Once a family has submitted an online application, an SAS Admissions Officer will help them through the remainder of the application process. Applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee after all required documents are received and any necessary assessments or interviews have been conducted. Full disclosure of special needs and intervention documents is required.

An application is valid for the applying school year only. Applicants interested in the next school year will be asked to reapply. 

SAS does not have a wait list but instead maintains a wait pool for qualified applications. A wait pool system is about best fit, whereas a waitlist is first-come first-served. A student can be placed in the wait pool only after his/her application has been reviewed and recommended by the Admissions Committee.

A qualified application will be placed initially in wait pool to allow for further qualified applications to be gathered. Decision rounds involve a comparative assessment of the applications in the pool.

If an application is placed into wait pool, the application will continue to be reviewed with all other applicants in subsequent decision rounds. The Admissions Office will contact families should a child’s wait pool status change.  

Unfortunately, not all wait pooled applicants are successful in securing a seat in SAS.

Families should apply to their campus of preference and may only have one open application per child. However, they may express a change in campus preference to their Admissions Officer before an admission decision has been made.

Admission to SAS is campus specific. Should circumstances arise for a campus transfer, a request can only be submitted after a minimum of one year enrollment and the transfer effected after the completion of two full years. The request must be received before March 1^st to be considered for transferring in the next academic year. Transfer requests must be reviewed and approved before they are granted. 

All students in grades 6 to 12 are required to bring their own MacBook computer.  Click here for more information on the hardware and software requirements.

SAS is a school of high expectations and high outcomes, providing individual focus on student learning. If your child is advanced in some areas, our teachers will work to address their specific educational needs.

No. Once admitted to the school, both of the programs are available to all students within the high school. For more information about the IB Program policies please view our IB Program Policy Manual.

We consistently perform well above world averages. Please download and view our academic profiles for Pudong and Puxi campuses.

Students attend school Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Students in Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 attend a program from 8:00am to 1:00pm with optional extension hours from 1:00pm to 3:00pm that includes rest time, snacks, Chinese and other activities.

There are literally hundreds of ways to get to SAS each school day. We provide morning and afternoon bus transportation that serves students of all grade levels, making over 400 stops in most areas within Shanghai. Bus transportation is also provided for students participating in after school activities. Please visit the transportation page for more information. The transportation fee is not included in the tuition fee.

Note: SAS is not obligated to provide service if the housing location is not within existing service routes.

We offer hot lunches daily, with Western, Asian, and vegetarian choices available. Lunch is optional and is not included in the tuition fee. Please visit our dining page for more information. Microwave ovens are available to use for students who bring their own lunch.

Our students do not wear uniforms. However, students should choose clothes that are appropriate for school and that show they have respect for themselves and for everyone else in the SAS community. PE uniforms may be required for both middle school and high school students and can be purchased from the Eagle Shop on both campuses.

Students from 45 countries have made SAS their home. On average, of the approximately 2,800 students on both of our campuses 55% are US or Canadian citizens. The remaining 45% represent countries from all over the world.

Our 378 faculty members hail from 31 countries, with 62% from North America (US and Canada). We also have teachers from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other European countries. Most of our foreign language teachers are from their native countries. Over 78% of our teachers have earned their master’s or doctoral degrees.

The amount of homework varies by grade levels and gradually increases to the heavier academic load of our college preparatory program. The amount of time a child spends each night on homework depends upon his or her academic background, study skills, maturity level, and organizational skills.

In addition to our exceptional academic program, SAS offers a plethora of after school activities from Elementary School through High School. “Everything from knitting to rugby,” as one of our students described. See our Life at SAS section for more information.

Both campuses excel academically. Both campuses offer a plethora of clubs, activities, and sports teams. And both campuses have reputations for helping students reach some of the top universities in the world through strong AP as well as IB programs. In short, it's not the campus. It’s the school.

We do not have a boarding program. As per Shanghai Government Regulations, all our students must reside with at least one parent in Shanghai and must hold a proper visa.

We monitor the Air Quality Index (US standard) continually throughout the day. If the air is deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups or worse, school staff are notified to modify outdoor activities or (in some instances) to keep students inside entirely. We also have a state-of-the-art indoor air filtration system.