My child has a PRC passport but hold a foreign residency permit (i.e. US Green Card).  Can he apply to AISG?

AISG is registered with the People’s Republic of China as a School for Foreign Children.  Students who hold PRC passports are ineligible for admissions.  All other foreign passport holders, including those from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, are eligible for admissions.

What are the cut off dates for applications?

We will begin reviewing completed applications in March 2010 for the 2010-2011 school year (which begins August 2010).  Since some grades fill quickly we recommend that you submit your completed application by the end of March or early April.  Applications received after May 31, 2010 will be considered late applications.  These will be reviewed in early August and will be subject to seat availability.

Applications for Kindergarten should be submitted by mid March as testing is scheduled for the end of March.  Applications for pre-school should be submitted by the beginning of May as interviews are scheduled for mid May. Applications received after these test dates will be subject to seat availability.

For families moving to Guangzhou during the school year, we accept applications on a rolling basis, based on seat availability.  Please contact us as soon as you know about your possible relocation to Guangzhou.

What grade will my child be in at AISG?

Students who meet our admissions criteria are placed in a grade level after due consideration of their age, previous grade level, previous national school system, achievement level, and emotional and physicial maturity.  The school, not parents, will determine the appropriate grade placement of students.

Students who have not completed a full year of a given grade by the start of the school year will be enrolled in the same grade level.  In the case of mid-year applications from Australia, New Zealand or other national school systems whose school calendars differ from our American one, students will be required to complete the AISG school year at their current grade level. 

What age does my child need to be to apply for pre-school or kindergarten?

Students enrolling in our pre-school must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1^st of that school year.  Students enrolling in our kindergarten must be 5 years old on or before September 1^st of that school year. 

Can my child apply to a lower grade to match their English skill level? 

No, students must apply for their age-appropriate grade level, following the guidelines above.

Do you have an ESL (English as a Second Language) program?

AISG has an ESL program for Grades 1 to 10, to help non-native English speaking students develop proficiency in English.  However, space in the program is very limited.  ESL services are not available for students in Grades 11 or 12 as these students need a high level of English proficiency to be successful in their courses.  

Students’ English proficiency levels are assessed through our admissions test.  The school, not the parents, decides whether or not a student requires ESL services.

Does AISG provide support for students with learning difficulties?

The needs of students with learning difficulties should be discussed with the Admissions Office prior to submitting an application in order to determine whether the necessary support is available.  AISG has limited resources to work with students who have special educational or social/emotional needs.  Also, please note that AISG facilities are not barrier-free.

Can I reserve a seat for my child?

We do not reserve or guarantee seats at any stage of our admissions process.  The application fee is the fee for processing your application.  Payment of the application fee does not constitute registration or enrollment at AISG.  The application fee is non-transferable and non-refundable for any reason (such as withdrawal of application, non-acceptance or attending another school).  The application fee is valid only for the academic year applying.  Subsequent applications must be accompanied by a new application fee.

Once your child has been assigned a seat, you will be invoiced for tuition and fees.  If the full payment is not received within the payment terms, AISG reserves the right to assign your child’s seat to another student. 

Does everyone need to take the screening test?

Yes, all students applying to AISG must take the screening test.  The test scores are an important part of our admissions decision making criteria.  Native English speaking students applying from overseas who have strong school records and standarized test scores that meet our admissions criteria may be accepted prior to taking the screening test.  Pre-accepted students are still expected to take a placement test upon arrival in Guangzhou and the results used as a benchmark at entry to AISG.

When do I schedule my child’s screening test?

Once you have submitted your complete application, including all supporting documents and non-refundable application fee, AISG will contact you to schedule your child’s screening test.  The main test dates for August 2010 intake will be in mid April and early May.

Special scheduling arrangements can be made for families applying mid-year or families visiting Guangzhou during the year.  We will try our best to accommodate your travel agendas.

What is the time-line for admissions decisions?

Applications will not be reviewed until they are complete, with all required supporting documents and the receipt of the non-refundable application fee.  Families are advised to start the application process in March.  However, seats will not be assigned to new students until after May 1^st, to allow our current students the first opportunity to re-enroll.  AISG reserves the right to make early admissions decisions for strong candidates or candidates with priority status.

Semester 2 applications will be reviewed in early November and available seats will be assigned in early December. For mid-year applications, please allow 5-10 school days after testing for an admissions decision.

What is your policy on priority admissions?

AISG has a board-directed Admissions Policy.  Completed applications within each grade level will be considered on the following order of priorities:

• Students of parents employed by official U.S. Government agencies
• Students of parents employed by other consulates in Guangzhou
• English-speaking students whose parent(s) works for an international corporation that has made a significant donation to AISG
• English-speaking students from English-speaking countries
• English-speaking students who do not belong to any of the above
• Student requiring ESL services who do not belong to any of the above but have a sibling(s) attending AISG
• Students requiring ESL services

If you fall into one of the first three categories, please let us know at the time of inquiry so we can give your application priority status.  Please note, that students with priority admissions status must still follow our full admissions process and must meet our admissions criteria before being accepted to our school.

What is the admissions decision based on?  Who makes the decision?

Final acceptance of students is based on the information in the application, school reports, confidential reference forms, assessment of the screening test, and available seats in the Grade level.  Admissions decisions are made by an admissions committee composed of the division principal, counselor, teachers and specialists. 

If there are no seats available in my child’s grade level, can I be placed in the waitpool?

If there are no more seats available in a grade level, qualified students will be placed in a waitpool.  Qualified students are those who have completed the full admissions process (including testing) and have met our admissions criteria.  As seats become available, they will be assigned according to our order of Admissions Priority policy (see above).  The waitpool is valid for the current school year only and placement in the waitpool does not imply priority status for the next school year. 

Does AISG provide scholarships or financial aid?

Unfortunately, AISG does not have any scholarship or financial aid programs. 

Does AISG have boarding or dormitory facilities? 

AISG is a day school.  We do not have boarding facilities or dormitories.  In fact, we require that students reside with at least one parent who is living full-time in the Guangzhou area. 

My child was not accepted to AISG, or I do not agree with AISG’s grade placement.  Can I appeal this decision? 

Please note that all admissions decisions are final.

My child was not accepted to AISG.  When can I re-apply?

You can re-apply for the next school year.  You cannot apply more than once for any given school year.  You must submit a brand new application including the non-refundable application fee.

When does the school day start and end?

For Kindergarten to Grade 12, the school day starts at 8:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm, Monday to Friday. After school activities run from 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm.
For preschool half day program, the school day starts at 8:00 am and ends at 11:45 am. For preschool extended day program, the school day starts at 8:00 am and ends at 2:00 pm.

Do you provide bus service to our housing compound?

AISG subcontracts our school bus service to a private transportation company (GZL International Travel Services Ltd). GZL sets the bus routes and handles the student registration. For more information about the bus service, fees and routes, please click the link to Bus Service on our Admissions website.

Can we have a tour of your campuses?

Yes!  We encourage that you visit us and have a tour of our school.  Tours of our Elementary school (Er Sha campus) or our Middle and High Schools (Science Park campus) can be arranged upon request.  We only ask that you contact us in advance. 

I still have some questions.  Who can I contact?

Please feel free to contact the Admissions Office!  We would be happy to answer your questions, and to assist you through the application process.  Please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call us at 8620-8735-3393 ext 1117 or 1121.

Thank you again for your interest in our school!

Click here to download all admissions FAQs PDF in English.

Click here to download all admissions FAQs PDF in Chinese.

Click here to download all admissions FAQs PDF in Korean.