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Hunterhouse College: Year 8 entry

Upper Lisburn Road, Finaghy, Belfast, BT10 0LE

Facts checked 19 October 2026By ExamKind Editorial TeamSchool website

Some details are being re-checked

We check every fact against the official source on a schedule, and some details on this page are due their next check (last verified 19 October 2026). We'll update the page if anything has changed. How we check facts

Can we apply, and what did it take?

For September 2027 entry

  • How places are decided

    By test score, in rank order

    No minimum Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) stated; strict rank order up to 100 places.

    Checked, source: Hunterhouse College, checked

  • Year 8 places

    100

    2026 entry, Published Admission Number ()

    Checked, source: Hunterhouse College, checked

  • Last distance offered

    Not publishedWe have no checked figure for how far offers reached.

Your next deadlines

  1. Next: Re-mark requests close

    in about 15 weeks

    Only if you want the test papers marked again

  2. Coming up: Appeal deadline

    in about 30 weeks

How far offers reached

Can we get in?

How places are given

Northern Ireland grammar schools give Year 8 places using their own admissions criteria, often in order of transfer test result. Hunterhouse College's criteria are under Admission rules on this page.

Qualifying is not the same as being offered a place.

Reaching the school's standard means your child can be considered. If more children qualify than there are places, the school gives places using its admission rules, in order. The figures below show how far those rules reached in past years. They are history, not a prediction: they change every year with who applies.

Checked, source: Department for Education (GOV.UK), checked

Most Northern Ireland schools do not publish how far places reached. Read the school's admissions criteria to see how it ranks applicants, and what transfer test results mean.

At a glance

Hunterhouse College in brief

tap a value for its source

Pupils
girlsPupilsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: | Finaghy | Girls’ Grammar |View the official source
Who the school admits.
Year 8 places
100Year 8 placesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: Admission No: 100View the official source2026 entry
The (PAN): how many children the school plans to admit.
Entrance test
SEAG Entrance Assessment (the NI transfer test)
The test children sit to be considered.

Key dates

Dates for September 2027 entry

For children in P7 in 2026/27.

Add to my calendar

SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group)

3 earlier steps, all doneShow

  1. Done: Test registration opens

  2. Done: Test registration closes

  3. Done: Admission cards sent for the test

  1. Next: Test day

  2. Coming up: Transfer test, paper 1

  3. Coming up: Transfer test, paper 2

  4. Coming up: Results

  5. Coming up: Re-mark requests open

  6. Coming up: Re-mark requests close

    in about 15 weeks

    Only if you want the test papers marked again

  7. Coming up: Appeal deadline

    in about 30 weeks

    Source: nidirect (NI Government), checked

  8. Not published yet: Transfer application deadline (to the Education Authority)

    Not yet published, checked 17 Oct 2026

  9. Not published yet: School place outcomes

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

Year 5 now? Dates for September 2028 entryNone of these dates are published yet.

  1. Not published yet: Test day

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  2. Not published yet: Results

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  3. Not published yet: Appeal deadline

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

  4. Not published yet: Transfer application deadline (to the Education Authority)

    Not yet published, checked 9 Oct 2026

How places are given

8 admission rules, in order, for 2026 entry

If more children qualify than there are places, Hunterhouse College gives places using these rules (its ), in this order (the 2026 rules; the rules for 2027 entry are not published yet).

  1. 1

    NI residents considered before non-residents

    The policy's own words
    2.1 The Board of Governors will consider children who are resident in Northern Ireland at the time of their proposed admission to the College before those who are not.
  2. 2

    Schools’ Entrance Assessment Group () takers (and SC/SP claims) in strict TSAS rank order up to 100

    The policy's own words
    2.2 The Board of Governors will consider in the first instance applications from those children who have taken the SEAG Entrance Assessment
  3. 3

    Ties at last place(s) or remaining places: (i) child of the family currently enrolled or accepted

    The policy's own words
    (i) girls who, at the date of their application, have a child of the family currently enrolled or accepted for admission at the College
  4. 4

    (ii) child of the family who attended Hunterhouse

    The policy's own words
    (ii) girls who, at the date of their application, have a child of the family who attended Hunterhouse College
  5. 5

