FAQs

There is no one type of “MA kid” - and that’s by design. MA students are intellectuals, activists, artists, athletes, and leaders - often at the same time. Our unique learning environment is predicated on a student body comprised of students from a wide array of lived experiences, skills, and passions who reflect the multifaceted fabric of the Bay Area. As diverse as they are, our students have one big thing in common: they are immersed in an educational environment that encourages compassion and commitment. Marin Academy students are serious about learning and are already on a path towards compassionate and responsible citizenship. 

So there are two key traits we seek in students: students who demonstrate the ability to pursue a challenging college preparatory curriculum that is balanced by their participation and leadership in a broad array of activities outside of the classroom as well as students who lead with empathy and seek to foster an inclusive school community.

Our Admissions Committee reviews applicants holistically to best understand who applicants are as students, people, and community members in order to assemble a group of students who are best prepared to, as our mission compels us, “accept the responsibilities posted by education in a democratic society.” We seek to understand students’ academic commitment and promise, extracurricular interests, and personal characteristics.

We encourage applications from students of all races, genders, national and ethnic origins, sexual orientations, religions, physical abilities, citizenship status, and more.

Neither student visit days nor open houses are required. We do encourage prospective students to learn about MA in the ways that best suit their family. Families can attend an Open House together on a weekend, or students can experience a visit day, and parents/guardians can attend a Parent Information Session during the week.

Interviews are required. There are three ways for students to interview:

1. 1:1 interviews are informal, relaxed conversations that offer you a chance to ask questions about MA and for MA to learn more about you.
2. The Design Workshop Experience is an opportunity for groups of prospective students to collaborate, design, and problem solve as a team.
3. The Passage Discussion Interview is a chance for students to read a poem or portion of literature and participate in an engaging exchange of ideas about the text.

Please note: MA CANNOT GUARANTEE SPOTS IN SPECIFIC FORMS OF INTERVIEWS; should students prefer one type of interview we encourage you to sign up early.

Nearly 40% of MA students live outside of Marin County. While many students carpool to MA, we also have a school bus from the East Bay, San Francisco, and Novato including a stop at the SMART Train and San Rafael Transit Center. Bus routes are convenient to many neighborhoods across the Bay, and in the afternoon students have the option to depart campus right after class or on the "late bus" following sports practice and/or theater rehearsal. 

Yes! Our transfer acceptance rate is greatly influenced by attrition and class size. In the past several years, we have admitted as few as one and as many as ten transfer students in a given year. We do encourage students in good standing at their current school to submit an application. The application process for a transfer student is the same as for a prospective 9th grader: Visits or Open Houses are encouraged but not required; the application is required and must be completed by the regular January Application deadline. 

The curriculum is rigorously college preparatory with highly developed requirements in all academic areas, the arts, and physical education. The academic program consists of over 100 course titles in seven departments. More than 60 elective courses are available across all disciplines, including honors work in every department. The academic program is enhanced by an exemplary Visual and Performing Arts Department. The co-curricular programs include an outdoor education program, a community service learning program, a required week of experiential education each spring, and a well-developed interscholastic athletic program. View the 2023-2024 course catalog.

Marin Academy students apply to and are accepted at leading colleges and universities around the country. Over 99 percent of our graduates attend four-year colleges after graduating from Marin Academy, more than half of them out of state. For more information, please visit our College Counseling page.

At Marin Academy, students and adults work together to continually push what we know about diversity, equity, and belonging and how we practice it every day. We strive to use an equity framework in all we do at MA.

This begins by confronting barriers to ensure that our entire community reflects the racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity of the Bay Area. Inclusive teaching and learning doesn't ask newcomers to assimilate to an established norm; rather, each individual helps redefine and expand how we teach and learn. Acknowledging and respecting differences and creating opportunities for discussions about identity factors and how they shape our community here at school and beyond is a key part of our work at MA every day. Our curriculum itself is intentionally designed to center identity. Finally, by engaging with the broader community inside and outside of the classroom, we encourage students to get outside their bubbles and experiences to truly contribute to the Bay Area community. 

We also have various ways for students to explore identity outside of the classroom. For instance, student-led Identity & Equity (IDEQ) groups - which include both closed affinity spaces and open groups - are a key part of the fabric of student life. MA also has introduced the Belonging@MA cohort, a joyful, identity-affirming cohort that centers the well-being of self and community for families with backgrounds historically underrepresented at independent schools. In addition to community-building, the Belonging@MA program provides the cohort with clarity around and support of academic excellence at MA.

We encourage you to learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging here. 

We do not have merit scholarships. All tuition assistance is designed to provide access to an MA education and is awarded to families based on financial need alone. For additional information about tuition assistance, visit our Affording MA page, or email us.