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China, Shanghai
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1. Admissions Process
Step 1: Identify your applicant type and prepare to apply. A holistic review assesses academic excellence, intellectual vitality, and the personal context of each applicant. If you are a Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School (SSBS) middle school graduate, you are automatically eligible to take the SSBS High School Academic Entrance Examination; your exam score along with your transcript and a school recommendation are used as admission criteria. If you are a local middle school graduate, you must apply first, then take the SSBS Enrollment Examination before an interview. These steps set the path to final admission based on the combination of exam results, transcripts, and recommendations. (Admissions policy and criteria described in the SSBS High School Profile 2025-2026.)
Step 2: Complete the appropriate entrance assessment. SSBS middle school graduates sit the SSBS High School Academic Entrance Examination; the exam score is used together with your transcript and school recommendation to determine admission. For local middle school graduates, you will first take the SSBS Enrollment Examination and then proceed to an interview if eligible. The assessments are designed to gauge readiness for SSBS's integrated education model.
Step 3: Attend the interview (for local grads). After the Enrollment Examination, local middle school graduates undergo an interview as part of the final admission process. The interview, together with the examination results and academic records, contributes to the holistic review used to approve or deny admission. SSBS emphasizes evaluating both academic preparedness and personal context during this stage.
Step 4: Receive an admission decision and enroll if admitted. Admission decisions are based on a holistic review of the applicant's academic performance, intellectual vitality, and personal context. Local graduates must complete graduation from Shanghai middle schools and achieve Zhongkao scores above the entrance level of top-tier Shanghai high schools to qualify for final admission. If admitted, families proceed with enrollment according to SSBS procedures.
There is no published waitlist or pool system described in the official SSBS admissions materials.
Public SSBS materials do not list any scholarship program or scholarship awards.
Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School (SSBS) is a private bilingual school in Minhang District, Shanghai, established in 2012. It serves students from Grade 1 through Grade 12. In the lower grades (1–9), SSBS delivers the national compulsory education curriculum with bilingual instruction in mathematics, science, physics, chemistry and biology, and offers a range of elective courses to develop student interests. In the upper grades (10–12), the high school program centers on Chinese core courses taught in Chinese, such as Chinese, Politics, History and Geography. It also adds international-style electives, including Sino-US integrated courses and Advanced Placement (AP) courses under the College Board, with more than 30 AP subjects available (including Capstone). The school's guiding philosophy is “global education with the Chinese core,” emphasizing national identity, international perspective, innovation, collaboration and social responsibility.