    (iii) eldest girl of the family eligible to transfer to mainstream post-primary

    The policy's own words
    (iii) girls who, at the date of their application, are the eldest girl of the family
  6. 6

    (iv) parent attended Hunterhouse

    The policy's own words
    (iv) Girls who, at the date of their application, have a parent who attended Hunterhouse College
  7. 7

    (v) age, older first

    The policy's own words
    (v) If applicants are still tied after this, then applicants will be ranked for acceptance on the basis of age
  8. 8

    (vi) computer-generated random number (Microsoft Excel), higher numbers first

    The policy's own words
    (vi) In the event that applicants’ date of birth (v) fails to differentiate between pupils tied for the final place(s)

Source: Hunterhouse College, checked

More detail from our guide

Hunterhouse's newest criteria are its Admissions criteria for entry September 2026Hunterhouse College: Document title (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: Admissions criteria for entry September 2026View the official source, so this describes the 2026 intake, not 2027. Expect the new document during the school year, and check it for changes.

The 2026 sequence: (1) NI residents considered before non-residents. (2) SEAG takers (and SC/SP claims) in strict TSAS rank order up to 100. (3) Ties at last place(s) or remaining places: (i) child of the family currently enrolled or accepted. (4) (ii) child of the family who attended Hunterhouse. (5) (iii) eldest girl of the family eligible to transfer to mainstream post-primary. (6) (iv) parent attended Hunterhouse. (7) (v) age, older first. (8) (vi) computer-generated random number (Microsoft Excel), higher numbers first.Hunterhouse College: Oversubscription criteria (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: 2. If the College is over-subscribed, the following criteria for entry will apply, in the order stated:View the official source

Some questions parents ask:

Does a sister at Hunterhouse help? Only in a tie at the cut-off, or if places are left after the score ranking. The rule: (i) a child of the family currently enrolled or accepted for admission at the College; (ii) a child of the family who attended Hunterhouse College ('child of the family' per DE definition)Hunterhouse College: Sibling criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: (i) girls who, at the date of their application, have a child of the family currently enrolled or accepted for admission at the College (details to be supplied).View the official source.

What about parents who went there? A parent who attended Hunterhouse counts too, but only after current and former sisters and the eldest-girl rule.

Who counts as the eldest girl? (iii) eldest girl of the family eligible to transfer to a mainstream post-primary school; twins/multiples joint eldest; also applies where an elder child completed post-primary education, could not attend mainstream school, or family relocated to NI.Hunterhouse College: Eldest child criterion (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: (iii) girls who, at the date of their application, are the eldest girl of the family to be eligible to transfer to a mainstream post-primary school (details to be supplied).View the official source

What if two girls are still level? The older girl, by date of birth, goes first. After that: If date of birth does not separate applicants, each is given a random number generated in Microsoft Excel and ranked with higher numbers first.Hunterhouse College: Final tie break (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: then priority will be determined amongst them by a method of computer-generated random number selection: • each application to be considered at this stage is allocated a random number electronically generated within ‘Microsoft Excel’; • the applications are then ranked in order of the random number, with higher numbers having precedence.View the official source

Is there a feeder list? No. Which primary school your daughter attends makes no difference.

What if she was ill on a test day? Board of Governors Transfer Panel considers claims; SC Form from the College website uploaded with independent documentary evidence and educational evidence to the online Transfer Application; Panel may assign a TSAS; greater weight to medical evidence from the time of the assessment.Hunterhouse College: Special circumstances (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: Parents/carers who wish to apply to the College under Special Circumstances should complete the appropriate SC Form obtainable from the College website and upload it with relevant documentary evidence, as explained below, to the Transfer Application.View the official source

What if she did not sit the test? SEAG takers considered in the first instance (subject to SC/SP claims). If places remain after TSAS ranking, the sub-criteria (i)-(vi) apply. Special Provisions for children transferring from outside NI, with more than half their primary education outside NI, or unable to sit / only sat one paper; Panel may commission an independent assessment and assigns a TSAS.Hunterhouse College: Applicants without result (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: 2.2 The Board of Governors will consider in the first instance applications from those children who have taken the SEAG Entrance Assessment subject only to the consideration of those children whose parents/carers are claiming Special Circumstances or Special Provisions as defined below in Section B.View the official source

