Admission into a school is a major decision for every parent and student. The admission process is typically their first official acquaintance with the school and its staff members. Premier international schools worldwide entail a clear and consistent approach to admission. An efficient admission process facilitates comfortable and hassle-free onboarding for students, and makes it less stressful for parents. Ideally, a school must provide parents with a clear overview of the entire procedure beforehand and walk them through it as they go along. Are you a parent seeking admission for your child at reputed international schools in 2021? Here is the step-by-step admission process that a bespoke school should follow:
- Introducing Your Child: Submit an Online Application Form
The first step to seeking admission at an international school is to fill out an application form with various details about you and your child. Reputed international schools provide the application form on their websites and can be easily accessed. The application form typically requires parents to fill personal and educational information about the child, along with the parents’ professional details. One would also need to attach relevant documents, such as the child’s academic records, address proof, parents’ employment proof documents etc.
- Evaluating Your Child: Counselling and Written Assessments
Before admitting a student, schools have evaluation processes to assess their knowledge on various subjects. Typically, school admissions in Noida and other such emerging cities involve written tests with questions from the basic subjects, including mathematics, English and social studies. The school then evaluates the student’s knowledge on each subject and makes an informed admission decision. While preparing your children for a school examination this year, ensure that they are well-versed with the fundamental concepts of each subject. Helping them revise the previous years’ syllabi and solving sample question papers can enable them to gauge their writing speed and have a better understanding of the nature of questions. Schools such as Global Indian International School provide students with the flexible option of taking the test online instead of having to appear for it physically. This facility is beneficial for expatriate students and others who may find it difficult to travel to the school campus during the admission phase. In addition to the student’s performance in the test, the school also evaluates children based on their previous academic performances and participation in extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
- Beginning the Registration Process: Pay the Registration Fees
Once the students pass the written test, parents need to pay the registration fees and purchase the documents and forms required for the final admission stage. Parents would have to submit these documents and records while paying the admission fees and security deposit. Thus, the registration fee is not a confirmation of admission into the school but only one of the procedures leading to it.
- Securing the Admission: Pay the Admission Fees and Security Deposit
Paying the admission fees guarantees a student’s admission into the school. Typically, schools mandate parents to pay the admission fees, the security deposit and some other documents purchased while paying the registration fees. Post this, a child secures a seat in the specific batch they had applied for.
- The Final Step: Pay Tuition Fees and Annual Charges
Finally, after paying the admission fees, parents must deposit the tuition fees and annual charges to complete the process. The admission fees must be paid before the commencement of the academic year.
- Some Other Considerations
The best international schools worldwide offer flexible payment options to parents, taking a huge burden off their shoulders.
- One aspect to consider while seeking admission into a school is the modes of payment through which one may deposit the fees. Typically, a school should accept transactions made through cash, credit card, cheques and bank drafts.
- If the school has multiple branches, inter-branch transfers should entail discounts for the students.
- Moreover, esteemed schools offer lucrative merit-cum-means scholarships, providing huge discounts on tuition fees to students applicable for the same. Such scholarships make education accessible to capable students, regardless of their financial status.
- The school’s website must contain a detailed bifurcation of the fee structure. Parents must have an exact idea of what denominations of the school fees are being utilized for which services. Thus, all fee categories from composite annual fees to transport and miscellaneous fees should be documented in the school website.
Conclusion
Seeking admission to an international school is beneficial for students, and even parents benefit. Typically, parents can rest assured when schools take over the significant responsibility of educating their children and aiding in all-round development. Moreover, during these pandemic times, schools offer convenient online modes of education, which ensure the students’ safety while not compromising on their learning and participation in co-curricular activities. Hence, these are certain aspects that parents must consider before paying the school fees to an international school.
