Admission Requirements

Passport Eligibility & Residency Requirement

Concordia follows the regulations set by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (SHMEC):

• Concordia may only accept students with a valid non-PRC passport (specific categories are outlined below) or an “Official Letter of Approval to Attend Concordia” from the SHMEC.
• All students must be living with at least one parent in Shanghai throughout their time of study at Concordia.
• All students must comply with government-mandated document requirements (provided below)

Note: Should Concordia become aware that an enrolled student is living in Shanghai without at least one parent or does not hold current copies of the required government-mandated documents, the student will be asked to leave school and all tuition/fees paid will be forfeited.

Government Mandated Documents

The Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (SHMEC) requires that international schools keep on file several official documents for each student. Please reference the categories below to determine into which category your family falls, then submit the relevant documents when requested during the application process.

• Category 1: Foreign Families with at Least One Working Parent; Shanghai Work Permit Required (外籍家庭)

家长和学生本人均持有国外护照, 家长需持上海签发的工作许可， 学生需持合法入境签证。

• Category 2: Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Families with at Least One Working Parent (港澳台家庭)

一方家长和学生本人均持有香港/澳门/台湾的持通行证（台胞证/回乡证），家长需提供在沪工作证明。

• Category 3: Student Born Overseas and both parents are PRC; One parent working in Shanghai ( 海外出生学生)

父母双方皆为中国籍、孩子持有效海外出生证明及其三级认证和翻译件。父母一方在沪工作证明和营业执照复印件需盖公章。

• Category 4: One Parent Holds Foreign Passport and Shanghai Work Permit/Shanghai Reunion Residence Permit; Biological Child and Legally Married Spouse Hold PRC passports.

一方家长持外籍护照以及上海工作许可或上海签发的团聚签证，其中国籍配偶婚生的子女。

• Category 5: One working parent has Shanghai Hukou, the student holds overseas birth certificate. The other foreign parent holds valid entry visa.

一方家长为上海户籍且在沪工作、孩子持海外合法出生证明；另一方外籍家长持合法入境签证。

Please note: The residence permit and work permit must be issued in Shanghai.
请注意：居留许可及工作许可相关文件必须在上海签发。

Please consult Admissions Office through 86-21-5899 0380 if you are unsure whether your child is eligible for applying.

Language and Testing

English Language Proficiency

Students applying for Kindergarten (our 5 year-old program) through Grade 12 must possess proficient English language skills (age-appropriate listening, speaking, reading and writing). Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten students may be admitted with beginning English.

An English assessment may be given to candidates based on the following:

• Native and home languages
• Number of years in an English-language curriculum
• School records
• Confidential Teacher recommendations

Special Needs

Admission to Concordia is contingent upon a match between the student’s learning needs and levels of service available at the time of application. As a result, all decisions regarding admission for students who may need minimal accommodation or support are made on an individual, case-by-case basis to ensure that individual students will find personal and academic success within our community. We ask families whose children have specialized schooling requirements to include documentation and full disclosure* of these needs and the reasons for these requirements with the application. Parents are invited to discuss their child’s needs at any time without a fee.

*Failure to disclose full history of learning needs can result in dismissal from the school

Admissions Assessments

Assessments are used to aid the application review process and may consist of some or all of the following: Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Listening Comprehension, and/or Writing. 

• Submitting an application does not guarantee assessment. A non-acceptance will be issued without assessment should the admissions review team determine that the student does not meet admittance requirements.
• If the requested grade level has reached wait pool status and an applicant requires an assessment, the assessment will be scheduled if/when the space availability increases.

Grade and Age Placement

We consider the following information to determine grade placement for admission decisions.

Non-August/September School Year Start

Students coming from school years that begin at any point other than August/September will be required to apply for the same grade level in which they are currently studying or which they may have just completed.

Birth Date Eligibility

Concordia’s cut-off date for Preschool through Kindergarten enrollment is September 1. When prioritizing placement and admissions decisions, the applicant's age may be considered. Students coming from August/September to June/July school years who are applying for Grade 1 to 12 and whose dates of birth fall after the cut-off date will not be required to repeat a grade level should they meet all requirements for admission and continuance into the next logical grade level.