International Schools in Singapore 2026: Fees, Curricula and How to Choose
Quick Answer: Singapore has more than 50 international schools teaching IB, British, American, Australian, German, Indian and other curricula, at S$14,000 to S$59,000 a year. Foreigners can enrol freely; Singapore citizens need an MOE waiver. Here is how the market works and how to choose.
Singapore has one of the deepest international school markets in the world: more than 50 schools teaching IB, British, American, Australian, German, French, Japanese, Korean and Indian curricula, at published 2026/27 tuition from about S$14,500 to S$59,220 a year. Foreign and permanent-resident children can enrol in any of them; Singapore citizens need a Ministry of Education waiver that the school applies for. Results are strong across the board, with a Singapore-wide IB Diploma average of 35.67 in May 2026 against a world average of 30.88. This guide explains who can attend, what the curricula mean, what the schools cost, how they perform and how to choose. Browse all of them on our Singapore international schools page.
Who can attend an international school in Singapore?
Anyone holding a dependant's pass, student's pass, permanent residency or other valid residence can enrol without restriction. Singapore citizens are the exception. Under the Compulsory Education Act, a citizen of Primary 1 age or older needs a waiver from the Ministry of Education to attend a Foreign System School. The school submits the application once it has a place; parents cannot apply themselves, and MOE takes up to four weeks. Approval is given case by case, most readily to returning Singaporeans who have studied overseas from Primary 1 or later, children with one foreign parent, and children with special learning needs. UWCSEA's guidance for citizens is the clearest public summary, and Dover Court charges a S$300 fee to prepare the MOE application. Below Primary 1 age there is no restriction.
Every international school is a private education institution registered under the Private Education Act, administered since October 2024 by SkillsFuture Singapore, and must protect fees through a Fee Protection Scheme. Check the registry before paying a deposit.
Which curricula are on offer?
| Pathway | What it looks like | Exit qualification | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IB continuum | Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes throughout | IB Diploma at 18 | UWCSEA, Canadian International School, XCL World Academy, GESS, Nexus |
| British | English National Curriculum to Year 9, Cambridge or Edexcel IGCSE at 16, then A Levels or the IB Diploma | A Levels or IB Diploma | Tanglin Trust, Dulwich, Dover Court, North London Collegiate, Brighton College |
| American | US standards-based programme, Advanced Placement courses in high school, some with the IB Diploma as an option | US High School Diploma, AP, or IB | Singapore American School, Stamford American |
| Australian | Australian curriculum with IGCSE at 16 and a choice of the NSW HSC or IB Diploma | HSC or IB Diploma | Australian International School |
| Cambridge value | Cambridge Primary and Lower Secondary, IGCSE, some with the IB Diploma or A Levels | IGCSE, then IB or A Level where offered | One World, Middleton, Invictus |
| Indian | CBSE alongside IB and Cambridge tracks | CBSE, IGCSE or IB Diploma | Global Indian International School, NPS International, DPS International |
| National-language schools | Home-country curriculum in the home language | Home-country diploma | Japanese School, Korean International School, Swiss School, GESS German section |
The practical question is where your child will go at 18. UK-bound students are well served by A Levels or the IB; US-bound by AP or the IB; families who may move again should favour the IB or IGCSE for portability. Our Cambridge vs IB guide sets out the differences, and IB vs IGCSE schools in Singapore lists which Singapore schools run which pathway.
What do they cost?
Published 2026/27 tuition, from the schools' own fee schedules:
| Tier | Primary (S$ per year) | Final two years (S$ per year) | Typical one-time fees | Schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | 45,000 to 49,000 | 53,000 to 59,000 | 5,000 to 10,000, plus annual levies at some | Dulwich, Tanglin, Stamford, SAS, UWCSEA, Nexus, CIS, SJI International |
| Mid | 35,000 to 45,000 | 44,000 to 53,000 | 4,000 to 11,000 | Australian International School, XCL, Dover Court, GESS |
| Value | 14,000 to 28,000 | 20,000 to 33,000 | 1,500 to 4,000 | One World, Middleton, Invictus, GIIS |
The full school-by-school table, the one-time fees, the annual levies and the discounts are in our Singapore fees guide; the value tier gets its own treatment in affordable international schools in Singapore.
How do the schools perform?
The one public, comparable measure is the IB Diploma. In the May 2026 session, 2,250 students in Singapore averaged 35.67 points against a world average of 30.88. School averages reported for that session: Tanglin Trust 39.1, North London Collegiate 38.35, GIIS SMART Campus 38, NPS International 38, Dulwich 37.7 (145 candidates), UWCSEA 36.3 (642 candidates, 98.9% pass), Overseas Family School 36, Nexus 35.7, GESS 35.6, Dover Court 35, One World Nanyang 35, Canadian International School 35, Australian International School 34.9, Stamford American 34.8, XCL 34. SJI International, on a January-to-December year, averaged 38 in its November 2025 session. A Level and AP results are published by each school individually.
