Secondary School and Boarding at Brisbane Boys' College

A leading Brisbane boys' school

Brisbane Boys' College (BBC) is an independent boys' school in Toowong, on a campus of more than 19 hectares about 4 km from central Brisbane. Founded in 1902 and governed by the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools Association, it educates around 1,400 boys from Prep to Year 12 and offers boarding from Year 7. Its real strength for international families is breadth: within one connected community a boy can aim for a high ATAR and university extension while also pursuing engineering and robotics, GPS or participation sport, music, the Pipe Band, creative arts, leadership and service, all with personalised pastoral support. About 90 international students study at the College, which is CRICOS registered (provider code 00491J) and enrols overseas students on an Australian subclass 500 student visa.

Academic program and results

The curriculum is broad and flexible rather than one size fits all. Senior students choose from 42 QCE recognised subjects across English, mathematics, the sciences, business, humanities, languages, health and physical education, technology and engineering, the arts and vocational pathways, supported by honours classes, subject acceleration, peer and teacher tutoring, dual enrolment and university linked study such as the University of Queensland Enhanced Studies and Griffith University Head Start programs. For the most recent graduating class the College reports a median ATAR of 90.05 and a highest ATAR of 99.9, with 8.2% at 99 or above, 32% at 95 or above, 51% at 90 or above, and one in three students receiving an early university offer. These figures describe that graduating cohort and are not a guarantee of individual outcomes.

English support for international students

English as an Additional Language support runs from Prep to Year 10 and is linked directly to classroom content, covering reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and genre based writing. Indicative entry benchmarks rise with year level, from around IELTS 4.5 or AEAS 61 to 70% for Year 7 to IELTS 6.0 and above for Years 10 and 11. Students who are not yet at benchmark may complete an intensive English or High School Preparation course before mainstream entry, and packaged applicants are reassessed before they progress. Academic English is reviewed every six months, and students exit EAL once they reach the required standard. Where EAL is a condition of enrolment it is charged separately.

Boarding at Rudd House

Rudd House is the College's boarding community for boys in Years 7 to 12, with capacity for up to around 150 students. It combines accommodation with pastoral care, academic structure and full participation in College life, supported by boarding coordinators, resident staff, chaplaincy, counsellors, medical support and senior students on duty. Boarders complete compulsory supervised evening study of one to three hours depending on year level, with teachers and residential tutors on hand, and Year 12 students generally have private study bedrooms. Meals are prepared on site with support for dietary needs, and boarders have out of hours access to ovals, courts, the library, weights facilities, the swimming pool and music spaces. BBC is a member of the Australian Boarding Schools Association and aligns with the National Boarding Standards for Australian Schools.

Sport, robotics, music and the Pipe Band

As a founding member of the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland, BBC competes at one of the state's leading levels of schoolboy sport while keeping room for beginners, fielding hundreds of teams each year across rowing, rugby, cricket, football, basketball, tennis, swimming, volleyball, water polo, athletics, sailing and more, with rowing at the Henley Royal Regatta and a swimming history of international representation. Its Robotics Club, described as the longest running schoolboy robotics group in the Southern Hemisphere, has represented Australia internationally and achieved world championship results. More than half of students play in a music ensemble, and the internationally recognised Pipe Band, around 120 students across three bands, holds a standing invitation to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and has performed in Scotland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Campus and location

The College sits on a green campus of more than 19 hectares in Toowong, a leafy riverside suburb about 4 km from the Brisbane CBD. Toowong Train Station is around 450 metres away, the Toowong ferry terminal about 1.1 km, and roughly 35 bus stops are within a one kilometre walk, along with a College operated bus route with semester passes. Students have easy access to a major Australian city while living and learning on a substantial school campus with on-site boarding.

International entry and admissions

Applications are assessed individually. Families provide school reports from the previous two years with certified translations where needed, evidence of satisfactory academic performance, a passport and birth certificate, and English evidence, normally through AEAS or iDAT, followed by academic and EAL interviews. A successful review leads to a conditional offer and enrolment documents; the family returns signed documents, Overseas Student Health Cover details and payments; a Confirmation of Enrolment is issued for the visa, and a CAAW is provided where the College takes welfare responsibility for an under-18 boarder. Students under 18 need approved welfare arrangements. To protect your application, apply through Asia Pathway from the outset, as the education agent must be recorded when the application is first lodged. Asia Pathway guides families through documents, placement, EAL assessment and the visa process.

International fees

The figures below are the College's published 2026 international schedule in Australian dollars. Fees may rise during a course, by an average of about 3% to 7.5% a year, so reconfirm them with Asia Pathway before you commit. Annual tuition is A$53,736, or A$26,868 per semester, and boarding for Years 7 to 12 is A$42,590 a year, or A$21,295 per semester. EAL support, where it is a condition of enrolment, is A$2,880 a year. Levies include a Years 7 to 12 technology levy of A$1,560 a year and a Campus Development Levy of A$1,672 a year per family. One-off charges are an application fee of A$665 and a confirmation fee of A$2,900. Budget too for Overseas Student Health Cover of around A$920 for a 12-month single policy, plus uniforms, books and stationery, and any elective trips or private tuition. A 10% tuition discount applies for a younger brother when two or more brothers attend at the same time. Request a current written quotation from Asia Pathway.

University pathways

Over the previous 12 years, BBC graduates have progressed to leading universities in Australia and around the world. Australian destinations include the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, UNSW, QUT, Monash, the University of Western Australia, the University of Adelaide and Bond University. Graduates have also gone on to the University of Auckland, the University of Otago and AUT in New Zealand; Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley and USC in the United States; the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom; and the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University in Asia. Graduates join a global Old Collegians network of more than 15,000 members. These are historical destinations across a 12-year dataset, not guaranteed progression.

Connect with Asia Pathway to check boarding availability, confirm current international fees and prepare your Brisbane Boys' College application.