Which school did Rishi Sunak attend, and what were the fees?

Rishi Sunak is bidding to remain prime minister at the General Election next month, and is truly selling himself as a man of the people.

The Conservative leader reassured voters he went without ‘lots of things’ as a child so his parents could pay his school fees at prestigious Winchester College.

This includes forgoing a Sky TV subscription, saying in an ITV interview to be broadcast today: ‘There’ll be all sorts of things that I would’ve wanted as a kid that I couldn’t have.

‘Famously, Sky TV, so that was something that we never had growing up actually.’

Tatler described Mr Sunak missing out on a scholarship after being accepted to study at Winchester – reporting in a feature that ‘his parents decided to take on the high fees themselves’.

So what was his upbringing really like?

But what about his own background as a young person? Here’s all you need to know.

Where did Rishi Sunak go to school?

Southampton-born Rishi Sunak attended a private preparatory school in his home city called Oakmount.

However, in 1989 he moved to Stroud School in Hampshire, after the former closed down.

A 2020 biography of Mr Sunak, called Going For Broke: The Rise of Rishi Sunak, noted that he was Stroud’s head boy, captain of the cricket team, and a fan of football, hockey and athletics.

Today, the school describes itself as ‘a non-selective co-educational school for children ages three to 13, set in 22 acres of rural Hampshire. It is the preparatory school for King Edward VI School in Southampton.’

In the early 1990s until around 1998, Rishi attended Winchester College, a prestigious Hampshire public school.

It currently costs upwards of £33k per year to attend Mr Sunak’s old school (Picture: Getty)

Mr Sunak then studied at Stanford, a prestigious university in California, USA (Picture: Getty)

To attend today, a year boarding at Winchester College (as Mr Sunak did) would set you back an eye-watering £49,152 – with a slightly smaller sum of £36,369 for day pupils.

That said, it’s not entirely clear how much it would’ve cost three decades ago.

Mr Sunak then read Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) at Lincoln College Oxford, graduating in 2001.

After this, he became a Fulbright Scholar, allowing him to study at Stanford University in California – where he earned a Masters degree in Business Administration.

What has Rishi Sunak said about his school?

Back in April 2022, Mr Sunak spoke about Winchester College in an interview with Sky News.

The then-Chancellor told the outlet: ‘It was an amazing opportunity.

‘I was really lucky… it was something that was really extraordinary. It certainly put my life on a different trajectory… it’s part of the reason I’m sitting here. I’m really grateful.

‘I look back on that time, it’s helped make me who I am as a person. I’m sure it helps me do the job [of Chancellor] in the way I do it.’

Around this time, it was revealed that Mr Sunak and wife Akshata Murthy had donated more than £100,000 to the school.

Mr Sunak has also spoken about his education during leadership debates in July and August, saying during a BBC tussle with Liz Truss: ‘My parents were part of an immigrant family that came here.

‘They didn’t start with very much, but they worked day and night, saved and sacrificed to provide a better future for their three children.

‘And I am nothing but enormously grateful for everything that they did for me. I’m certainly not going to apologise for the fact that they worked hard, and they aspired to do that for their kids.’

On his website, Mr Sunak also adds: ‘My parents sacrificed a great deal so I could attend good schools.

‘I was lucky to study at Winchester College, Oxford University and Stanford University. That experience changed my life and as a result I am passionate about ensuring everybody has access to a great education.’

David Wilson