Two cautions. Averages reflect intake as much as teaching, and the biggest cohorts (UWCSEA's 642) are the hardest to compare with a selective sixth form of 55. Read the results alongside class sizes, the range of subjects offered and what the school does for students who are not in the top third.
Where are the schools?
Campus location decides the commute, and buses in Singapore cost S$2,500 to S$7,000 a year. The main clusters:
- West and south-west: UWCSEA Dover, Tanglin, Dover Court, Dulwich (Bukit Batok), Canadian International School Lakeside, One World Nanyang. Convenient for Holland Village, Bukit Timah and Jurong.
- Central: SJI International, Stamford (Woodleigh), Invictus Dempsey, Nexus (Aljunied). Closest to Orchard, Novena and the city.
- East and north-east: UWCSEA East (Tampines), Middleton Tampines, Canadian International School Tanjong Katong, One World Punggol, GIIS Punggol, Australian International School (Lorong Chuan).
- North: Singapore American School (Woodlands), XCL World Academy (Yishun).
How should you choose?
- Fix the exit qualification first. It narrows the list more than anything else.
- Set the all-in budget including one-time fees, levies, bus and EAL, and check it against your employer's cap.
- Check availability. The older schools hold waiting lists at entry points; ask each school for space in your child's year group before paying application fees.
- Visit twice. Once on an open day, once on a normal day. Ask to sit in a lesson in your child's year.
- Ask about the middle of the cohort. Results pages show the top; ask what support exists for a child who is average in maths or new to English.
- Read the contract. Notice periods, refund policy and the Fee Protection Scheme are all in the student contract that the Private Education Act requires.
How does admission work?
Apply online with school reports, a passport copy and, for older children, an assessment or interview; application fees run from S$288 to S$2,500 and are not refundable. Offers come with an enrolment fee (S$1,000 to S$6,355) due within days, and at some schools a capital levy or deposit. Most schools run August to June and take applications a year ahead; a few (Australian International School, SJI International, the Indian-curriculum schools) run January to December. Singapore citizens are usually offered places in a later round because the MOE waiver has to be applied for first.
Start with the full list of international schools in Singapore, filter by curriculum and age range, and shortlist three to visit.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Singapore citizens attend international schools?
- Only with a waiver from the Compulsory Education Act, which the school applies for on the family's behalf once it has a place; parents cannot apply directly. MOE expects citizens to attend national schools and considers cases individually, most often returning Singaporeans who have studied overseas for several years from Primary 1 upwards, children with one foreign parent, or special learning needs. Children below Primary 1 age need no waiver. Permanent residents and foreigners enrol freely.
- How many international schools are there in Singapore?
- DailySchools lists 57 in the city, from single-campus kindergartens to through-schools with 5,000 pupils, and guides put the total between 40 and 70 depending on what they count. In the May 2026 IB Diploma session, 2,250 students in Singapore received results at the schools that publish results.
- Which curriculum should we choose?
- Match it to where your child is likely to go next. British schools run Cambridge or Edexcel IGCSE to 16 then A Levels or the IB Diploma; American schools run a US high school diploma with Advanced Placement, sometimes with the IB; IB continuum schools run PYP, MYP and the Diploma throughout. If you may move again, the IB and IGCSE are the most portable. Our Cambridge vs IB guide covers the trade-offs.
- How much do international schools in Singapore cost?
- Published 2026/27 tuition runs from about S$14,500 to S$59,220 a year. Premium schools charge S$45,000 to S$49,000 for primary and S$53,000 to S$59,000 for the last two years, plus one-time fees of S$5,000 to S$10,000 and, at some, annual levies of S$2,000 to S$9,500. A value tier charges S$20,000 to S$30,000. See our school-by-school fees guide.
- When does the school year start?
- Most international schools in Singapore start in August and finish in June, in line with the northern hemisphere. Australian International School, SJI International and the Indian-curriculum schools run January to December. Applications open a year ahead and popular entry points (Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 7, Year 12) fill early.
- How do I check a school is legitimate?
- Every private school in Singapore, international schools included, must be registered under the Private Education Act, now administered by SkillsFuture Singapore after the Committee for Private Education was dissolved in October 2024, and must offer a Fee Protection Scheme. Search the SkillsFuture registry for the school's name and check the registration period.
- Which international schools in Singapore get the best IB results?
- In the May 2026 session, Tanglin Trust averaged 39.1 points, North London Collegiate School 38.35, GIIS SMART Campus and NPS International 38, Dulwich 37.7, UWCSEA 36.3 across 642 candidates, against a Singapore average of 35.67 and a world average of 30.88. SJI International, which sits exams in November, averaged 38 in its latest session.
