Dulwich College vs Tanglin Trust School
🇸🇬 Singapore · Side-by-side comparison on verifiable public data.
Tanglin Trust School holds a public inspection verdict (BSO "Outstanding"), while Dulwich College operates in a market with no public inspectorate — the former has a verifiable official quality anchor, the latter is judged on accreditation depth. 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. Both are day schools with fees in the same market band — see the table below for the figures, and verify against each school's own published fees.
Key Facts
| Dulwich College | Tanglin Trust School | |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum | British / IB | British / IB |
| Ages | 2–18 | 3–18 |
| Languages of instruction | English | English |
| Annual fees | SGD 37,520–59,220 | SGD 34,770–55,734 |
| Enrollment | 2,930 | 2,824 |
| Boarding | Day only | Day only |
| Inspection rating | — | BSO: Outstanding |
| Accreditations | CIS, WASC, COBIS, EduTrust | CIS, COBIS, HMC, IAPS, FOBISIA, Cambridge International, Edexcel, BSO |
Strengths
- ✓Dual-pathway curriculum: British/IGCSE foundation feeding into the IB DP and CP, authorised by IB, CAIE and Edexcel
- ✓Triple international accreditation — CIS, WASC and COBIS — plus Singapore EduTrust (4-year, reaccredited 2024)
- ✓Strong published 2025 IB outcomes: 37.1 average points, 100% pass rate, 3 perfect scores of 45
- ✓Offers the IB bilingual diploma; 25 students earned it in 2025, reflecting genuine Mandarin/English capacity
- ✓Large, diverse community (~2,930 students, 50+ nationalities) backed by the Dulwich College London brand
- ✓'Outstanding' rating in the 2025 BSO inspection — the only BSO-inspected school in Singapore, a verifiable third-party quality signal
- ✓Strong published 2025 results: provisional IB Diploma average 39.3, 100% IB pass rate, 63% A*/A at A-Level
- ✓Rare dual-pathway Sixth Form letting students choose A-Levels or the IB Diploma at 16
- ✓Century-long track record (founded 1925) and a large, diverse community (~2,824 students)
- ✓Broad accreditation and membership footprint (CIS, COBIS, HMC, IAPS, FOBISIA, Cambridge, Edexcel)
Trade-offs
- !Premium fees: SGD 37,520–59,220 for 2026/27 — among the higher tiers in Singapore
- !No boarding — day school only
- !EAL/English-language support is not documented on a public primary source — verify directly
- !No public independent inspection report (BSO/ISI rating band) was locatable
- !Large size (~2,930) may not suit families seeking a small, intimate environment
- !High fees: SGD 34,770–55,734 for 2025/26, plus a non-refundable SGD 1,000 application fee, SGD 4,500 enrolment fee, and SGD 4,500 capital levy
- !No EAL support — children not already fluent in English cannot be accommodated
- !Day school only; no boarding option
- !Exam fees (GCSE/IGCSE/A-Level/IB), personal-device costs, transport, meals and trips are extra
- !Established and oversubscribed — competitive admissions and waitlists are commonly reported (not quantified in public sources)
Best Fit For
- • Families wanting a British curriculum that culminates in the IB Diploma rather than A-Levels
- • Internationally mobile families valuing the Dulwich/EiM brand and broad nationality mix
- • Students targeting the IB bilingual (English/Mandarin) diploma
- • Early-years-through-18 families wanting single-provider continuity
- • Fluent-English-speaking families wanting a British curriculum with an IB option at Sixth Form
- • Academically ambitious students aiming for strong A-Level or IB Diploma outcomes
- • Families seeking a long-established, large, multi-national community
- • Families who can comfortably absorb premium Singapore international-school fees
University Placement
School-reported · not independently verified
School-reported, unverified: Dulwich published 2025 IB Diploma results of 37.1 average points, a 100% pass rate, three perfect scores of 45, and 25 bilingual diplomas. No university-destination list was located on a public source.
School-reported, unverified: Tanglin publishes 2025 examination outcomes (provisional IB Diploma average 39.3, 100% IB pass rate, 63% A*/A at A-Level) but no specific university-destination list was found in public sources.
More Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose Dulwich College or Tanglin Trust School?
Dulwich College is best for: Families wanting a British curriculum that culminates in the IB Diploma rather than A-Levels. Tanglin Trust School is best for: Fluent-English-speaking families wanting a British curriculum with an IB option at Sixth Form. The right choice depends on target curriculum, budget, and family priorities — the two are not linearly comparable.
How do fees compare between Dulwich College and Tanglin Trust School?
Dulwich College: SGD 37,520–59,220. Tanglin Trust School: SGD 34,770–55,734. Verify against each school's own published fees; some figures are sourced from third-party aggregators.
What curricula do Dulwich College and Tanglin Trust School offer?
Dulwich College: British, IB. Tanglin Trust School: British, IB. Tanglin Trust School inspection: BSO "Outstanding".
Do Dulwich College or Tanglin Trust School offer boarding?
Dulwich College: day school only. Tanglin Trust School: 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 →