Apply to ISY

A non-profit Pre-K through 12th Grade international school.  Founded in 1955, ISY is the oldest international school in Myanmar.

Apply 2024-25

Apply to ISY

Welcome to The International School Yangon (ISY)

Thank you for your interest in our school. ISY enrolls students throughout the school year. As we receive far more applications than we have space available, the school applies several criteria to ensure the selection process is systematic, transparent and beneficial to the applicant’s success. Applications are accepted only through our online portal and all segments must be complete before the applications can be reviewed by the school.

For 2024-25, we will have new Chinthe Cubs classes for 3 and 4 year olds. These new classes will have a new, Reggio inspired, learning environment, adding a new innovative approach to early childhood learning. Children applying to Chinthe Cubs 3, Chinthe Cubs 4, Kindergarten and Grade 1 must be three, four, five and six respectively by August 31, of the school year for which they are applying. Applications for 2024-25 will be accepted from the 15th February, 2024.

For a summary of the admissions guidelines download the ISY Admissions Guidelines Document.

Admissions Information & Requirements

Click here to download the Application Checklist 2024-25

Nationality cap: As per school policy, ISY has a nationality cap in place. The limit, of any one nationality, ranges from 20% to 30% dependent upon the grade level. All applicants must provide proof of citizenship as part of their application. Once enrolled, students will not be able to change the nationality they are registered under with ISY. Any change in listed nationality will only be permitted in grade 12.

2024-25 Class sizes: ISY takes into consideration several factors in determining class size. The established class size guidelines will be:

Chinthe Cubs 3 (16 students); Chinthe Cubs 4 (18 students)
Kindergarten (20 students)
Grade 1 (20 students)
Grade 2 – 12 (22 students)

The Director may grant exceptions to maximum class size under extraordinary circumstances.

English Language requirement: ISY requires at least one parent or primary caregiver of the applicant to be fluent in English.

Age requirement:  To be admitted to the Chinthe Cubs 3 program at ISY, an applicant must be three years old by August 31 of the academic year for which they are applying.  An applicant must be four years and five years respectively by August 31  to apply to Chinthe Cubs 4 and Kindergarten.Grade completed and age will both be considered when making placements beyond grade 1. The school will not admit an applicant if s/he is over the age of twenty at the time of his or her graduation.

The ISY calendar begins in August and ends in June. Applicants, transferring from a country whose school year follows a school calendar different from ISY, will generally be required to continue in the year they have completed. For example, an admitted applicant completing grade seven in Korea in January would be placed in grade seven for the remainder of the year at ISY.

Children entering ISY must be pre-trained to handle all toilet needs independently. This includes applicants to Chinthe Cubs 3 and Chinthe Cubs 4.

Application documentation: An complete application includes the following documents:

  1. copy of the applicant’s passport; and visa page (if applicable and available)
  2. school records for the past two years
  3. most recent standardized assessment results (for grades 2-12)
  4. immunization record
  5. a graded writing sample (for grades 6-12)
  6. all other relevant assessments and evaluations 
  7. application fee 
  8. confidential reference letters

Any document or school record that is not in English should be translated into English prior to submission. Both the original and translated versions should be submitted. Transcripts and reports must include a grading scale and reasonably describe the content of the courses studied and the grades earned.

Standardized tests refer to externally moderated, norm-referenced assessments, typically in language arts and math. MAP (Measures of Academic Progress), ISA (International Schools Assessment), PSAT and ITBS are a few examples. A recent norm-referenced test score must be submitted with the application. Applicants (grades 2-12) who do not have standardized test scores, will be asked to complete a standardized test or equivalent assessment.

A writing sample can be any recent written assignment completed by the applicant for English or Language Arts class, that has been graded/ corrected by the teacher.

All documentation concerning any previous assessments or any past history of learning concerns should also be provided with the application, including at least two years of progress reports, previous IEP’s and, if needed, psychoeducational reports.

The application fee must be paid first to receive an application fee code. The code is entered on the online application form before its submission.

The International School Yangon requires at least one Confidential Recommendation Form (CRF) completed by the applicant’s most current teacher. In the case of a middle or high school applicant, the CRF must be completed by one of the applicant’s core subject teachers (i.e., math, social studies, English, or science). If the applicant does not have a current or former teacher/ school, (i.e., Chinthe Cubs or KG applicants), then the CRF is not required.

