The Western International School of Shanghai is proud of offer the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) as part of the full continuum of IB programmes.

　　The IBDP is for students aged 16-19. The IBDP is a two-year programme and is widely recognized as one of the most prestigious and challenging pre-university courses, being accepted in 3,300 universities in 90 countries.

　　1. Eligibility: Admission is open to all foreign passport holders with no preference given to any one nationality. Preference will be given to families with siblings already attending WISS.

　　2. PRC regulations: In compliance with Chinese government regulations, WISS can accept applications from foreign passport holders or residents from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Applications can also be received by any Chinese passport holder who has one or both parents holding a foreign passport, or those who qualify to apply under the regulations of Shanghai Education Committee.

　　3. School capacity and class size: Admissions will be granted according to enrollment limits which ensure that standards of excellence are maintained.

　　4. English fluency: Students applying to WISS may be evaluated for their English speaking, reading, and writing ability. As the school wishes to maintain an environment where English is the primary language of academic instruction, preference is given to those students who are most functional or have the greatest potential to be functional at their grade level in English. All students entering Secondary not having English as their native language must, as a minimum, be at a level from which they can work to complete the IB Subsidiary English B program by graduation, along with self-taught study of their mother tongue literature.

　　5. Special learning needs: Students admitted to WISS must be able to function within the regular classroom setting and be able to work towards the successful completion of WISS academic requirements. Enrollment decisions for students needing minimal learning support are made on an individual, case-by-case basis. Parents are welcome to discuss their child’s special needs without a fee.

　　WISS has elevator access, wheelchair accessibility, learning support teachers, and counselors. But we do not have the facilities or faculty required to educate children with severe learning or physical challenges such as emotional/behavioral disorders, autism, intellectual disabilities, communicative disorders/aphasia, and severe physical disability making normal class work too great a challenge. WISS has a dynamic teaching environment where all staff members are trained in our IB programmes. For this reason, we are unable to admit students who need another adult/care-provider in the room for extended periods of time.

　　Families whose children require additional support are asked for full disclosure and to submit all relevant educational or medical evaluations, IEPs, or other reports about learning needs. Failure to disclose full history of learning needs can result in withdrawal of an offer of enrollment or dismissal from school.

　　6. Age: A child must be:

　　toilet trained and 2.5 years old by February 1st of the year entering Pre-Nursery

　　toilet trained and three years old by September 1st of the year entering Nursery

　　four years old by September 1st of the year entering Pre-Kindergarten

　　five years old by September 1st of the year entering Kindergarten

　　six years old by September 1st of the year entering Grade 1

　　During the admissions process, WISS will always take into account the country of origin, the educational system from which the student comes, and the student’s past performance in that system.

　　7. Part-time students: Part-time students may be enrolled in WISS when their attendance is mutually beneficial to both parties. All conditions for entrance for full-time students apply. (Tuition will be charged on a pro-rata basis; all other fees are as for full-time students).