High School Placement

Find the perfect school.

Receive partial scholarships.

Live on campus or with a host family.

Top tier academics

Arts

Sports

Beautiful campuses

Great dorms

New friends

Send Request
Send Request

Cost & Scholarships

Here at Cogito, we help students find the best school that fits their specific interests, preferences, and budget. For families that need financial support, we offer partial scholarships!

Cogito works ONLY with well-established and accredited American high schools. These schools have solid academics, long histories of educating students, and impressive college acceptance lists.

a group high school students attentively listen to their teacher in class at boarding school, while taking notes on iPads.

How much does the application process cost?

Martha

Cogito does NOT charge students for application support. Students who apply through our regulator partial scholarship program pay either the same or less than the cost listed on the school’s website.

Partial Scholarship Program

Cogito specializes in securing partial scholarships for international students that range from 25% to 70% of the entire cost of an academic year.

Scholarships are based on a combination of a student’s academic results, their talents or sports, and the financial status of the family.

Meet Cogito's partial scholarship students

Monika, Poland

High school, Maine

  • FULL COST $62,000
  • SCHOLARSHIP $24,000
  • FINAL COST $38,000

Than, Vietnam

High school, NY

  • FULL COST $66,000
  • SCHOLARSHIP $34,000
  • FINAL COST $32,000

Beatriz, Brazil

High school, California

  • FULL COST $75,000
  • SCHOLARSHIP $30,000
  • FINAL COST $45,000

How to Apply

We make the application and scholarship process easy!

1

Submit a short pre-application,

Tell us about your school preferences,

budget constraints, and academic needs

2

Receive 2-3 schools from our school list

that meet your criteria and budget constraints

3

Choose your school!

4

Submit a full application,

your transcripts, and

schedule a Skype interview with the school, with our help

of course!

5

Receive your acceptance letter and

scholarship confirmation!

6

Receive I-20 and schedule your

visa appoinment

Martha
Congratulations!

You are about to start your high school experience in the USA!

Submit pre-application

Requirements

Application form. Cogito will provide this form after the student chooses the school

Copy of your passport (bio page with photo)

Recommendation letters from two teachers

Application fee. This varies per school but is usually between 50-100 USD (paid directly to the school)

Transcripts from your last 3 years of school

English language test (can be taken online) or Skype interview with school

Martha
Not sure if you prefer to live on campus
or with a host family? Take our quiz!
Take Our Quiz

Take our quiz!

How would you rather spend your free time:

  • A

    With my best friend or group of close friends

  • B

    Completely on my own, with my parents, or other adults

Do you have any hobbies or interests (such as sports, art, music, video games, entrepreneurship, etc.) that you would like to develop during high school?

  • A

    Yes

  • B

    No

Do you like to commute to school?

  • A

    No, I prefer to walk to my classes

  • B

    Yes, I don’t mind traveling to school by bus or train

Most

A

Boarding school is a perfect solution for you. It combines the best of both worlds. You will make lots of friends, participate in activities and at the same time share family style dinner with dorm parents and their families.

Most

B

You may consider a day school. You will have a chance to live with American family, share their life, and help with the house.

If you still have questions, queries or just need more information, write to us, we love to help you!

Contact Us

Boarding or Day School?

Boarding schools with on-campus living

Boarding Schools

Day Schools with host family

Day Schools

Do you want to live on campus surrounded by friends from all over the world, participate in campus life, trips, activities, arts, clubs, and sports? Receiving a partial scholarship and attending boarding school will be perfect for you!

Boarding schools in the USA educate future leaders in society. 20 US presidents, the founder of Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg), and countless other distinguished individuals all attended boarding schools! Rigorous academics, beautiful campuses, extracurricular activities, and tremendous placements at top-ranked universities attract the elite from around the world.
At Cogito, we believe that boarding schools offer the best support for international students that are hundreds of miles away from home and family.

Mark Zuckerberg first attended Ardsley High School, one of the best private day schools in New York. At Ardsley, he did not feel that the school was challenging enough. In his junior year of high school, Zuckerberg transferred to Phillips Exeter Academy, a co-ed boarding school. At Phillips, he could engage in engaging extracurricular activities and be surrounded by the best students!

The percent of students who report having high-quality teachers, based on school type:

Campus Life

Boarding schools are characterized by large campuses, beautiful classrooms, dance studios, theater buildings, labs, and sports facilities.

Academics

Boarding school academics are top notch. Students spend more time learning and are supported by involved teachers and motivated peers. As a result, they often get accepted to better universities and enjoy successful careers!

Arts

Boarding schools often have lots of fine arts programs. You can explore music, visual arts, dance, creative writing, theatre, and more!

Athletics

Athletics are a large part of boarding school. You can play in top-level facilities alongside teammates and coaches who will push you to become your best! Many boarding school students are elite athletes. The beauty of boarding schools, though, is that you don’t need to be an elite athlete to enjoy their numerous athletic activities! Boarding schools make sure there is something for every student.

