Aiglon College

Located in the alpine village of Chesières (Chesières-Villars), Vaud, Switzerland. The campus address is Avenue Centrale 61, 1885 Chesières. The Villars English Church sits in the village nearby, reflecting the local community.

Discovery Years (Years 5-9); Exploration Years (Years 10-11); Inspiration Years (Years 12-13).

The school is a private, co-educational international boarding school.

65 nationalities represented.

Discovery Years (Years 5-9) connect academic study with expeditions, the arts and personal reflection under guiding questions to foster student growth. Exploration Years (Years 10-11) offer two tracks: Cambridge IGCSE and a bespoke Pre-IB Programme designed to prepare students for the IB Diploma. Inspiration Years (Years 12-13) deliver the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. English is the language of instruction, with targeted English as an Additional Language (EAL) support to enable access to the curriculum. Alongside the IB, graduates receive a fully accredited High School Diploma.

5:1 student-teacher ratio; classes average 12 students.

Graduates receive a fully accredited High School Diploma alongside the IB, enabling entry to universities worldwide.

Personal, social, health and emotional education is integrated into the Discovery Years curriculum. Topics cover contemporary issues to support real-world development. Year 7 reflects on identity and ethics and explores digital safety; Year 8 considers personal culture and world religions; Year 9 studies the systems that influence behaviour and ethics. The programme fosters critical thinking, reflection and global citizenship, with staff across houses and curricular programmes supporting students' wellbeing. The approach emphasises holistic development and supportive relationships.

The Learning Support Department provides specialist teaching to support students with a variety of learning difficulties, through individualised intervention and personalised target setting. A team of qualified teachers works one-to-one with students and alongside staff to maximise potential and enable success.

An expert English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme enables students from around the world to access the curriculum. Students benefit from immersion in an English-speaking community and ongoing support, with one-to-one and classroom assistance available.

The health and wellbeing provision includes an in-house team with specialists in mental health support. Mindfulness practices and wellbeing initiatives run across campus, with access to mindfulness practitioners, art therapists and nutritionists as needed. Preventative care and personal development are central to the wellbeing strategy.

Professional safeguarding and wellbeing teams operate to guide policies and priorities for student protection. Staff collaborate across houses and curricular programmes to promote healthy sleep habits and overall wellbeing. A documented safeguarding policy framework exists and is regularly reviewed.

Admissions at Aiglon College are selective but untraditional. Applicants are evaluated on alignment with Guiding Principles—challenge, respect, responsibility, diversity, and service—and on whether they could access the rigorous, experiential curriculum, thrive in the mountain environment, and flourish in the international boarding community. Applications are accepted up to one year before arrival, and early applications are strongly encouraged. The admissions process follows these steps: Enquire, Visit, Apply, Interview & Assess, and Enrolment Decision. Enquire involves submitting a short inquiry for a member of the team to reach out and discuss family needs and goals. Visit invites families to experience the campus with two options: an Initial Enquiry Visit (about 1 hour 30 minutes) or a Full Admissions Visit (about 3 to 4 hours) that includes admissions assessments and an interview; Year 12 applicants must do a Full Admissions Visit. Apply requires submitting school reports for the last two academic years, two confidential teacher references, a non‑refundable registration fee of CHF 3,000, and a passport scan. Interview & Assess varies by age, with different formats for Years 3–4, 5–11, and 12. Enrolment Decision is made by the Enrolment Committee and communicated monthly with three possible outcomes: Accept, Waiting List, or Decline.

Aiglon offers a small number of fully funded scholarships to students whose families could not otherwise afford an Aiglon education. Since 1991, 134 scholars have been welcomed, with half of current scholars funded by the generosity of parents and alumni. Scholarships are funded through annual giving, endowment, private sponsorship, and reinvested operating expenditures. Aiglon Scholarships cover tuition and the additional costs needed for scholars to engage fully in life at the school, including accommodation, meals, wellbeing programmes, tutoring, on‑site healthcare, ski passes and equipment, expeditions, and cultural programmes, plus costs such as residence tax, permits, laundry, bedding, house equipment, travel insurance, and planned social trips. An extra allowances provides for personal expenses, travel, educational trips, medical expenses, school uniforms, technology needs, and private lessons. Scholarships are merit‑based and means‑tested, overseen by the Scholarship Committee; priority is normally given to applicants entering Year 11 or Year 12, and scholarships remain with the student until graduation pending annual achievement reviews. Arriving students are integrated through a buddy system, welcome meetings, mentorship, houseparent support, tutor and wellbeing support, university advising, and travel assistance. Information Booklet offers full details of the scholarship process. Independent Scholarship Pathway is available via an online application. Applications for Year 11 (US Grade 10) must be at least 15 by September 1, and for Year 12 (US Grade 11) at least 16 and at most 18 by September 1. The process includes online application, school reports, references, and financial information as part of later stages. For inquiries, scholarships@aiglon.ch.

Waiting List occurs when a place cannot be offered immediately; those on the waiting list are reviewed during monthly enrolment assessments, and final decisions are communicated on a monthly cycle.