Victoria College, Belfast Admission Guide (2026-2027)

Victoria College, Belfast Admissions Criteria

Victoria College Belfast is one of Northern Ireland's leading independent girls' grammar schools. Founded in 1859, it admits approximately 120 girls into Year 8 via the SEAG Transfer Test. The school is consistently ranked among Northern Ireland's highest-achieving schools.

• ✓Register for the SEAG Transfer Test at seagni.co.uk — registration opened 18 May 2026 and closes at 11:59pm on Friday 18 September 2026. The fee is £20 (families with Free School Meals Entitlement are exempt).
• ✓Sit the SEAG Entrance Assessment in November of Primary 7 (P7) — two papers, one week apart (Saturdays 14 and 21 November 2026), each 60 minutes and each covering English and Mathematics.
• ✓Both papers must be sat to receive a full Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS). Pupils sitting only one paper receive an estimated score (shown as ‘e’ on results) and are considered under Special Provisions only, with supporting evidence.
• ✓Upload your Statement of Outcomes (available from the SEAG portal from Saturday 23 January 2027) with the online Transfer Application to Victoria College Belfast.
• ✓Special Circumstances / Special Provisions: a two-stage process reviewed by the Admissions Committee, with medical or professional documentation plus P5/P6 standardised-test evidence.

• ✓Eligibility — applicants who sat the SEAG Entrance Assessment (with or without a Special Circumstances claim) and applicants with a valid Special Provisions claim are considered on equal terms.
• ✓Rank order + pool — The first 120 places are allocated in strict rank order of SEAG Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS), highest first. The remaining places (approximately 25) are allocated from the pool using the sub-criteria below, in order.
• ✓Pool sub-criteria, in order: (I) — girls enrolled in the Preparatory Department; (II) — child of a family in the Secondary Department; (III) — Child Looked After; (IV) — child of a family at another single-sex post-primary school; (V) — attendance at a recognised feeder primary (ranked list headed by St Bride's PS, Harmony Hill PS, Finaghy PS and Fane Street PS).
• ✓Tie-breaks (equal scores at the cut-off), in order: Computer-based, name-seeded random ranking — lowest ranking numbers admitted.
• ✓Preference order is NOT used — a child listing Victoria College Belfast second or later on the Transfer Application is considered equally with first-preference applicants.
• ✓Duty to verify — the school can require evidence for information on the application; false or missing information can cost the place. Full Admissions Criteria: www.victoriacollege.org.uk.

Victoria College, Belfast Oversubscription Criteria

The first 120 places are allocated in strict rank order of SEAG Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS), highest first. The remaining places (approximately 25) are allocated from the pool using the sub-criteria below, in order. Transcribed from the official published criteria.

1. (I) — girls enrolled in the Preparatory Department
2. (II) — child of a family in the Secondary Department
3. (III) — Child Looked After
4. (IV) — child of a family at another single-sex post-primary school
5. (V) — attendance at a recognised feeder primary (ranked list headed by St Bride's PS, Harmony Hill PS, Finaghy PS and Fane Street PS)

What Score Do You Need for Victoria College Belfast?

The school does not publish a fixed qualifying score — here is what the official documents and allocation statements actually show:

Key Dates & Deadlines — November 2026 Test (September 2027 Entry)

How to Apply to Victoria College, Belfast via SEAG & EA NI

SEAG Subjects Tested at Victoria College, Belfast

The SEAG Entrance Assessment for Victoria College, Belfast tests two subjects across two papers, sat about a week apart in November of Primary 7 (P7). Each paper lasts roughly 60 minutes and uses a mix of multiple-choice and free-response questions with no negative marking.

• English — reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Wide reading is the single biggest advantage here, building the vocabulary and inference skills the paper rewards.
• Mathematics — the full Key Stage 2 curriculum: number, fractions, decimals, percentages, measures, shape, data handling and multi-step problem solving, with an emphasis on speed and accuracy.

Both papers are combined into a single Total Standardised Age Score (TSAS), which Victoria College, Belfast uses to rank applicants for its Year 8 places. There is no separate verbal or non-verbal reasoning paper in the SEAG test.