Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy

At a glance

Where a detail is not officially published we mark it clearly rather than guess. Always confirm current figures with the school.

Curriculum and academics

WFLA is a well known secondary school that takes the Chinese national curriculum as its core and layers international programmes on top. It was authorised for the IB Middle Years Programme in 2005 and the IB Diploma Programme in 2009, and in 2020 it gained approval from Cambridge Assessment International Education to offer A level courses, so senior students can follow the IB Diploma, A levels or Advanced Placement depending on their pathway.

The junior high school is organised into regular, bilingual and fusion classes, while the senior high school runs the international curriculum. This structure lets the school pair a strong Chinese academic grounding with an internationally recognised senior route, and it publishes consistently high IB Diploma averages and strong A level grade profiles year on year. Our Shanghai city guide shows how WFLA sits among the other IB providers in the city.

Founded in 1996, WFLA has a long reputation in Shanghai for academic results and language teaching. Because it is a bilingual school offering several senior pathways, families should ask which programme suits their child, how classes are streamed in junior high, and about any nationality or residency requirements for enrolment.

Shanghai World Foreign Language Academy fees

WFLA publishes tuition by department and bills it per semester. For a recent year the school listed the regular department at no more than about RMB 35,000 a semester, the bilingual department at about RMB 36,000 a semester and the fusion department at about RMB 60,000 a semester, which works out to roughly RMB 70,000 to RMB 120,000 across a full year depending on the department. That places it in the lower to mid part of the bilingual private range rather than among the premium foreign flagships.

Families should budget for examination fees for the IB, A level or AP pathways, as well as any charges for meals, transport and activities. For the wider picture our guide to international school fees in Shanghai divides the market into bands, and our Shanghai secondary fees breakdown lines up the senior figures. Confirm current figures with the school.

• Regular department: up to about RMB 35,000 a semester.
• Bilingual department: about RMB 36,000 a semester.
• Fusion department: about RMB 60,000 a semester.
• Examinations and extras: IB, A level or AP examination fees and activities are billed separately.

Admissions

The main intake follows the start of the school year, and WFLA is a selective, academically strong school, so applicants sit age appropriate assessments and places are competitive. Families should begin the process early and confirm the current requirements and streaming arrangements with the admissions office.

Because bilingual schools can apply eligibility rules that differ from foreign passport international schools, relocating families should ask directly about admission criteria, which senior pathway is available to their child, and how junior high classes are streamed into regular, bilingual and fusion groups.

Location and who goes there

The academy is in the south west of the Xuhui district in Puxi, a central and well connected part of Shanghai, which makes the commute manageable for many families living on the Puxi side of the city.

The community is largely made up of Chinese families seeking strong academic results and an internationally recognised senior pathway, whether the IB Diploma, A levels or AP. Many families comparing WFLA also look at other IB and bilingual campuses, so our Shanghai city guide shows how the options compare on curriculum, stage and fee band.

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Frequently asked questions