Visiting Lawrence College
No prospectus does justice to Ghora Gali. Families considering the college are warmly encouraged to come and see it — walk the grounds, look inside a boarding house, and meet the Admissions team. The drive up from Islamabad makes a comfortable half-day trip.
What you may do on campus depends on who you are. Choose below and the page will show only the arrangements that apply to you.
Who is visiting?
Campus visits for prospective families are arranged by appointment on working days. Come and see it before you decide.
- Book ahead. Use the form at the foot of this page, or telephone the Admissions Office. Please do not arrive unannounced — the gate cannot admit unbooked visitors.
- Allow about two hours on campus, plus the drive each way.
- Bring identification for every adult in the party; the Main Gate keeps a visitors’ register.
- Bring your son if you can. Boys who have walked the grounds settle far better.
Parents of Junior and Preparatory School boys may visit on the designated visiting days published in the college calendar.
- Visiting days are set out in the academic calendar. The Principal is available in his office, including on visiting Sundays, if you have something to raise.
- Taking your son out. Junior and Preparatory boys may go into Murree or nearby areas only with a parent, and only on designated days.
- Meeting a teacher or the Housemaster outside visiting days is possible during working hours by special request — arrange it in advance.
- Any other leave needs written application to the Housemaster at least a week ahead.
Parents of Senior School boys may visit on the designated visiting days; boys themselves may go into Murree on designated Sundays.
- Visiting days are published in the academic calendar, as are exeat weekends.
- Murree Sundays. Senior boys may visit Murree on the Sundays set aside for it, under the standing arrangements of their House.
- Meeting subject teachers outside visiting days is by special request during working hours.
- Visits to boarders at other times are permitted only on official exeat days, unless arranged beforehand with the Housemaster.
Old Gallians are always welcome back. A note in advance means somebody will be expecting you.
- Write or telephone first so the gate and the school office know you are coming.
- The annual reunion at Ghora Gali is the occasion when most Gallians return; dates appear in the calendar and on the Alumni pages.
- If you have not registered on the alumni roll, it takes about three minutes and keeps the college able to reach you.
Getting Here
Lawrence College stands at Ghora Gali on the Rawalpindi–Murree road (N-75), among the pines at 6,395 ft — 5 km short of Murree and 2 km off the old road at the Ghora Gali junction.
Journey times are for an ordinary day. Allow considerably longer in the summer holiday season and in snow.
- At the Main Gate report to security; visitor parking is inside the gate.
- GPS 33.8863° N, 73.3690° E
- By air Islamabad International is about 2½ hours away by road.
Weather on the Hill
Ghora Gali sits a mile above sea level, and the hill keeps its own weather. It is reliably cooler than Rawalpindi — a pleasure in June, a different proposition in January, when snow can close the road for a day or two. Check before you set out.
- Summer a light jacket for the evening, whatever Rawalpindi is doing
- Winter a proper coat, and shoes that cope with wet stone
- Any season the campus is walked, not driven — comfortable shoes
What a Campus Visit Includes
A prospective family’s visit takes about two hours. The route varies with your son’s age, but it usually runs something like this.
-
0:00
Main Gate and the school office
Sign the visitors’ register, meet whoever is showing you round.
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0:15
The school for your son’s age
Junior, Preparatory or Senior — classrooms, and the laboratories or art rooms if they are free.
-
0:45
A boarding house and the dining hall
The part most parents come to see. Dormitories, common room, and where the boys eat.
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1:10
Jamali Stadium and the playing fields
Cricket, hockey, football and athletics, and the new all-weather swimming pool.
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1:30
Hamid Library and Thurley Hospital
Where the boys read, and where they are looked after when they are unwell.
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1:45
Admissions Office
Entry requirements, fees and the timetable for Session 2027 — applications close before 12 November 2026. Bring your questions.
Before You Come
Book first
Every visit is by appointment. The gate cannot admit an unbooked party.
Bring identification
For each adult. The Main Gate keeps a register of everyone entering.
Allow half a day
Two hours on campus and up to two on the road each way from Islamabad.
Photographs
Of your own party, freely. Please do not photograph other people’s children.
Dress for the hill
A mile up, and the campus is walked. Warm layers and sensible shoes.
If plans change
Telephone +92-51-3751001 so the slot can go to another family.
Steps and steep paths
The campus is built down a hillside and is walked, with steps between levels; not every building can be reached without them. Tell us in the form and the office will arrange what it can.
When the College Is in Session
The hill empties three or four times a year. A visit is still possible when the boys are away — the grounds, a boarding house and the Admissions Office are all still there — but a school at work is what most families come to see. From the 2026 calendar:
- 13 – 19 March Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. The session opens on 19 March, when the promoted classes report.
- 23 – 31 May Eid-ul-Azha holidays.
- 26 September – 4 October The autumn break.
- From 8 December The college rises for the long winter vacation. The date the new session opens is published in the academic calendar.
The form below says so when the date you choose falls inside one of these — it does not refuse it. Academic calendar →
Book a Campus Visit
Tell the Admissions Office when suits you and they will write or telephone to confirm. Or call +92-51-3751001, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday.
Your reference is …. Please keep it: quoting it saves the office looking you up.
The Admissions Office will telephone or e-mail to fix the day — nothing is booked until they do. If you have heard nothing and your date is close, telephone +92-51-3751001 between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM, Monday to Friday, and quote the reference.