Welcome to Black Forest Academy!
Dear Potential BFA Family,
Partnering with parents in the holistic development of their children is a tremendous privilege and responsibility. Our application process, which does require a time investment, is designed to lay the groundwork for an effective partnership between BFA, parents, and students. A key goal in our admissions process is getting to know your family and for your family to have the opportunity to get to know us. We want to make sure, as much as we can, that there is a good “fit” between 1) who we are as a school and what we can provide and 2) your family expectations and student needs.
We highly recommend you visit our “Who We Are” page on our website if you have not already. Take the time to look through our school website and the documents listed on the left of this page. The FAQ document addresses topics like English Proficiency Level requirements, visas, age requirements for boarding, post high school options with a BFA diploma and more. Please read the "Application Process - Dates and Requirements" document so you will be aware of key dates in our admissions cycle and what is required for a student application.
As a first step, families must complete an inquiry form. Families can submit an inquiry form for the next school year or for a school year in the future. Applications for the 2025-26 school year are available starting 1 October 2024. After submitting an inquiry form, you will receive a personal email from our admissions office with tuition/cost information and responses to questions you include on the form. This email is typically sent within a few business days. Through the inquiry form submission, you will set-up an OpenApply account where you can continue with the application process now or in the future if you choose to do so.
Note that BFA is a school for Grades 5-12. If your child is entering Grades 1 to 4, please contact CSK (Christliche Schule Kandern) by email at sekretariat@csk-kandern.de or by phone at +49 7626 974 9980.
Thank you for your interest in BFA! If you have any questions, you may contact us via the email address below.
Sincerely,
Laurel Olson
Admissions Office
admissions@bfacademy.de
Application Process - Dates and Requirements
IMPORTANT DATES
BFA has set the following dates for the admissions cycle:
- Applications for an upcoming school year are available beginning October 1.
- Boarding students should apply as early as possible due to limitations on boarding space.
- Families who complete the application* by November 15 will receive notification on December 1.
- Families who complete the application* by January 30 will receive notification on February 15.
- In some situations, additional review time may be needed and a decision may be delayed. In order to minimize this, we encourage families to complete their applications in advance of the deadlines (ideally by October 31 and January 15). This allows time for follow-up questions and clarification if needed.
- After February 15, applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
*The application, supporting forms and documents, and application fee must all be received in order for the application to be considered complete.
ADMISSIONS PROCESS
Step 1: All families must complete an initial inquiry form. The Admissions Office will respond with cost/tuition information and answer questions submitted through the form. Through the inquiry form submission, the family will set-up an OpenApply account and have access to the BFA application.
Step 2: You will be guided step by step through the application process. The following will be needed as part of this process:
- Photo of your student (headshot)
- Copies of school records from the last two years and a current progress report or report card (if available)
- Current year course schedule if not included on the progress report/report card
- Standardized Test Results (if available)
- If applicable, any formal assessment and any subsequent diagnosis, treatment plan, or accomodations
- Names and email addresses of references for the student
- Grades 5-8 must provide 2 references (teacher and pastor or family friend)
- Grades 9-12 must provide 3 references (teacher, pastor/spiritual mentor, family friend)
- Student’s immunization records
- Student Essays - more information provided in the “Student Form" and on the Application Checklist
- 100 EUR application fee
Step 3: BFA will review the completed application and the Admissions Committee will make a decision. If any additional information is required before the review process can be completed, families will be notified. The need for additional information may delay completion of the review process.
Step 4: A student who receives an offer of acceptance will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit of 200 euro (per day student) or 1000 euro (per boarding student) toward their school fees to confirm their enrollment. If accepted by 1 December, the enrollment deposit will be due on 30 January. If accepted after 1 January and before 1 May, the enrollment deposit will be due within 30 days. If accepted after 1 May, families will have until either 30 May or 14 days to pay the deposit. If the enrollment deposit is not received by the deadline, students will be placed in a wait pool and their space may be given to another applicant.
Step 5: Upon receipt of the enrollment deposit, the admissions office will send a “Confirmation of Enrollment” and the student will be officially enrolled at BFA for the upcoming school year.
STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
Black Forest Academy admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, and athletic and other school administered programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of tuition and/or boarding at BFA?
Once a family submits the initial inquiry form, the admissions office will respond with cost information.
Is BFA a K-12 school?
BFA is a school for grades 5-12. If your child is entering Grades 1 to 4, please contact CSK (Christliche Schule Kandern) by email at sekretariat@csk-kandern.de or by phone at +49 7626 974 9980.
