A postgraduate (PG) year is something many families hear about during the school or college planning process, often with questions about what it is, who it is for, and whether it can meaningfully support a student’s transition to college. For some students, a PG year provides the time, structure, and developmental space needed to mature academically or personally before entering a university environment. For others, particularly student-athletes, it can extend opportunities in recruiting and competitive play.
Because no two PG experiences look alike, McMillan Education’s Director of Innovation and Athletic Recruiting, Kim Chorosiewski, Ed.D., offers the perspective of someone who has guided students through this decision for more than twenty-five years. What follows is Kim’s insight into the role of the PG year, the students who benefit from it, and the range of outcomes she has seen across her work with families.
What Is a Post Graduate Year?
A post graduate (PG) year is an additional year of study at a boarding school after a student has completed high school. Designed as a structured, supportive transition between secondary school and college, the PG year gives students time to strengthen their academic foundation, mature socially and personally, and clarify their goals before entering a university environment.
Who a Post Graduate Year Is For
People familiar with the term “PG” often associate this opportunity with athletics or athletic recruiting. However, the PG year can serve many purposes in better preparing a student or student athlete for the academic, social, and athletic rigors of college.
I have worked with many PG students who have eventually declared the PG experience as essential to their growth and success. These students are young women and men, some student athletes, who have chosen to commence on another challenge before taking on the new world that is the college experience. Taking a PG year is not for everyone – there are rules and expectations that form a structured environment meant to facilitate practical and developmental growth in students while fostering engagement.
For a deeper look at how PG years support academic and personal readiness for college, you may also find this video conversation between McMillan Education’s founder and a former admissions director helpful.
Key Benefits of Taking a PG Year
Academic Growth and Preparation
Students can use this additional year to prolong their opportunity for enhanced academic coursework, begin to integrate into a social environment that supports autonomy and leadership, prepare for and take additional SAT or ACT tests, and extend the college planning and search process to find the right fit college. Families might also consider the PG year if there has been a setback (illness, family circumstance) or a late discovery of a learning difference.
Students who choose to engage in a post graduate year can expand their coursework by adding an AP course or an advanced writing or research course that they would not have otherwise been able to fit in their twelfth-grade year. These courses tend to be rich and more meaningful under the watchful eye of a devoted teacher who, coincidentally, may also serve as the dorm parent or student advisor.
Social, Emotional, and Developmental Maturity
The tight-knit community and academic environment in many of the PG schools affords students more discussion and hands on opportunities to delve into a variety of subjects, topics and activities while creating a dynamic social structure that engages students, often beckoning them to become leaders. Students are encouraged to take risks under a watchful community that can help guide the outcomes for those who strive to make a variety of choices to wholly embed themselves in the community.
During the PG year, the ability to prepare for college academically, socially, as well as developmentally aids the student in the transition to the rigors and structures of the college environment in a supportive yet challenging manner. Classes tend to be smaller, usually no more than 10-13 in a classroom, and more collaborative.
Developing Confidence Through Learning
While the coursework might be at a higher level, the level of engagement and learning that is fostered in the classroom allows the student to challenge their critical thinking skills or re-consider how they learn in different environments. The ability to thrive in this type of classroom often helps students gain a stronger sense of confidence academically as well as socially. Students often will find unique classes, clubs, community service options or travel experiences that further bolster the robust PG experience.
Extended College Planning and Discovery
In extending the college planning process, students can take a longer period of time to discover more colleges through visits, take more time to prepare a thorough application, enhance their academic profile through additional testing and coursework, as well as garner meaningful letters of recommendation from a teacher or teachers who get to know students on many levels as they embark on the PG adventure.
Advantages for Student-Athletes
Unique to the experience, fewer students are members of a PG class, giving them multiple opportunities to lead and grow as a cohort as well as assume responsibilities for personal growth and decision-making. Student athletes often benefit from the PG year to continue to mature physically and emotionally, enhance their academic profile, extend the recruiting evaluation process, as well as face competition at a higher level in many sports in advance of the collegiate experience.
PG Year for Athletes vs. Non-Athletes
A post graduate year has long been associated with athletics, and for good reason: the additional year can offer student-athletes time to mature physically, compete at a higher level, and extend the recruiting evaluation process. For students aiming to play in college, a PG year can strengthen both their athletic profile and their academic readiness for the demands of collegiate programs.
But the PG experience is equally valuable for students with non-athletic goals. Many pursue a PG year to broaden their academic coursework, build confidence in smaller and more collaborative classrooms, or benefit from the structure and close mentorship that PG programs provide. Others use the year to gain social maturity, discover new interests, or find clarity in the college search process. International students may also choose a PG year as a way to experience studying in the U.S. before committing to a longer-term program, while strengthening their academic preparation and overall candidacy in the process.
Whether a student arrives with defined athletic aspirations or simply wants more time to grow before college, the PG year offers a personalized path toward greater readiness, purpose, and independence.
Real Stories: Different PG Journeys
There are over 100 schools in the US and Canada that offer the PG experience to students looking for the next step before college. I am happy to share with you the successes and challenges inherent in the PG experience and how they align with the goals and expectations of our college students as they enter adulthood and beyond, fully knowing that education is a never-ending proposition.
These two students illustrate just how differently a post graduate year can shape a young person’s academic, social, and athletic readiness for college.
Suzie’s story
Suzie, for example, decided to choose a post graduate year after finding the IB program at the school she attended and graduated from wasn’t the best fit to fully prepare her for college, as she had hoped – socially and in terms of academic breadth and opportunities. Coincidentally, she was a hockey player who decided as a senior that she wanted to try to play in college. The PG year extended the opportunity for recruitment (with the addition of an intense recruiting plan) and the additional year allowed her to explore classes that piqued her interest in ecology and biology. She is now playing hockey and is a biology major at a top liberal arts college.
Joe’s story
Joe was a late bloomer physically and academically. He and his family chose a PG year to allow Joe the opportunity to physically and academically mature at a place where he could compete on a high-level lacrosse team against elite level competition. Joe’s grades and synthesis of course material began to bloom, and he benefited from the close-knit community, strong advising, and quality coaching and competition.
Is a PG Year Right for Your Student?
A PG year is most impactful when it aligns with a student’s readiness, goals, and need for additional time to grow before college. For some, that means strengthening academic habits or building confidence in a smaller, more structured environment. For others, it may offer clarity in the college process or extend opportunities in athletics, leadership, or personal development.
If you’re wondering whether a PG year could support your student’s transition to college, our educational consultants are here to help you explore the option and understand whether it’s the right next step. You’re welcome to schedule a free consultation to discuss your student’s path in more detail.