Dorm Life

In a boarding school students live on campus in separate gender dorms that often look like big houses. Resident teachers live with their families in private apartments located within the dorms and actively participate in student life by hosting dinners or other events.

Most students stay in the same dorm until they graduate, so dorms become very tight-knit and develop unique traditions. These can include fun activities, costumes, and/or pizza. For all new students, dorms provide an instant group of friends.

The average boarding school dorm has:

  • Single or double rooms (occasionally triples)
  • Big living rooms with TVs, pool tables, and sometimes pianos!
  • Laundry rooms with washers and dryers
  • Kitchenettes with microwaves and other appliances
  • 1-2 teacher families living in private apartments or 1-2 “dorm parents”

Elite top-ranked boarding school program

In the United States, there are no official school ranking lists.

Those that firmly require SSAT or ISEE tests and maintain strong selectivity (accept 10-20% of applicants), however, are often referred to as Top 50 or Top 100 USA boarding schools.

Cogito offers comprehensive preparation, application support, and placement at top American boarding schools. We have years of experience in successfully placing international students at the most selective high schools! These include Phillips Andover Academy, Phillips Exeter, Deerfield Academy, Concord Academy, Milton Academy, and many others.

Close Modal

Requirements:

Acceptance to top USA boarding schools is highly competitive and requires applications to at least 4-5 schools. We recommend that students applying to top boarding schools contact us 6 months-2 years before the application deadline in order to prepare an outstanding application package and achieve high test scores. You should academically strive for:

  • At least a B+ average
  • TOEFL score of 80-100
  • SSAT scores above 80%

Our services include:

  • Complex preparation for SSAT exam – one-on-one tutoring services in-person or over Skype.
  • Preparation for school interviews and assistance with the US visa process.
  • Review of application packages, essays, and extracurricular accomplishments.

Cost:

Cogito charges a consulting fee of $3950 for Top 50 ranked boarding schools.
The average cost of attending a top ranked boarding school is $60,000-70,000 a year. Partial scholarships are rare.

Do you want to attend either a private and public day school with host family accommodation? Cogito day schools are perfect if you would like to live and spend time with an American host family rather than live on campus! Our day school program is intentionally small and selective.

Cogito private and public schools and our host families are carefully selected. We offer:

  • Some of the most desirable school locations: Boston, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Florida, and California
  • Highly-educated, caring host families screened and managed by Cogito
  • Safe neighborhoods for students to live in, within a 30-45 minute commute from campus

Students can choose

Private Day School:

Attend a college preparatory high school for four years and graduate with an American high school diploma.

Public Day School:

Attendance for international students is often restricted to one semester or one academic year. This option is best for students seeking a cultural exchange experience.

Host family program

Cogito staff personally selects, interviews, and screens all our host families. Before we decide to work with a school, we make sure we have strong connections in the neighborhood. We perform a home visit and background check on each family member over 18 years old and check in on the student throughout the school year to ensure academics, social life, and home life are all on track.

We guarantee that each student will live within a 30 -45 minutes commute from the school.

In fact, most of our students live within 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from campus and walk to school every day. All our families provide:

  • A private bedroom with a bed, desk, chair, lamp, and closet space
  • Breakfast and dinner at home, and food to make lunch to eat to school
  • Access to either a private or shared bathroom
  • Weekend and evening activities!
Example of one of our families:

The family consists of a host mother, who is a nurse and working artist/illustrator, a husband who owns a private practice in mental health and art therapy, and a 12-year-old daughter. Their 3-bedroom/1 bathroom home is located in the historic district of their city. The home is an artist studio-loft within easy walking distance to public transportation and the city’s oldest arts community.  The family has hosted international students for 5 years and loves cooking meals together, gardening, and attending events in the city.

Most common questions

Martha
Hi, I am Martha!

Your super smart owl. Below, I answer some your questions about high schools in the US. If you do not see your question on the list, email us!

Unfortunately, we can’t provide 100% scholarships to our students. In order to receive an F1 student visa, the student must be able to pay at least 30-40% of the school’s total cost.

Yes, you can pay in 2 or 3 installments. The payments can be extended for 3-6 months depending on the school.

The final cost includes tuition, room, meals, and health insurance.

You should plan to purchase books, in some cases uniforms, as a part of personal expenses and personal school accounts – usually, these costs are between $500 and $1,500 extra.

US schools close for major holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas. International students who do not travel back home can stay with an American host family, American friends, or join one of the Cogito holiday camps in Boston.

After being officially accepted by the school, you will receive a letter of acceptance and the I-20 form. The I-20 is a document that you need in order to schedule your visa appointment. After you visit the US embassy in your home country, you will receive the student F1 visa.

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