Click on the appropriate grade levels below for the appropriate Confidential Recommendation Forms:

2024-25 Confidential Recommendation Forms:

Confidential Recommendation Form for Chinthe Cubs – Grade 1
Confidential Recommendation Form for Grades 2 – 5
Confidential Recommendation Form for Grades 6 – 12

Health Records and Requirements

The applicant must provide a complete record of immunizations (translated into English).

School policy indicates that all children must have completed designated immunizations before enrollment. Basic childhood immunizations are not only recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), but they also protect the entire ISY community from the spread of the most serious, but preventable diseases.

Mandatory Immunizations (for Students 3 years & above as of August 31 of the respective school year):

Download Immunization Requirements for 2024-25

Name of VaccineRequirement
Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DTaP, DPT)4 doses Minimum

(Dose 5 is compulsory if dose 4 was given before the child’s 4th birthday)
Polio
(IPV-Inactivated polio vaccine OR OPV - oral polio vaccine)
4 doses

(4th dose should be completed by 4th birthday)
MR or MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)2 doses

The Measles vaccine by itself does NOT count.

A single (1) dose of MMR or MR is acceptable ONLY if the child has previously been immunized against measles.
Hepatitis B3 doses
Varicella (Chicken Pox)2 doses

OR history of illness. Date of illness is required.
Japanese Encephalitis1 dose Minimum

(Number of doses required is dependent on vaccine type)
TB
(Tuberculosis)
Screening
TB screening results must be shared with ISY before the child’s first day at ISY.

Option 1: QuantiFERON Test
Option 2: Mantoux Skin Test
(Children who have received the BCG vaccine may show a false positive on the skin test. Please use Option 1 or 3 instead)
Option 3: Chest X-ray

The screening should be done not more than 6 months prior to enrollment.
Tdap
(Tetanus, diphtheria & pertussis),
Td (Tetanus & diphtheria), or
TT (Tetanus booster) at 11-12 years of age
Booster shot

For students 11 years & older:
1 dose of Tdap booster to be given at age 11 or 12
Tdap or Td preferred

Application evaluation: When reviewing applications, the school will consider the applicant’s:

  • capability to maintain progress in an international, college-preparatory program with support services as appropriate within ISY’s inclusion program guidelines 
  • proficiency or ability to achieve proficiency (as determined by school-administered testing) in ISY’s academic programs 
  • proficiency or the ability to achieve proficiency (as determined by school-administered testing) in the English language

Application Review Process: When an application is fully complete, the school will review the application. There are two streams for the review process: regular and application with considerations. A regular application review process refers to an application where the documentation provides sufficient evidence for admission. The Admissions Office will refer applications to the divisional counselors if one or more of the criterion below are applicable. The counselor will coordinate further evaluations and make a recommendation to the Divisional Principal.

Some of the indicators for an Application with Consideration process include:

  • No standardized test scores submitted (Grade 2 and higher) 
  • Standardized test data is older than ten months
  • Test results indicate the applicant is functioning a year or more below grade level 
  • The applicant has had EAL support in the previous school, or is coming from a non-English speaking school. Such applicants will need an EAL assessment 
  • School reports indicate significant academic or behavior difficulties
  • All applicants from schools with significantly different curriculum, or when no records are available must be evaluated as part of the admissions process 
  • Incomplete immunizations

Applicants transferring from a country whose school year follows a school calendar different from ISY

The ISY calendar begins in August and ends in June. Applicants transferring from a country whose school year follows a school calendar different from ISY will generally be required to continue in the year they have completed. For example, an admitted applicant completing grade seven in Korea in January would be placed in grade seven for the remainder of the school year at ISY.

If a parent whose child fits the above criteria requests for their child to be evaluated for placement in the grade above, the following  will be applied:

  • Based on the ISY Age Appropriate/Grade Placement Reference Chart, the child should be age-appropriate for the grade.

If they are age-appropriate, then:

  • The child is assessed using the ISY’s chosen standardized assessment tool – Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) for the grade level they are requesting.
  • If the child meets the following criteria, they will be considered for the next grade placement:
    • Above 75 percentile in Math and English for that grade level
    • Additional assessments as needed, e.g., Running Record, English as Additional Language assessment. 

This protocol is only applicable at the time of admission.

Timeline for admissions decisions:

First round of admissions offers are usually communicated in the first week of April. Following this initial major pooling, applications are reviewed in batches. Depending on volume, the review can be on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

From June to August, when the school is closed, admission decisions may take more time. Special consideration applicants will be reviewed at a minimum once every two weeks.

