Get the deadlines tracker

42 pages. Free. Covers 60 cities and 350 schools across British, IB, American, French and German curricula. Updated quarterly.

Why the deadlines map matters

International school admissions calendars are deliberately fragmented. Each school operates its own application window, sibling priority window, assessment day calendar and offer issue date. For relocating families the cumulative effect is bewildering. Different schools in the same city open and close registrations months apart. Sibling priority deadlines fall as early as eighteen months before entry. Schools quietly hold back tour slots for early registrants and release them only to families who applied before the published deadline.

Our 42 page deadlines tracker condenses the picture into a single annual calendar for September 2027 entry across 60 cities and 350 schools. Each entry shows the registration open and close dates, the assessment window, the offer issue date, and any sibling and past pupil priority deadlines. Most importantly, the tracker flags the unpublished early intake windows where the strongest schools quietly accept high quality applications before their public deadlines.

What is inside the tracker

  • September 2027 entry windows for 350 schools across 60 cities.
  • Registration open and close dates, assessment dates and offer issue dates.
  • Sibling priority and past pupil priority deadline maps.
  • Early intake hints by city for the top tier (the windows that are not on school websites).
  • Waiting list policy summary by school (transparent, sibling priority, or commercial discretion).
  • Mid year entry availability summary by city.
  • The 12 month checklist by month from October 2026 to September 2027.

The five rules of admissions calendar management

Rule one. Apply earlier than the published deadline. Tier 1 schools in Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and London quietly admit high quality candidates before their public application window opens. Submitting a strong application in September for September 2027 entry signals seriousness and often unlocks earlier tours.

Rule two. Apply to more schools than you think you need. A 50 per cent acceptance rate at the tier you are targeting is a realistic working assumption. Five applications, three offers, one choice is the typical path.

Rule three. Front load the assessment day calendar. Most Tier 1 schools assess in November to January. Children who sit assessments in the first month of the window typically receive offers in February. Children who sit in April compete against a shrinking pool of places.

Rule four. Treat sibling priority as a separate deadline. Sibling and past pupil priority windows usually close earlier than open registration. Missing them costs the sibling priority advantage entirely. Our tracker flags every separate sibling deadline.

Rule five. Read the waiting list policy before accepting. Some schools operate transparent first come first served waiting lists. Others reserve commercial discretion. The difference matters if you accept a second choice place and hope to move up.

Pair the tracker with the school finder

Use our 2 minute school finder quiz to narrow your global shortlist, then layer the tracker over your top 6 schools to build a single calendar.

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How the tracker is built and updated

We update the tracker quarterly using a combination of school website data, direct admissions office contact and parent feedback from our verified review database. The early intake hints come from our editorial team's twenty year experience of working with relocating families, including the unwritten patterns that experienced admissions consultants charge for. We publish those hints publicly because we believe the international school market should be transparent. We do not take school commissions, and the tracker is not influenced by school marketing budgets.

The cities the tracker covers in detail

The tracker covers the top 60 cities by expat school demand. The Tier 1 cluster includes Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and Bangkok. The Tier 2 cluster adds Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Berlin, Amsterdam, Munich, Frankfurt, Brussels, Luxembourg, Dublin, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, Mumbai, Beijing, Seoul and Sydney. The Tier 3 cluster picks up another 28 cities that matter for expat families, including Manila, Jakarta, Hanoi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Muscat, Manama, Cairo, Lagos, Nairobi, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Vancouver, Auckland, Wellington, Lisbon, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Bucharest, Athens, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Casablanca.

Frequently asked questions

How early should I apply for September 2027 entry?

For Tier 1 schools in Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, London and Zurich, register by October 2026. For Tier 2 schools, register by January 2027. For most other markets, register by March 2027. The tracker gives the school by school detail.

Are sibling priority deadlines really earlier than open registration?

Yes, typically by 4 to 8 weeks. Some schools require sibling priority registration by the start of the academic year before entry. Our tracker flags every separate sibling deadline.

Do schools really accept early applications outside published windows?

Many do. They will not advertise it, but admissions teams quietly progress strong applications received before the public window opens. The earlier you make yourself visible, the more flexibility you create.

What if I am applying mid year rather than for September?

Mid year applications are accepted at most international schools subject to year group capacity. Our companion guide, the mid year school transfer playbook, walks through the calendar and process for January or April entry.