to experiment with speed, motion, acceleration, and chemical analysis in ways that go well beyond standard CAPS requirements. The Mathematics department was prioritised in earlier upgrade cycles, with Biology next in line. A fully equipped Fitness Centre monitors the health and fitness of all boys from Grade 8 through Grade 12 annually across all sporting codes.

Confirm subject availability with the school at time of application. Offerings may vary by year and learner demand.

Boarding: Norton House

Selborne’s boarding hostel is Norton House, named after one of the school’s most celebrated alumni: Gerard ‘Toys’ Norton, Victoria Cross recipient. The hostel accommodates approximately 75 boys — a relatively small boarding community relative to the school’s overall enrolment of 730, which means places are sought after and should be applied for as part of the initial application rather than treated as an afterthought.

The boarding hostel has historically been one of the quieter but more defining elements of the Selborne experience. Old Selbornians who boarded consistently describe the relationships forged in the hostel as among the most enduring of their lives. The hostel fee structure is set separately from tuition at the SGB Budget Meeting and escalates in line with operational costs. A full term’s written notice is required if a boarder wishes to switch to day scholar status — a condition that should be factored into any decision-making before registering as a boarder.

Sport, Culture & Facilities

Selborne’s sporting reputation is formidable. The school fields teams in athletics, cricket, cross country, hockey, rowing, rugby, squash, swimming, tennis, water polo, canoeing, soccer, triathlon, golf, and surf lifesaving. Rugby and cricket sit at the top of the school’s sporting identity — Selborne competes in the major Border school rugby festivals and the school’s 1st XI cricket team opened the 2025 Cricket South Africa (CSA) Schools SA20 campaign with a dominant 128-run victory over Stirling High. One particularly notable performance: a learner scored a century (100 not out off 61 balls) in that T20 fixture.

The school’s rowing club is the oldest school rowing club in South Africa — a fact that places Selborne in a rarefied category of institutions with genuinely history-making sporting heritage. The school also competes in the ATKV Tienertoneel drama competition, with significant recent success: the 2025 learner-only production JESAJA, directed by Ronald Theron, was selected as one of the Top 8 productions in South Africa and competed at the national final at the Pam Golding Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch, Cape Town.

Notable Alumni: 56 Springboks and a Formula One World Champion

The depth of Selborne’s alumni list is one of the most compelling arguments for the school’s quality. Over its 153-year history, the school has produced more than 56 Springboks across multiple sporting codes. The most celebrated names span generations and disciplines.

Contact Details & How to Reach the School

Selborne is one of East London’s established inner suburbs, situated approximately 2 kilometres west of the East London CBD. Dawson Road runs through the heart of the Selborne neighbourhood — the suburb that literally took its name from the school in the early twentieth century. Public transport links Selborne to the city centre, and the school is readily accessible from the N2 highway. The school’s opposite number, Clarendon High School for Girls, is on Union Avenue in the same broader neighbourhood — within 10 minutes’ walking distance.

Daily Devotional

Rhapsody of Realities

By Rev. Chris Oyakhilome — the world's #1 daily devotional

Join the Prayer Network

Join →

Influencer Network

Join →

Prayer of Salvation

Pray →

Read Today's Rhapsody

Read Now →