How old does a student need to be for boarding?
Boarding is for students in grades 9-12. Boarding students must be at least 14 years old at the start of the school year and under age 20 at time of graduation.
What level of English is required?
BFA is an English-speaking school and all school programs are conducted in English. BFA requires a B1 (CEFR) English proficiency level.
When should a student apply?
See Application Process - Dates and Requirements for information on specific dates.
Boarding students should apply as early as possible due to limitations on boarding space. If a boarding student will need a visa prior to entering Germany, it is also important that they apply early so the visa application process can begin.
Day Students are subject to fewer space limitations. Families are welcome to apply in the fall if they know they are considering BFA for the upcoming school year. Otherwise, we recommend applying anytime after 15 January. Note that course selection for high school students (Grades 9-12) starts in the late spring; it is beneficial to be through the acceptance process by that time if possible, but not required.
We do welcome applications on a rolling basis with the caveat that there may not be space available, particularly in the boarding program.
Does my child need a visa before arriving at BFA?
Boarding students who are citizens of Australia, Canada, the European Union, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, and a few others can enter Germany on a tourist visa. This tourist visa is valid for 90 days. After they are here, BFA will apply for the student visa that will allow them to remain in Germany.
Boarding students from countries that do not allow for entry on a tourist visa must apply for a German student visa at the nearest German consulate or embassy in their current country of residence. Upon request, BFA will issue a “Confirmation of Acceptance” letter and other documentation required from the school to assist families in this process. Families should start the visa application process as early as possible.
For day students, BFA will issue a “Certificate of Attendance” letter upon request to help parents navigate their own visa application process. BFA does not apply for student visas for day students.
Students who arrive at BFA without the proper visa will be required to return to their country of residence. They will not be able to return to Germany until they have the required visa.
Can a student begin at BFA after the school year has started?
Middle school students (Grades 5-8) have more flexibility in terms of start date. High School students (Grades 9-12) cannot enroll part-way through a semester. A 2nd semester start (end of January) is sometimes possible. Please contact our admissions office for additional information.
Whenever possible, we encourage families to arrange for their child to begin at the start of the school year. This normally leads to a smoother adjustment, both academically and socially, for the student.
Can my child attend a European University after graduating from BFA?
BFA graduates receive a fully-accredited USA high school diploma and many of our graduates pursue higher education in the USA. It is also possible to go straight from BFA to a university outside of the USA and a number of our graduates have done this. This sometimes requires a student to take a certain number of AP (Advanced Placement) exams and achieve the needed scores. As part of its high school program, BFA offers a number of AP courses and is a testing site for AP exams.
We encourage families to consider what options they want to keep open for after their child completes high school, research what is required for those options, and take this into consideration when deciding whether or not BFA is a good “fit” for their child. If families have further questions, they are welcome to contact our admissions office.
For additional resources, our School Profile provides an overview of our high school academic program and our Academic Planning Guide offers more detailed information.
German Citizens and Immigrants and those under Refugee Status
BFA is registered as an Ergänzungsschule in Germany. In our experience, due to Germany's Schulpflicht requirements, the Schulamt will not give permission for families with German citizenship living in the area (in Germany) to enroll their children at BFA. In addition, in our experience, families who are in the process of immigrating to Germany or under a refugee status are not given permission for their children to attend BFA.
German families can be, in some situations, exempt from the Schulfpflicht requirement. Again, based on our experience, examples include the following:
- The student is a boarding student and the family lives outside of Germany.
- The family lives in either France or Switzerland.
- The family is only in Germany temporarily (ex. one school year) and the children have been in a school similar to BFA (ex. English language) and will return to something similar.
- The student is 16 and has completed Grade 10 in a Realschule.
Visits/Tours
If possible, we encourage families to make an in-person visit to BFA. Visits helps families gain a better understanding of who we are as a school and can help answer the question "Is BFA the right choice for our child and our family?".
On many Fridays during the school year we have opportunities for prospective high school families to visit, meet with several departments, attend chapel, and tour the school. The prospective student has the option of attending a class with a current BFA student. Families interested in boarding will also visit one of BFA's boarding homes. Friday visits typically start at 9:00 and finish at 15:15.
If you are interested in visiting, please contact the admissions office (admissions@bfacademy.de) to discuss possible dates. We strongly recommend a Friday visit so the family and student can have the full visit experience. However, if this is not possible, a family can schedule a school tour on another day of the week.
Prospective middle school families interested in visiting should contact the admissions office to determine a visit date that works well for the family and the school.