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Applying to AIS

We are now accepting applications for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic year. Limited spaces are available in the 2023-2024 academic year and open for application via this website.

AIS adopts a rolling admissions policy throughout the school year. However, interested parents are strongly encouraged to apply early due to our limited spaces and small class sizes. Available spaces are offered on a first-come, first-served basis to our successful applicants. 

Our structure for the AIS academic programs is as follows:

Elementary School Middle School High School
Early Childhood 1 – Grade 1 Junior (Early Childhood section)
Grade 1 – 4		 Grade 5 – 8 Grade 9 – 12

GRADE LEVEL EQUIVALENT GUIDE

Students seeking enrollment at AIS from Early Childhood 1 to Grade 1 are placed according to their age on or before 31 December. 

Note:

  • Students transferring from a country with a school year that follows a different calendar than AIS will be required to continue in the same grade level they have just completed. For example, a student who completed Grade 8 in Korea, Singapore or Australia in February to March would be placed in Grade 8 for the remainder of the academic year at AIS.
  • Students successfully transferring into AIS mid-year will be required to continue their academic program in the same grade level for the remainder of the AIS academic year.
  • For other national curriculum grade equivalents, please check with our Admissions Office directly.

ADMISSIONS PROCESS

We trust the following information will assist every prospective family and student in understanding our admissions process. Please include all the necessary documentation required for processing an application for admission.

STEP ONE: ONLINE APPLICATION & DOCUMENTS

1. Create a new online application or sign-in to an existing account if you have already started an application.

2. Please upload the following documents to the online application profile:

  • Applicant’s recent photo;
  • Applicant’s Birth Certificate;
  • Applicant’s Hong Kong Identification card (if available);
  • Applicant’s Passport Photo Page;
  • Applicant’s permit to study in HK (Valid “Visa / Permit Page”) for non-HK permanent residents*;
  • Parent’s Passport Photo Page or Hong Kong Identification Card;
  • School reports in English for the last 2 years / 3 years;
  • A non-refundable, non-transferrable application fee payment of HK$1,500;

3. Grade 1 to 12 Applicants: Student Reference Form(s) OR Recommendation letter; 

Applying Grade Level To Be Completed By
Grade 1 – 4 (Student Reference Form) Current Homeroom teacher, English/Mathematics or Social Studies teacher, Principal or School Counselor
Grade 5 – 8 (Student Reference Form) Current Homeroom teacher, English/Mathematics or Social Studies teacher, Principal or School Counselor
Grade 9 – 12  (Student Reference Form) Current English/Mathematics teacher, Principal or School Counselor

NOTE:

  • An application with insufficient supporting documents or without payment will not be processed.
  • *Applicants in the process of applying for Hong Kong residential status are welcome to apply. Proof for the right of abode or a visa/entry permit to study in the HKSAR issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department must be presented prior to be admitted to AIS.
  • AIS does not have any support programs for English as a Second Language or for students with special learning needs. Therefore, all applicants must disclose any and all additional documentation or reports relating to the applicant’s ability to successfully learn in a regular English academic school environment.
  • Any supplementary documents may be submitted by uploading to the online application account or via electronic mail as a single PDF attachment to admissions@ais.edu.hk.
STEP TWO: ENTRANCE ASSESSMENTS & INTERVIEW
Registrations for INFORMATION SESSION are welcome from September to June for Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, and High School.

The language of instruction and communication at AIS is English. Students seeking admission to AIS are expected to be proficient users of English appropriate to their age and in line with the language requirements of their grade-level. AIS does not have any support programs for English as a Second Language or for students with special learning needs. All applicants must disclose any and all additional documentation or reports relating to the applicant’s ability to successfully learn in a regular English academic school environment.

GRADE LEVEL ENTRANCE ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW*
Early Childhood 1 — Grade 1 Junior x 30 minutes
Grade 1 45 minutes If granted, 30 minutes
Grade 2 — Grade 3 1 hour If granted, 30 minutes
Grade 4 — Grade 5 1 hour 30 minutes If granted, 30 minutes
Grade 6 — Grade 7 2 hours If granted, 30 minutes
Grade 8 2 hours 30 minutes If granted, 30 minutes
Grade 9 — Grade 12 3 hours If granted, 1 hour

OVERSEAS ASSESSMENT: Grade 1 to 8 applicant(s) have the option of scheduling an online assessment appointment with our Admissions Office

OVERSEAS ASSESSMENT: Grade 9 to 12 applicant(s) have the option of attending the ISEE online entrance test at one of the prometric exam centers available internationally. There will be a registration fee of US$200 payable to the ERB organization if you choose this service. Please contact our admissions office for more information.

