Prospective Students and Parents - Application Process FAQ

Application Process FAQ

How early can I apply for my child to enter RVA?
RVA will not accept an application for a desired date of entry that is more than five (5) years away. For example, during the 2007–08 school year, we will not accept applications for any years beyond 2012–13.

If I send the completed application over the Internet, how can I get the application fee to you?
RVA does not accept credit cards. Please send a check made out to Rift Valley Academy for the correct amount of the application fee ($50.00 USD per application or 3,500/= KSH per application). If we receive the application fee within 30 days of receiving the application, we will record the application date as the date we received the application. If the fee arrives after 30 days, we will record the application date as the date we received the money. If you are unable to send a check, please contact us and we can give you our bank information for wire transfers.

How does the waiting list work?
When we receive a completed application, including a recent school report and the application fee, your child is added to our waiting list for the desired year of entry. Applications for admission by Africa Inland Mission children are given priority. In a sense, these applications “jump” the waiting list and are given the next available space (provided that they have applied by the May 1st deadline). Next, the children of missionaries from other mission organizations without any other schooling opportunities are placed on the waiting list according to their date of application. If we are able to accept all of the MK children, Kenyan national children are next to be considered. If space still remains, expatriate, non-mission children may be considered for admission.

My child is on the waiting list. Now what do I need to do?
It is imperative that you advise the Admissions office of any changes in your contact information or mission status. E-mail addresses tend to change frequently. Please be sure we have your current working e-mail address. At the end of each school year, you should send us a copy of your child’s school report (sending one every term is not necessary). Also, please send a copy of any standardized tests that your child may have taken.

When will I hear about my child’s place on the waiting list?
Around November of the year prior to your desired date of entry, we contact parents to confirm their intention of sending their child to RVA. After we have this confirmation, we can more accurately inform you of your child’s place on the waiting list for the following year.

When will I hear that my child has been accepted?
Because AIM children have until May 1st to apply with priority admission, you will likely NOT get an offer of acceptance from RVA until after that date. In most years, not many beds are available, and we must keep beds open for the AIM applicants. If we are able to make an offer of acceptance before May 1st, we will do so, but please just plan on hearing AFTER May 1st regarding acceptance.

What is a “provisional acceptance”?
Acceptances will be offered by letter or e-mail and are provisional until the appropriate records have been received and evaluated. These include medical records, academic records, and guardian forms, which are due upon notification of acceptance. These forms are available on the password-protected area of this site. After the appropriate records have been accumulated and evaluated, and the enrollment fee has been paid in full, RVA will send a letter confirming that the student has met the standards of admission.

What medical records are required for admittance to the school?
A student may be admitted to RVA only if the school has: 1) written permission to follow the student health plan, 2) a medical and immunization history, 3) a record of a current (not more than one year old) medical examination, and 4) direction as to what malaria medication should be administered, if any. As soon as notification of acceptance is made (verbal or written), these forms are due.

What is the enrollment fee?
At the time of provisional acceptance, an enrollment fee of $500 USD, or equivalent in Kenya shillings, is payable in order to hold the applicant’s space. The enrollment fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. The payment is credited toward school fees once the student enters RVA.

What happens if my child is accepted to RVA, but we decide we want to wait a little longer?
If you decide to wait for another year before your child enters RVA, we will place your child on that year’s waiting list according to the date of your initial application. Because each year’s waiting list is made up according to the dates of applications, acceptance for a certain year does not guarantee acceptance for the following year. Many may have applied for that later year ahead of your child's application date for the earlier year. For instance, say your child was number 4 on the waiting list for August 2007 to enter grade 8 with an application date of June 2006, but you now want to wait until 2008 to send her. However, on the waiting list for 2008 grade 9, there are already 10 girls who applied before June 2006. Your child would now be number 11. There may or may not be room for her that year.