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The SMIC Private School Shanghai

China, Shanghai

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Admissions

How to apply, waitlist information, and financial support

Admissions Process

1. Check eligibility and age rules: Before you begin, confirm that your child meets SMIC-I's nationality/residency eligibility—SMIC International Division admits students holding a valid foreign passport or legal residents of Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan. Note the age cut-offs (for example, EP2 applicants must be 3 years old by September 30 and Grade 1 applicants must be 6 years old by September 30). The school does not generally permit grade-skipping, so plan grade placement accordingly.

2. Review fees and budget for additional costs: Review the published semester tuition levels for the relevant grade band (2025–2026 example: Early Childhood ¥70,000/semester; Grades 1–5 ¥75,000/semester; Grades 6–8 ¥80,000/semester; Grades 9–12 ¥83,000/semester) and factor in additional, non-tuition charges. Additional items listed by the school include a non-refundable application fee (RMB 1,000), an elementary book deposit (RMB 2,000 for new ES students), meal fees per meal, uniform costs, and optional school bus fees — contact the finance or bus office for current amounts and payment instructions. Because some charges (meals, buses, uniforms) vary by semester or student choices, parents should download the authorization form and speak with the Finance Office before committing.

3. Complete the online questionnaire and gather documents: Start by completing SMIC's online questionnaire so the admissions team understands your child's background and needs. The school publishes an "Eligibility Requirements and Documents List" that specifies which documents must be provided (passport/visa/residency documents, academic records, immunizations, etc.); read that list carefully so you prepare originals and copies in the format the school requests. The school requires the required documents to be submitted and verified in person at the SMIC Education Workshop Center (Qing Tong Road

173); an application is not considered complete until documents are delivered and verified.


4. Create an online application account and submit the application: Create an account and fill in the online application via the school's application portal (the Apply link on the admissions page). You can save progress and return later; use a working email or mobile number for account registration and follow the portal's instructions for uploading or declaring documents. The school's stated complete-application requirement includes (a) finishing the online form, (b) verifying required documents in person, and (c) paying the application fee — check the portal confirmation carefully for next-step instructions and local mailing/submission addresses.

5. Pay the application fee, observe deadlines, and schedule assessment(s): Pay the non-refundable application fee (RMB 1,000 as published) and note the application and assessment deadlines shown for the year you are applying—examples posted for Grade 1 (2026 Fall) show a complete-application deadline of 4:00pm on April 2, 2026 and an entrance-assessment date of Saturday, April 18, 2026. Deadlines and assessment dates differ by entry grade and intake (e.g., Early Childhood entrance events and open houses are scheduled monthly and EC assessments for 2026 were indicated for late March), so confirm the exact dates on the current admissions calendar before making travel or other arrangements. The school explicitly states that a "complete application" must include payment of the application fee, document verification, and the online form — missing any of these may disqualify the application from being processed.

6. Prepare for entrance assessments and language placement: SMIC requires English proficiency across listening, speaking, reading, and writing; assessment content varies by grade (Grade 1: English reading, writing and speaking; Grades 2–12: English reading comprehension, writing and an oral interview plus a grade-appropriate math assessment). All new students also take a Chinese assessment (late August placement) and are placed into either Yuwen (native Chinese) or CSL (Chinese as a Second Language) streams depending on ability. If your child has special educational needs, note that the school states it currently does not have resources for specialised special-needs programs — disclose any learning support needs early so the admissions team can advise whether the school can meet them.

7. Offers, enrolment steps and logistics after acceptance: If offered a place, the school will provide acceptance/enrolment instructions (these typically include signing fee/tuition agreements, completing finance authorization forms, and providing ID copies to the Finance Office). The Finance Office asks parents to sign an authorization form (do not send that form to the bank) and provides contact details for tuition enquiries; families should also confirm meal-plan enrolment (lunch plan is mandatory) and bus arrangements if needed. Because some programs (for example the Chinese Concentration Class) have additional academic or residency commitments, read any program-specific acceptance conditions carefully before paying tuition or deposits.

Waitlist

SMIC's official admissions pages do not publish a formal, detailed waitlist procedure. The school's FAQ and admissions information state that transfers and mid-term places are accepted "as long as there are seats available," which indicates seat availability is handled on a case-by-case basis rather than by a publicly described waitlist process. Third-party school directories list SMIC as having a waiting list, but that is not described in detail on the school site; because practices vary year to year, I recommend contacting the SMIC admissions office directly (admissions@smicschool.com or the telephone number on the admissions pages) to ask whether a formal waitlist exists for the grade and intake you seek and how the school manages offers from the wait pool.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

SMIC's public admissions and tuition pages do not advertise scholarships or a financial-aid program for the International Division. The school's tuition and FAQ pages list tuition, application fees and other charges but do not describe need-based aid, merit scholarships, or fee waivers for SMIC-I; no scholarship program is documented on the official admissions pages. If financial assistance or scholarship options are important to your family, contact Admissions (admissions@smicschool.com) or the Finance Office (julia_sun@smicschool.com) to request the most current information and ask whether any internal or external scholarship/discount options are offered in the current school year.

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The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Mandarin
Fees RMB 140,000 - 166,000
Ages 3 - 18 years
Pupil numbers 3000
Type Co-educational
Opened 2001
Bus Service No
Availability Are there places?

SMIC Private School (SMIC School) is a K–12 school founded by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation in 2001 and opened to the public in 2004. The main campus is in Zhangjiang, Pudong (Qing‑Tong Road) and the school combines a Chinese-track program with an international (American‑system) division; the international division offers AP courses and is an authorised AP and SAT/ACT test centre. Facilities listed on the school site include science labs, language facilities, AI classroom and extensive sports facilities. The bilingual kindergarten lists class sizes and age bands (P2 = 3 years; K1 = 4; K2 = 5). The school states it provides daily Chinese instruction across grades while following American‑based curricular standards in the international division. For families: tuition for the international division is published per semester on the school site (see fees page); the site also gives a school‑bus contact for routes and fees.

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