Admissions Policy
Parents are encouraged to read through the policies below prior to making an application.
Parents are required to complete an online Student Application Form. A printout must be submitted along with the required supporting documents and Application Fee cheque. Please go to How to Apply for further instructions.
For 2025-2026 admissions, local applicants should observe the following deadlines to ensure their priority in testing:
Preparatory and Grade 1 (Alberta Curriculum): October 31, 2024
Grade 2 to Grade 12 (Alberta Curriculum): December 13, 2024
Grade 11 (IB Diploma Programme): Rolling basis
Overseas applicants are encouraged to contact our office (admissions@caisbv.edu.hk) and submit the applications as soon as possible.
For immediate entry to 2024-2025, please contact our office (admissions@caisbv.edu.hk).
Students attending CAIS must be living with at least one parent who is a full-time resident in Hong Kong. If a guardian is the person responsible for the student application, then an authorization letter indicating legal guardianship must be submitted with the application form.
Prior to admissions, all students must provide proof of Hong Kong residency in compliance with the regulations of the Hong Kong Education Bureau and Hong Kong Immigration Department for entry to school in Hong Kong.
An application is initially reviewed to assess if an applicant meets the following criteria:
Age requirement
- Preparatory Class: Students must be aged 5 years old on or before August 31 of year of entry
- Grades 1 to 12: Students must be age-appropriate on or before August 31 of year of entry, otherwise it will be reviewed on a case by case basis
- Please refer to the Age and Grade Level Determination Chart
- Students transferring from a country whose school year follows a different calendar than CAIS will generally be required to continue in the year they have just completed (For example a student completing Year 7 in December in Australia, would remain in Grade 7 at CAIS for the remainder of the academic year).
Initial screening on English language proficiency
- Applicant’s English language proficiency will be screened by the information provided on the application form.
Previous academic standing and behavior standard
- Our Admissions Team will review applicants’ academic reports and standardized tests, if any. Teachers’ comments on behavior and effort are important to us. CAIS students are expected to contribute positively to the school community.
- Applicants who fulfill the initial screening will be scheduled an admissions assessment (and student interview). Applicants will be measured in the following areas by our Admissions Team:
- Academic achievement at grade level
- Language proficiency
- Problem-solving skills
Duration of admissions assessment will be between 1 to 3 hours depending on grade level. Parents will be interviewed by our Admissions Team as well.
- All related assessment materials are the property of CAIS. These materials are kept confidential and will not be released to any party.
- When an admissions assessment is offered but there is no vacancy available, parents can choose to have the applicant assessed or not.
- Result of the admissions assessment is valid for one year. Candidates in the Wait Pool need to reapply and be reassessed for the next academic year.
- Retest will not be offered to unsuccessful applicants within one year.
To ensure our students can fully access our curriculum and have an enjoyable learning experience at CAIS, the Admissions Team would select candidate for admissions based on the following criteria:
- Demonstrate ability in academic achievement (at grade level)
- Proficient in English language
- Demonstrate positive behavior in classroom setting
- Admissions Priority (See below)
Admissions Priority
Applicants meeting the above criteria will be prioritized in the Wait Pool according to one or more of the following categories set by the Board of CAIS:
- Corporate Capital Note nominees
- Non-local passport holders
- Children of CAIS faculty members
- Overseas applicants, pastoral and missionary families
- Siblings at CAIS and children of CAIS alumni
The above priority will be reviewed yearly by the Board of CAIS.
Wait Pool Policy
Applicants who met the current admission requirement but vacancy is not available will be placed in the Wait Pool for one academic year. Candidates in the Wait Pool will be contacted if vacancy becomes available during that academic year. Otherwise, they need to reapply and be reassessed for the following academic year.
Non-acceptance
A non-acceptance letter will be sent to applicants who do not meet our admissions requirement due to:
- Weak English skills
- Below standard academic performance
- Failing grades in current school
- Behavioral concerns in current school
Appeal Policy
Should parents want to appeal the admission decision, they may write to the Admissions Team. The appeal will be processed and parents will be notified of the appeal result in writing.