Is there a waiting list? Refused, new and updated applications added automatically; places after 9 May 2026 allocated by the Year 8 criteria; applications held open until 30 June 2027.Hunterhouse College: Waiting listChecked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: For Year 8 all applications for admission that were initially refused will be automatically added to the waiting list.View the official source

The test

SEAG Entrance Assessment (the NI transfer test)
Test
SEAG Entrance Assessment (the NI transfer test)
Test date, 2027 entry
Saturday 14 November 2026

Hunterhouse does not run an entrance test of its own. Girls take the SEAG Entrance Assessment on Saturday 14 November 2026SEAG (Northern Ireland): Paper1Checked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: Saturday, 14th November 2026View the official source and Saturday 21 November 2026SEAG (Northern Ireland): Paper2Checked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: Saturday, 21st November 2026View the official source, and the school is one of the test centres.

What counts is the TSAS, the overall score on the Statement of Outcomes. The 2026 wording: Strict rank order of TSAS from the highest, up to the Admission Number of 100; sub-criteria only for ties at the last place(s) or if places remain.Hunterhouse College: Selection metric (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: Places in Year 8 will be allocated in strict rank order of TSAS scores, starting with the highest TSAS score, up to the approved Admission Number of 100.View the official source There is no minimum: No minimum TSAS stated; strict rank order up to 100 places.Hunterhouse College: Entrance threshold (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: Places in Year 8 will be allocated in strict rank order of TSAS scores, starting with the highest TSAS score, up to the approved Admission Number of 100.View the official source

How to apply, per the 2026 criteria: Online Transfer Application, recording SEAG Unique Pupil Number and TSAS and uploading the SEAG Statement of OutcomesHunterhouse College: Application route (2026)Checked 9 Oct 2026 against Hunterhouse College.The source says: Parents/carers should provide details of their child’s SEAG Unique Pupil Number and should record their child’s Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS) in the SEAG Entrance Assessment in the appropriate section(s) of the online Transfer Application.View the official source. Outcomes are issued on Saturday 23 January 2027SEAG (Northern Ireland): OutcomesChecked 9 Oct 2026 against SEAG (Schools' Entrance Assessment Group).The source says: It is planned that SEAG results will be released on Saturday 23rd January 2027.View the official source. For a fuller picture, see the SEAG transfer test guide and what the results mean.

How the Northern Ireland test works

Open days

All this year's events have passed

  1. Done: Open Event (passed)

    6.00pm – 9.30pm (talk by Principal at 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm)

Source: Hunterhouse College, checked

If you are refused a place

Reviews, appeals and the waiting list

General information, not legal advice.

This is general information, not legal advice.

If Hunterhouse is full, your daughter's application moves to your next preference. To appeal the school's decision, use the AT1 form, via the EA websiteNorthern Ireland: FormChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: To appeal a school's decision that has refused your child a place, go to the EA website where you can send the appeal form (AT1 Form).View the official source. The tribunal checks the school's process, not its rules: The school did not apply, or did not correctly apply, its admissions criteria.Northern Ireland: GroundsChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: You can appeal if you think the school did not apply their admissions criteria or did not apply them correctly.View the official source Its decision is final for both sides.

The deadline for 2027 entry is 4pm, Thursday 20 May 2027Northern Ireland transfer: Appeal deadlineChecked 17 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The deadline for receipt of appeal forms against Year 8 decisions by post-primary schools is Thursday 20 May 2027, no later than 4.00 pm.View the official source. For 2026 entry it was 4pm on Thursday 21 May 2026Northern Ireland 2026 entry: Appeal deadlineChecked 9 Oct 2026 against nidirect (NI Government).The source says: The deadline for receipt of appeal forms against Year 8 decisions by post-primary schools is Thursday 21 May 2026, no later than 4.00 pm.View the official source.

Official documents and sources

4 sources, each kept as an archived copy

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