Admissions Overview
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
In order to be eligible for admission, the applicant must be (1) a child of foreign national(s) residing in Korea (either parent being a foreign national), or (2) a child of a Korean national having studied overseas for a minimum of three years (1095 days). Students with dual citizenship and foreign residency are eligible for admission, provided they meet one of the above requirements.
PRIORITY FOR ADMISSIONS
Yongsan International School of Seoul is open to students of all nationalities. However, because the school cannot admit all applicants, priority for admissions is applied as follows: (1) applicants of families who are foreign residents in Korea; (2) all other applicants based on qualitative criteria to help determine the match between the students’ abilities and needs and Yongsan International School of Seoul’s resources and capabilities.
Other criteria considered within these categories include:
- English language proficiency
- Student records from previous schools
- Parent’s employment by a company with direct investment in Korea
- Teacher’s recommendation
- Number of years in an English-speaking school environment
- Family language background
- Extracurricular excellence
- Any additional factors deemed relevant by YISS
YISS reserves the right to administer selective enrollment when deemed necessary, proper, and in the best interest of the school.
GRADE LEVEL COMPARISION CHART
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Age before October 1
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American System
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British System
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Key Stage
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Australian
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Indian
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3
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Nursery
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Nursery
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Foundation
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Pre-School
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Nursery
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4
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Pre-K
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Reception
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Pre-School
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Kinder 1
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5
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Kindergarten
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Year 1
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Key Stage 1
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Kindergarten
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Kinder 2
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6
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Grade 1
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Year 2
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Year 1
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Standard 1
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7
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Grade 2
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Year 3
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Key Stage 2
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Year 2
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Standard 2
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8
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Grade 3
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Year 4
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Year 3
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Standard 3
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9
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Grade 4
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Year 5
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Year 4
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Standard 4
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|
10
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Grade 5
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Year 6
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Year 5
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Standard 5
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11
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Grade 6
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Year 7 (Form 1)
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Key Stage 3
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Year 6
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Standard 6
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12
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Grade 7
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Year 8 (Form 2)
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Year 7
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Standard 7
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13
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Grade 8
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Year 9 (Form 3)
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Year 8
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Standard 8
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14
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Grade 9
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Year 10 (Form 4)
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Key Stage 4
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Year 9
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Standard 9
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15
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Grade 10
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Year 11 (Form 5)
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Year 10
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Standard 10
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16
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Grade 11
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Year 12 (Lower 6th)
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Key Stage 5
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Year 11
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Standard 11
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17
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Grade 12
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Year 13
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Year 12
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Standard 12
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Additional Notes about Grade Levels:
Applicants for Kindergarten must be age five (60 months) by September 30 of the academic year of entrance.
In most cases, students coming from schools with a different calendar (i.e. Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, India) will continue in the same grade level when they enter YISS and will not be allowed to skip ahead.
TESTING
If standardized test scores (i.e. Stanford, ERB, SSAT, CAT, STAR, TOEFL, SAT, PSAT, ISB, ITBS, ISEE) are not available, the student may be required to sit for an admissions test at YISS. This will be decided once all application documents are received and at the discretion of the Admissions Office.
English Proficiency Tests (for Non-native speakers of English)
It is recommended that applicants who require ELL (English Language Learner) support submit test scores to determine proficiency. The Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are two assessments most commonly used. Applicants can register at many locations around the world by visiting the websites of the testing agencies.
All middle school and high school ELL applicants will be required to either submit test scores or to be tested at YISS before admissions can be determined.
