Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong vs Wellington College International Shanghai
π¨π³ Shanghai Β· Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Neither Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong nor Wellington College International Shanghai 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. Both run the same curriculum (British, IB), so the differences come down to pathway detail, campus culture, and specific language/boarding arrangements rather than the curriculum framework itself.
Key Facts
| Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong | Wellington College International Shanghai | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | British / IB | British / IB |
| Ages | 2β18 | 2β18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English, Chinese |
| Annual fees | not public | not public |
| Enrollment | β | 1,400 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Accreditations | CIS, IB World School, WASC, Cambridge International, HMC, FOBISIA | CIS, IB World School, WASC, COBIS, FOBISIA, ACAMIS |
Strengths
- βFull British-to-IB pathway (English National Curriculum β IGCSE β IB Diploma) under one roof, ages 2β18
- βStrong school-reported 2025 IB results: 38.1/45 average, 100% pass, 46.8% above 40
- βDeep, credible accreditation stack: CIS, IBO, WASC, Cambridge, plus HMC, FOBISIA
- βSerious bilingual provision β Mandarin from Year 1; 23.4% of 2025 IB cohort earned bilingual diplomas
- βBacking of the established Dulwich College International network and Education in Motion
- βGenuine, structurally bilingual model (parallel EnglishβChinese instruction with a two-teacher team), not token Mandarin
- βCoherent, recognized academic spine: English National Curriculum β Cambridge IGCSE β bilingual IB Diploma
- βCIS accreditation + IB World School authorization β verifiable, portable quality signals
- βStrong school-reported IB outcomes (avg 37.4; ~1/3 scoring 40+) and a UK/US-heavy university destination pattern
- βWellington College UK strategic partnership and a large (~1,400-pupil) New Bund campus with extensive facilities
Trade-offs
- !Tuition is not publicly listed β families must request a PDF fee schedule, reducing transparency
- !Foreign-passport-only eligibility excludes most Chinese mainland families; SMEC rules are restrictive and not fully spelled out on the open site
- !No external graded inspection (no BSO band) β assurance rests on accreditation and an internal Dulwich review
- !Day-only in Shanghai; the residential option is an offshore Switzerland programme, not local boarding
- !Published results are school-reported and unaudited
- !Fees are not published as figures on the public site (PDF download only) β opacity for families comparing costs
- !No BSO accreditation and no graded inspection band β quality signals rely on CIS/IB and self-reported data
- !Headline academic results are school-reported and not independently verifiable; no published IGCSE/A-Level data
- !No A-Level pathway (only IBDP at Sixth Form) β a constraint for families specifically wanting A-Levels
- !Restrictive eligibility: ordinary Chinese mainland nationals cannot enrol, and the six SHMEC categories require careful documentation
Best Fit For
- β’ Expat / foreign-passport families relocating to Pudong seeking a British-curriculum-into-IB pathway
- β’ Internationally-mobile families wanting globally-portable IGCSE + IB credentials
- β’ Families prioritising genuine EnglishβMandarin bilingual development
- β’ Parents who value an established global school brand with broad accreditation
- β’ Internationally-mobile / expat families wanting a British curriculum culminating in the IB Diploma
- β’ Bicultural or returnee families who genuinely want their child biliterate in English and Mandarin
- β’ Foreign-passport or HK/Macau/Taiwan/foreign-PR families based in Pudong / New Bund
- β’ Families targeting UK/US university destinations via a recognized IB pathway
University Placement
School-reported Β· not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: 2025 IB Diploma average 38.1/45 (vs ~30.6 global), 100% pass, highest 44, 46.8% above 40, 23.4% bilingual diplomas; IGCSE 100% pass with 86% A*βA. The school publishes university-matriculation content but specific destination figures were not extracted.
School-reported, unverified: the school reports an average IB Diploma score of 37.4/45 with roughly one-third of pupils scoring 40+, and states that 80%+ of graduates head to the US and UK, with destinations including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, Columbia and Cornell (a network-level list, not Shanghai-specific). None of these figures could be independently verified.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong or Wellington College International Shanghai?
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong is best for: Expat / foreign-passport families relocating to Pudong seeking a British-curriculum-into-IB pathway. Wellington College International Shanghai is best for: Internationally-mobile / expat families wanting a British curriculum culminating in the IB Diploma. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities β the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong and Wellington College International Shanghai?
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong: not public. Wellington College International Shanghai: not public. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong and Wellington College International Shanghai offer?
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong: British, IB. Wellington College International Shanghai: British, IB.
Do Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong or Wellington College International Shanghai offer boarding?
Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong: day school only. Wellington College International Shanghai: 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 β