BASIS International School Shenzhen vs QSI International School of Shenzhen
🇨🇳 Shenzhen · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither BASIS International School Shenzhen nor QSI International School of Shenzhen sits in a market with a public inspectorate, so both are assessed on verifiable accreditation, curriculum authorisation, and published data rather than an official quality rating. On cost, QSI International School of Shenzhen has the noticeably lower entry fee — a material difference for budget-conscious families. See the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| BASIS International School Shenzhen | QSI International School of Shenzhen | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | American | American / IB |
| Ages | 3–18 | 2–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English, French |
| Annual fees | RMB 264,160–326,760/year (2025–26) | RMB 138,300–226,800/year (2025–26) |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | Cognia, College Board AP | Middle States Association, IB World School, EARCOS, ACAMIS |
Strengths
- ✓Rigorous, accelerated AP/STEM curriculum with strong network-wide AP outcomes (school-reported)
- ✓College Board AP, SAT and PSAT test centre
- ✓Cognia-accredited since first year of operation (2016)
- ✓Small classes (max 25)
- ✓Clear US-university pipeline focus
- ✓Dual AP (with AP Capstone) + full IB Diploma — unusually broad upper-school menu
- ✓Distinctive mastery-based, non-competitive learning model
- ✓MSA-accredited since 2006; IB World School since 2009
- ✓Established 2001 with 1,000+ students from 35+ nationalities
- ✓AEFE-accredited French programme for francophone families
Trade-offs
- !Foreign-passport-only — the exception among BASIS China campuses; mainland nationals ineligible
- !High-pressure, lecture-driven, exam-focused culture (BASIS network hallmark)
- !No IB pathway
- !English-medium despite the network's 'bilingual' branding — no Chinese-medium track here
- !Single accreditation (Cognia) — narrower than WASC/CIS peers; placement data is network-wide, not campus-specific
- !Foreign-passport-only — excludes mainland Chinese-national families
- !Day-only (no boarding)
- !Mastery/non-graded model is non-standard and may not suit families wanting conventional grades/rankings
- !No publicly retrievable AP/IB score averages or placement data
- !Mid-to-upper fee band
Best Fit For
- • Foreign-passport and HK/Macau/Taiwan families seeking a US-college pipeline
- • Academically driven students who thrive under high intensity
- • Families prioritising AP depth and STEM rigour
- • Families wanting a College Board test centre on campus
- • Expat foreign-passport families wanting both AP and IB under one roof
- • Francophone families seeking an AEFE-accredited French stream
- • Families drawn to a mastery-based, non-competitive approach
- • Students targeting US universities via AP/AP Capstone
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, network-wide (NOT Shenzhen-specific, not independently verified): the BASIS China network of six campuses reports a 91% AP pass rate, ~13,000 AP exams 2018–2024, and a Class of 2025 with 1,585 university offers (destinations including Cornell, Duke, Oxford, Imperial, U. Toronto). No campus-specific AP score distribution is publicly retrievable.
No AP/IB score averages or university-placement data are publicly retrievable; any such claims would be school-reported, unverified.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose BASIS International School Shenzhen or QSI International School of Shenzhen?
BASIS International School Shenzhen is best for: Foreign-passport and HK/Macau/Taiwan families seeking a US-college pipeline. QSI International School of Shenzhen is best for: Expat foreign-passport families wanting both AP and IB under one roof. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between BASIS International School Shenzhen and QSI International School of Shenzhen?
BASIS International School Shenzhen: RMB 264,160–326,760/year (2025–26). QSI International School of Shenzhen: RMB 138,300–226,800/year (2025–26). Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do BASIS International School Shenzhen and QSI International School of Shenzhen offer?
BASIS International School Shenzhen: American. QSI International School of Shenzhen: American, IB.
Do BASIS International School Shenzhen or QSI International School of Shenzhen offer boarding?
BASIS International School Shenzhen: day school only. QSI International School of Shenzhen: day school only.
This comparison is BrightKey's independent assessment using verifiable public data only. University-placement figures are school-reported and not independently verified. BrightKey takes no payments from schools. Our method →