Boarding schools in Asia for expat families

Where the Asian boarding value sits

Boarding fees vary enormously across Asia, but the pattern is consistent. Established schools in Malaysia, Thailand and India generally publish combined day and boarding fees that sit below a British or Swiss equivalent for many year groups, while newer premium campuses in China, Hong Kong and Singapore can approach Western levels. For an expat family weighing value, the lower cost markets are the place to start, and our overview of the best boarding international schools in Asia maps the wider field. Weekly boarding is cheaper than full boarding almost everywhere, and the early and middle years usually sit below the senior years, so a single school is rarely at its cheapest across every stage.

The wider point is that a value shortlist in Asia is really a market shortlist. Rather than chase one cheap school, look first at the countries where the whole boarding level sits lower, then compare the established schools within them. Currency movement matters too, because fees set in ringgit, baht or rupee convert differently month to month against the pound and dollar. Read this alongside our overview of the IB curriculum, which many of these schools offer, and our decision guide on boarding from Asia for the practical logistics.

How we chose these schools

We have drawn this shortlist from established Asian boarding schools in the markets where combined day and boarding fees sit below a comparable Western school for many year groups, chiefly Malaysia, Thailand, India and mainland China. Every school named offers boarding 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 market 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 offers boarding and has a full profile on this site. The notes tell you what to confirm rather than quote a price, because tuition and boarding move each year and by year group.

• Epsom College in Malaysia, a British style boarding school in a market where combined fees run well below a UK equivalent. Confirm the current tuition and boarding fee for your child's year group, as senior years sit above the early years.
• Bromsgrove International School, offers boarding in Thailand at a competitive fee point. Ask the admissions team for the combined day and boarding schedule by year group and whether any registration fees apply on top.
• British International School Phuket, an IB World School in Thailand with boarding and a strong sports academy. Confirm the current combined band for your stage, since senior years usually exceed the primary rate.
• UWC Thailand International School, a UWC campus in Phuket with boarding and a mission driven, mixed intake. Ask about the boarding schedule and any scholarship or bursary routes for your year group.
• Harrow International School Bangkok, a long established British boarding school in Thailand. This sits toward the premium end for the region, so confirm the combined fee for your stage and what is charged on top.
• Indus International School Bangalore, a full IB continuum school in India with boarding, one of the lower cost boarding markets. Ask for the current combined fee by year group in writing.
• Keystone Academy, a bilingual boarding school in Beijing offering the IB. Confirm the current boarding band for your stage, as mainland premium campuses can approach Western levels.

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, scholarships 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 weigh weekly boarding against full boarding, since a weekly place can bring a school under your ceiling. Use the city guides below to plan those visits alongside the rest of your research.

Markets and cities in context

These are the markets 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, remembering that boarding is charged on top.

• Kuala Lumpur international schools
• Bangkok international schools
• Bengaluru international schools
• Boarding from Asia decision guide
• Best boarding schools in Asia