Explained
What is a foreign-passport-only international school in China?
A foreign-passport-only international school (外籍人员子女学校) in mainland China is legally permitted to enrol only children holding a foreign passport (and, in some cities, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan documents). Ordinary mainland Chinese nationals cannot attend — which is the single biggest eligibility constraint families discover when choosing a school in China.
Examples include schools like the various 'International School of [City]' campuses, QSI, and many embassy-linked or foreign-chamber schools. They follow a fully foreign curriculum with no national-curriculum obligation, precisely because their students are not mainland nationals.
Mainland-national families are generally directed to the private/bilingual tier instead. A small number of locally-regulated private colleges (e.g. SCIE in Shenzhen) admit mainland nationals to an international curriculum by examination — the main exceptions to the rule.
Reviewed by Priscilla Han. BrightKey is independent and takes no payment from schools or universities.
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