Upon review of the entrance assessment results and Student Reference Forms (for G1 to 12 applicants) by the principal, the admissions procedure *may include a personal interview with the student and their family on a separate day. Students and families seeking admission to AIS are expected to support the school’s mission and contribute positively to the AIS community. The personal interview provides the school and prospective family an opportunity to review the applicant’s previous school records and their performance on the AIS placement tests.

Based on the applicant’s previous school records, performance on the AIS entrance assessment, and the personal interview (if granted), a decision to offer a place to the applicant will be made by the Admissions Committee.

NOTE:

  • Early Childhood to Grade 1 Junior applicants will need to have the ability to speak in simple sentences, understand and respond to a teacher’s general instructions and questions in English. Written tests are not administered to children seeking enrollment for these grade levels.
  • Grade 1 to 12 applicants will take an entrance assessment based upon a US standardised test to determine competency in English and Mathematics. The test includes vocabulary, writing, reading, comprehension, mathematics, and speaking skills. Applicants may also be required to write a short piece about a prescribed topic.
STEP THREE: OFFER DECISION
AIS maintains an admissions process that respects the needs of students and families to learn about the school. We strive to provide all prospective applicants with clear and appropriate information to aid in their decision-making. Our process is selective and will at all times seek to ensure an appropriate match between prospective students and the school. The decision to accept any student will only be made once all steps in the admissions process have been completed. The final decision to accept or reject any application rests solely with the school’s administration.

ACCEPTANCE

If an applicant is qualified, a formal letter of acceptance signed by the respective principal will be sent via email along with important information. Each year a few students are conditionally accepted or accepted on probationary status.

If the family wishes to accept the offer, they must provide payment of the subsequent school fees within the time frame specified in the offer letter in order to guarantee enrollment. Placement will be confirmed on receipt of the tuition fee and the capital levy.

If a family fails to notify the school of their decision to either accept or decline enrollment before the deadline, the offer will be withdrawn.

WAIT LIST POLICY

Once the maximum class size has been reached, students seeking enrollment may be placed on a waiting list. To reserve a place in the waitlist, the school requires a deposit payment within 7 days of the offer. This deposit is non-refundable but will be credited towards the first tuition fee accordingly.

If there is no opening after 3 months of the student being placed from the wait list, a full refund of the deposit can be requested. If there is an opening within 3 months and families decided not to accept the offer, the deposit will be non-refundable. Every effort will be made to inform the candidate’s family about space availability so that the family can plan appropriately.

Waiting status is dissolved once the third semester enrollment is finalized in late March. Students on a waiting status, interested in admission for the following year, may reapply again.

DECLINED

Students can be declined, based on the basis of their academic and/or behavioral record, their English language proficiency does not meet grade-level requirements, or when AIS lacks a program to meet their individual needs. The school is not obligated to release admission test results to our applicants.

Declined candidates may reapply again after six months.

NOTE:

  • AIS has a clear set of practices that we use for gathering, disseminating, and maintaining a prospective student’s information. We respect the privacy of our students and our families; we keep the confidentiality of personal documents, beginning with the admissions process.
  • AIS does not discriminate on the basis of gender or race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of our admissions policies.
  • The admissions procedures of the American International School Hong Kong have been developed in line with the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) Principles of Good Practice. These principles of good practice define high standards and ethical behavior in key areas of school operations to guide schools in becoming the best education communities they can be.
STEP FOUR: TUITION & FEES PAYMENT
Remaining true to our mission of providing an affordable option for families seeking an American educational program in Hong Kong, AIS, unlike most other international schools, has instinctively resisted the introduction of a debenture scheme and other huge fees that may prevent families from seeking admission.

Please refer to our current year’s Tuition & Fees structure for further details of payments.