Why join for free?
Already have an account? Log In
China, Guangzhou
Let the school know you're thinking of applying — they can share their prerequisites and help you through the process.
It's best to ask — circumstances can change at any time.
Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake is located in the Songshan Lake industrial park, Dongguan, Guangdong — the campus sits next to Huawei European Village and Songshan Lake Park. Address given on the school site is C4 CIMC Yi-Ning-Xi-Lu Road, Dongguan City, Guangdong, China. The site notes the campus is tranquil and has easy access to local transport links.
The school offers IGCSE and A‑level programmes and international preparatory (pre‑A level) options, with two‑year IGCSE and two‑year A‑level patterns and a one‑year pre‑A route described on the curriculum pages. The programmes are aimed at secondary / senior‑school students preparing for university.
MAS is a co‑educational school and operates boarding provision; students are placed in age‑appropriate boarding houses with houseparents and resident tutors on site. The Songshan Lake campus is part of the wider Merchiston group (links with Merchiston Castle School and other Merchiston campuses) and shares resources across those campuses.
The website describes a three‑teacher guidance model that includes academic mentors, pastoral care and a psychological counsellor as part of student support. The school does not publish a detailed Special Educational Needs (SEN) or specific learning‑support list on its public pages; parents are advised to contact admissions for case‑specific information.
MAS presents itself as part of the Merchiston family and cites an affiliation with Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, Scotland (UK).
The school website does not state any religious affiliation.
The site publishes an Academic Calendar and a timetable page (作息表) where the school timetable is made available; exact start and finish times are shown on that calendar/timetable rather than in prominent text. The boarding page notes that boarders follow the same working day as day students and have a structured evening homework period and supervised weekend activities.
The school refers to school buses in its uniform guidance (students must wear uniform on school buses), which indicates a bus service is used, but the website does not publish detailed route, provider or booking information. For pickup/drop‑off routes, costs and registration, the site directs parents to contact Admissions (admissions@merchistonacademy.cn / 400 999 0978).
Application / Seat‑reservation fees
- Seat reservation (placement) deposit: RMB 18,000 (payable on offer/booking; treated as a seat deposit).
Tuition fees (current academic year — listed as annual amounts by programme)
- QingTeng programme (national curriculum + AP): RMB 178,000 per year.
- Songshan Lake programme (national curriculum + A‑Level): RMB 158,000 per year.
- ZiJing programme (national curriculum + DSE): RMB 98,000 per year.
- DeQin (domestic curriculum + Xingzhi特色): RMB 40,000 per year.
Per‑term / billing equivalents
- The school has previously published semester figures (two semesters per academic year) for international and domestic directions; older published semester examples include RMB 75,000 per semester for international direction and RMB 30,000 per semester for domestic direction. Where an annual fee is published, treat it as the full academic‑year charge unless a semester breakdown is specified.
Boarding (annual)
- Boarding (6‑person room): RMB 18,000 per year.
- Boarding (3‑person room): RMB 30,000 per year.
Other charges (paid separately)
- Insurance, optional paid CCAs, school bus, bedding/room setup, meals, uniforms, textbooks, international examination registration fees and occasional field‑trip or practical course fees. These items are charged in addition to tuition/boarding.
Billing schedule and payment terms / refunds
- Tuition is charged according to the published fee schedule for the relevant programme/year. If a student enrolls after a term begins, fees may be charged on a pro‑rata basis. Students are required to settle outstanding fees to receive school reports. If a registered student pays but does not commence, 90% of fees may be refundable; mid‑term withdrawals are calculated pro‑rata by actual days in attendance (school example formula: refund = paid/184 (184 − days attended), with a minimum month unit). One‑term written notice of withdrawal is normally required; failure to give notice can result in charges for remaining fees.
Fee payment options
- Publicly available materials do not list a definitive set of accepted payment channels for MAS Songshan Lake. Common channels for campuses in this group include bank transfer and electronic payments; for admissions or payment instructions, use the school admissions contact (admissions@merchistonacademy.cn).
Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake (MAS) opened in September 2021 and is presented on the school website as an international campus located in Songshan Lake Park, adjacent to Huawei's European Village; the site states the campus has about 35,000 m² of floor area and convenient transport links. MAS is described as offering courses within IGCSE and GCE A-level pathways and cooperating with Pearson/Edexcel and BTEC vocational provision for older students. The website also describes an on-site boarding provision and a broad co-curricular programme (sports, arts and STEM-related CCAs are listed). The school site does not publish a full fee schedule, an overall minimum/maximum age range for all entry points, typical class-size figures for MAS, or a total current pupil number; I can fetch the campus latitude/longitude from Google Maps if you'd like.
