Switzerland, Basel
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.
Three steps are required for enrolment: schedule an appointment with the school headmistress; during an interview, all aspects of the curriculum and admissions are discussed, with the child present. The parents complete the enrolment application and send it to the secretariat and pay the enrolment fee, after which enrolment is confirmed. For primary school, motivation to learn in a multilingual environment is sought; for secondary school, candidates must pass entrance tests in French, Math, and German. Saint-Charles offers two high school streams, one in French and one bilingual French-English, both recognised by Swiss educational authorities. Appointments can be booked online or by contacting the school secretary. The admission process includes providing documents (school reports for the last two years, a letter of recommendation, and a color scan of the passport), an interview and admissions testing, and language assessments (IB Diploma: English Proficiency; Swiss Matura: English and French Proficiency) plus a Maths assessment. The Head of Admissions reviews applications and responds in roughly 10 days. Possible outcomes are admittance with a welcome package and visa procedures; provisional acceptance after a language-study period; waitlist; or non-acceptance.
Waitlist: if there is no space in the desired program, a place on the waitlist may be offered until space becomes available.
A scholarship fund for Jura-based students exists and allows residents of the canton to attend Saint-Charles. The school administration is available to answer questions in complete confidentiality.
Saint-Charles International School is a day and boarding school founded in 1897. It offers Swiss Curriculum and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, with two pathways: the Swiss Programme (primary through maturité) and the IB Diploma Programme (in English). The school is recognised by the Swiss Confederation and authorised to prepare students for maturité examinations. Instruction in the Swiss Programme is multilingual (French, English, German), with Primary taught in English and French and the Middle School in English, French and German; the IB Programme is taught in English with ESL support. Immersion language teaching introduces English and German from early years through language islands, enabling bilingual Matura or IB Diploma. The campus features a swimming pool, gym, tennis courts, music rooms and a cinema; on-campus dining includes vegetarian options. Boarding from age 10; off-campus partnerships support equestrian training and sports. The school educates around 250 students and has 8,000+ alumni worldwide.