Shanghai American School

Application Process

English Proficiency

Non-native English-speaking candidates Grade 1 and up may be given an English as an Additional Language (EAL) test to determine if EAL support is required. Limited spaces are available for such support.

The following guidelines will be used by the Admissions Committee to determine whether a student will be invited to take the EAL assessment:

• The primary language spoken by the student
• The language(s) spoken between parents and the student
• The student’s educational background
• The primary language of both parents

Grade Level Placement

SAS believes that it is important for children to be placed in classes with their age peers, especially at Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) and lower elementary grade levels.

Students who apply from schools or educational systems with a different school calendar (like those commonly found in schools in Korea, Japan, Singapore or Australia) will be placed in the grade that they are currently attending if they are admitted at the start of the new school year. If they are accepted in January, they will be placed in the grade that they have just completed in their previous school.

All students must graduate from Grade 12 before their 20th birthday.