After the first batch of admission decisions in April, decisions during the months of April to July, will be communicated to applicants who have a fully completed application by the 15th or the 30th of every month.

Applications received thereafter will receive a decision within 48 hours (regular application), and within five days (application with consideration).

Application Step-By-Step

Step 1: Review ISY website and admissions information. See the 

 application checklist for 2024-25 for a visual representation of the process

Step 2: Prepare scanned copies (PDF) of the following documents, needed for upload into the application:

  • applicant’s passport (photo page only)
  • applicant’s Myanmar visa – if applicable, and only if available at the time of applying
  • recent photograph of the applicant
  • applicant’s immunization record in English
  • report cards or transcripts – for last 2 school years (current and previous academic years)(translated into English if they are in another language)
    Chinthe Cubs and KG applicants: report cards are only required if the applicant has attended a school prior to this application. From 2024-25, Chinthe Cubs applications will require report cards if the applicant has attended a school prior to this application.
  • recent external assessment/ standardized test score (for applicants to Grades 2-12 only). Norm-referenced assessments including ERB, CTP, MAP, Wrap, SAT, CAT, STAR, SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, College Board’s SAT, ACT, NAPLAN, etc. 
    Applicants who do not have any recent standardized test scores can take the SSAT (Secondary School Admission Test). Or, they can opt to take an admissions test at ISY. In this case, please upload a request to take the admissions assessment at ISY. Please note: Results of the assessment taken at ISY are not available for the applicant’s review. The admissions assessments at ISY are administered by appointment, and applicants must contact the Admissions Office in advance to schedule the appointment
  • writing sample (for applicants to grade 6-12). Applicants must upload a recent teacher-graded written assignment which was completed for Language Arts/ English.
  • Any other relevant documentation – IEP, 504, etc

      Step 3: Request current school to complete and send directly to ISY, the confidential recommendation form (CRF).

      2024-25 Confidential Recommendation Forms:

      Confidential Recommendation Form for Chinthe Cubs – Grade 1
      Confidential Recommendation Form for Grades 2 – 5
      Confidential Recommendation Form for Grades 6 – 12

      Step 4: Pay application fee of US$ 300. This can be paid as cash, bank transfer or via credit card. Please refer to the banking information on the fees and tuition page. Don’t forget to include applicant details on the remittance advice and email a copy to ISY. Receive a fee code from ISY’s Admissions Office to add to the final page of the online application.

      Step 5: Submit the online application.

      Step 6: Receive automatic confirmation from PowerSchool Registration. Also an email acknowledgement from ISY

      Step 7: Monitor application checklist (on parent portal of PowerSchool Registration) to see if the application is complete. ISY will post any requests for missing documentation on this parent portal of the online application system.

      Step 8: For Chinthe Cubs and KG applicants – Request an observation/ Wait for ISY’s email invitation to an observation.

      Observations are typically conducted in March or April of each year. Please contact the Admissions Office for details about the observations. A reminder that all Chinthe Cubs and KG applicants must be toilet trained to be considered for admission.

      Please click this link to see a visual of this process.

      Application Submission Outcomes

      There are three possible outcomes after an application is reviewed:

      Admitted

      • ISY emails admissions offer to the applicant
      • Applicant accepts admissions offer via email
      • Applicant pays USD $1,000 admissions deposit by the deadline
      • Start date is confirmed after receipt of deposit

      Waitpool

      • Applicant is eligible but the grade level at ISY is at capacity in terms of number or nationality cap
      • Applicant will be placed in the waitpool
      • Whenever a space becomes available in the grade level, an applicant will be selected from the waitpool on the basis of “best fit”

      Not Eligible

      • ISY is unable to offer admission to the applicant
      • Our admission decisions are based on available human resources, the school’s ability to provide high quality learning opportunities for all students, and the family’s support of the school’s vision, policies & programs
      • Factors that are taken into account are an applicant’s capability to maintain progress in our international, college-preparatory program with support services as appropriate available within ISY’s Inclusion program guidelines; proficiency or having the ability to achieve proficiency (as determined by school-administered testing) in ISY’s academic programs; and proficiency or having the ability to achieve proficiency (as determined by school-administered testing) in the English language
      • The applicant may reapply for the next academic year

      Please note that applications that are incomplete will not be reviewed.

      Application Outcomes chart