Affordable international schools in Southeast Asia

Where the affordable band sits in Southeast Asia

International school tuition across Southeast Asia spans a very wide range. At the top, the largest campuses in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur charge senior year fees well above the regional norm, while a number of established mid tier schools in Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok publish tuition at a far more accessible level for the early and middle years. Singapore sits at the top of the range across the board. Our own city fee pages show published bands for these markets that start in the low thousands and rise with age, so the honest picture is that a single school is rarely at its cheapest across every year group. Early years and primary places are usually the most affordable, and fees climb into the senior years. Currency movement matters too, because tuition set in ringgit, peso or baht converts differently month to month against the US dollar. Treat any headline figure as a starting point and confirm the exact fee for your child's year group in writing.

The wider point is that a budget shortlist is really a market shortlist. Rather than chase a single cheap school, look first at the cities where the whole fee level sits lower, then compare the established schools within them. Read this alongside our overview of the IB curriculum and the relevant international school fees pages so the figures below sit in context.

How we chose these schools

We have drawn this shortlist from established international schools in the lower fee Southeast Asian cities, chiefly Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Bangkok, where published tuition bands sit at the more affordable end of the range for at least part of the school. Every school named runs a recognised international programme and has a full profile on this site. We do not attach a fixed figure to any single school, because fees change each year, differ between year groups and shift with the exchange rate, and printing a stale number would be worse than none. Instead we tell you which city each school sits in and what to confirm. Read each note as a prompt to ask, not as a quoted price.

Schools to shortlist

Each school below runs a recognised international programme and has a full profile on this site. The notes tell you what to confirm rather than quote a price, because tuition moves each year and by year group.

• Fairview International School Kuala Lumpur, a full IB continuum school in Malaysia, long associated with the more accessible end of the international market. Confirm the current fee for your child's year group, as early years places typically sit below the diploma years.
• Global Indian International School Kuala Lumpur, offers an IB pathway in Malaysia at a competitive fee point. Ask the admissions team for the fee schedule by year group and whether any registration fees apply on top.
• European International School Manila, an IB school in the Philippines, one of the more affordable Southeast Asian markets. Confirm the current tuition band for your stage, since senior years usually exceed the primary rate.
• Keys School Manila, an IB World School in Manila at a competitive fee point. Ask for the current fee by year group in writing and what is included.
• Wells International School Bangkok, offers international and American style pathways in Thailand across a range of fee points. Confirm which years fall under your budget and what is included.
• Ekamai International School Bangkok, teaches an American style programme in Bangkok, often placed at the more accessible end of the city's market. Ask the admissions office for the fee schedule and whether the senior years remain within your ceiling.

How to check a fee properly

A published headline fee is only the start. Ask each school for the full fee schedule by year group, because a school that sits under your ceiling in primary can rise above it by the senior years. Ask what is charged on top of tuition, since registration, capital or building levies, transport, meals and exam entry are often billed separately and can add a fifth or more to the real cost. Ask whether the fee is set in US dollars or in the local currency, because a figure pegged to a local currency moves with the exchange rate and the number you were quoted may not hold. Finally, ask about sibling discounts and payment plans, which can change what is affordable for a family with more than one child. A school that answers all of this clearly and in writing is showing you the true cost of attendance rather than a marketing number.

It also helps to visit and to line up two or three schools in the same city before deciding, so you are comparing like with like. Use the city guides below to plan those visits alongside the rest of your research.

Markets and fees by city

These are the cities the schools above sit in. Each city guide sets out the local landscape, and each fees page shows the published tuition bands so you can sense check any figure a school gives you.

• Kuala Lumpur international schools
• Kuala Lumpur secondary fees
• Manila international schools
• Bangkok international schools
• Bangkok secondary fees
• More guides on the GlobalSchoolGuide blog

Frequently asked questions