The German schooling landscape in Taipei
Taipei is one of a small group of large Asian capitals without a standalone Deutsche Auslandsschule. Where Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai each support a full German national-curriculum site backed by the Federal Foreign Office, Taipei has chosen a different route. German-language schooling is delivered through the Deutsche Schule Sektion Taipeh, an integrated national section sitting inside Taipei European School on Yangmingshan, with a weekend complement through the Deutsche Saturday School Taipei. For families who require a fully German national-curriculum site with delivery in German across all subjects, Taipei is not the answer, and Tokyo, Seoul or Shanghai are the realistic regional alternatives.
For the families Taipei does suit, the structure works well. The DSST section serves a couple of hundred children from kindergarten through Year 9 under the German national curriculum framework, with class teaching in German and integrated English support. From Year 10, students transition into the IB Diploma at Taipei European School High School, taking German A or German B alongside the Diploma core. The route is recognised by the German federal Kultusministerkonferenz and produces graduates who go on to German universities through the IB Diploma equivalency pathway. For the wider Taipei picture see our Taipei city hub and the broader German curriculum overview.
The DSST section inside Taipei European School
Deutsche Schule Sektion Taipeh, known as DSST, sits inside the Taipei European School campus on Yangmingshan in Shilin District. The kindergarten and primary school operate from the main TES campus, while the lower secondary years share the high school facilities with the British and French sections. The German section follows the curriculum framework of the German state of Thuringia, which has long been the partner state for German schools abroad in this part of Asia. Class teaching is in German, with English as the partner language from primary onwards and Mandarin available as a second foreign language from Year 5. The cohort is a mix of German, Austrian, Swiss and dual-nationality children, plus a smaller group of foreign-passport-holding children whose families have chosen the German route for European university access.
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Fees and the cost of the European School route
Fees inside the German section follow the wider Taipei European School fee schedule. In the 2026 cycle, kindergarten sits at roughly TWD 580,000, primary at TWD 730,000, lower secondary at TWD 870,000 and the IB Diploma years at TWD 1,050,000. In euro terms the range is roughly EUR 18,500 to EUR 30,000 a year. Capital fees of TWD 80,000 to TWD 200,000 fall due on entry, transport from the standard coach network runs TWD 35,000 to TWD 60,000, lunch is approximately TWD 25,000 and the IB Diploma examination fee in Year 13 is around TWD 30,000. For the full city fee picture see our Taipei international school fees guide, and run the wider relocation maths through the cost calculator.
The German Saturday School option
Many German-speaking families in Taipei do not use the DSST as their main school. Instead, the children attend Taipei American School, Taipei European School High School, a Taiwanese bilingual experimental school or one of the local Taiwanese schools, and top up with the Deutsche Saturday School Taipei at the weekend. Saturday School runs aligned to the German national curriculum and is the standard route for mixed-curriculum families, returnees from Germany whose main school in Taipei does not run a German section, and Taiwanese-German families maintaining heritage language at a level that supports re-entry to German schooling. Pair it with the Taipei British curriculum hub and IB hub to see how the weekday options compare.
Where German-speaking families live in Taipei
German-speaking families cluster in Tianmu, in the southern foothills of Yangmingshan in Shilin District, because of proximity to Taipei European School and to the German Office Taipei. Tianmu apartment stock in the area west of Zhongshan North Road runs TWD 80,000 to TWD 140,000 a month for a three-bedroom unit, with larger houses on the Yangmingshan slope considerably higher. A smaller group of families lives in Da'an and Xinyi, using the TES coach network into Yangmingshan. The German Office is in Da'an, which keeps a steady professional cohort in that part of the city. For the wider residential picture see our Taipei neighbourhood guide.
Admissions and the foreign-passport rule
Admissions to the German section at TES follow the wider Taipei European School framework. The school is licensed under the Taiwanese Ministry of Education Foreign School scheme, which means admission is restricted to foreign passport holders, dual nationals who hold a foreign passport, and Taiwanese returnees who meet qualifying overseas-study criteria. For German families on relocation, this is generally not a constraint. For mixed Taiwanese-German families where the child does not hold a German or other foreign passport, the standalone Saturday School route is usually the only available option for German national-curriculum content. The Taipei application calendar typically opens in November for the following August intake, with priority places allocated by February. For the comparable Diploma route see our best IB schools in Taipei guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a standalone German school in Taipei?
No. Taipei does not have a standalone Deutsche Auslandsschule. German-language schooling in Taipei is delivered through the Deutsche Schule Sektion Taipeh, the German section inside Taipei European School on Yangmingshan, with additional weekend support through the German Saturday School. Families who require a fully German national curriculum site usually consider Tokyo, Seoul or Shanghai.
What does the German section at Taipei European School cover?
The DSST section at Taipei European School runs the German national curriculum framework from kindergarten through Year 9, with class teaching in German and integrated English support. From Year 10 onwards, students transition into the IB Diploma at Taipei European School High School with German A or German B as their language A or B subject. The pathway is recognised by the German federal Kultusministerkonferenz.
How much do German-curriculum places in Taipei cost?
Fees inside the German section follow the Taipei European School fee schedule. Primary years sit around TWD 730,000, lower secondary around TWD 870,000, and the IB Diploma years at TWD 1,050,000 per year. In euro terms that is roughly EUR 20,000 to EUR 30,000 a year, before capital fees, transport and IB Diploma examination charges.
Is the German section open to Taiwanese nationals?
Taipei European School is licensed under Taiwan's Foreign School framework. Admission is restricted to foreign passport holders, dual nationals who hold a foreign passport, and Taiwanese returnees who meet the qualifying overseas-study criteria. Taiwanese nationals without an additional passport cannot enrol.
What if my child needs only weekend German lessons?
The Deutsche Saturday School Taipei runs weekend lessons aligned to the German national curriculum for children attending other Taipei schools during the week. It is the standard route for families with mixed-curriculum needs, returnees from Germany whose main school is American or Asian curriculum, and Taiwanese-German families maintaining heritage language.
Where do German-speaking families typically live in Taipei?
German-speaking families cluster in Tianmu in Shilin District, west of Zhongshan North Road, because of proximity to Taipei European School on Yangmingshan and to the German Office Taipei. A smaller group lives in Da'an and Xinyi using the Taipei European School coach network.