CAIS is committed to provide the best available resources to our students. To ensure our students can access our curriculum, we encourage parents to be transparent about their children’s profile and share their particular learning needs, if any, to our Admissions Office during the application process. It is required that all educational, psychological and medical reports are submitted together with the application. Any applicant who has been suspended or dismissed from a previous school for disciplinary reasons or criminal misconduct will need to submit the related reports together with the application.
Parents are encouraged to review our current fees and Individual Capital Note information before submission of the application.
| Application Fee | The application fee is non-refundable, non-transferable and will be processed on the assessment day. The application fee covers the administrative cost, admissions assessment and student interview. This fee is only valid for the academic year originally applied for. If an applicant does not gain admission, and thus reapplies for the next academic year, the application fee must be paid again. |
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The following fees are required to be submitted before a place is secured for an applicant:
| Individual Capital Note or Annual Capital Levy | It is due within 30 days of acceptance or before the first day of school whichever is earlier. |
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| Reservation Fee | The reservation fee which equals to one-month tuition fee will be collected within one month before the beginning of the new school year and will be credited against the first tuition payment. If the applicant has accepted the offer but subsequently decides not to come, this fee will be forfeited. |
Please refer to the Fees and Capital Note section for details.
CAIS admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial assistance program, or athletic and other school-administered programs. CAIS reserves the right to administer selective enrollment when deemed necessary, proper and in the best interest of the school.
Withdrawals are processed by the Admissions Office. Parents are required to contact the Admissions Office to obtain the Withdrawal Form and be informed of the withdrawal procedures.
WITHDRAWAL DURING THE COURSE OF THE SCHOOL YEAR
- Parents must provide the Admissions Office with a written notice of student withdrawal at least 2 months in advance. The Withdrawal Form must be completed in full.
- All outstanding school Tuition Fees are to be paid up to and including the month of final attendance by the student.
- For ICN issuance, please refer to the Terms and Conditions of ICN.
- You are required to checkout at 3/F General Office on the student’s last day of school.
- No school report or transcript will be made available in respect of any student where school fees and/or other fees remain unpaid.
STUDENTS RE-ENROLLED FOR THE NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR
If a student has re-enrolled for the next Academic Year but subsequently decides to leave the school, they should contact the Admissions office to begin the withdrawal procedures as early as possible.
Disclaimer: With reference to the data protection principles as stipulated in Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, Chapter 486 of Laws of Hong Kong, Christian Alliance International School (CAIS) collects and stores the personal data of individuals associated with the school for administrative, academic, pastoral or alumni communication purposes. Note: In case of discrepancies between the English and Chinese version, the English version shall apply and prevail.
Age and Grade Level Determination
Students come to CAIS from diverse school systems. The table on this page provides basic equivalency information for grade level determination.
Minimum Age on or beforeAugust 31st of Year of Entry CAIS North American-Based System UK-Based System HK Local System 5 Preparatory Kindergarten Year 1 K3 6 Grade 1 Grade 1 Year 2 Primary 1 7 Grade 2 Grade 2 Year 3 Primary 2 8 Grade 3 Grade 3 Year 4 Primary 3 9 Grade 4 Grade 4 Year 5 Primary 4 10 Grade 5 Grade 5 Year 6 Primary 5 11 Grade 6 Grade 6 Year 7 Primary 6 12 Grade 7 Grade 7 Year 8 Form 1 13 Grade 8 Grade 8 Year 9 Form 2 14 Grade 9 Grade 9 Year 10 Form 3 15 Grade 10 Grade 10 Year 11 Form 4 16 Grade 11 Grade 11 Year 12 Form 5 17 Grade 12 Grade 12 Year 13 Form 6
This chart is a starting point only – The admissions assessment and student interview will assist our Admissions Team in finalizing your child’s placement in the most appropriate grade in our school.