Comparing international schools mostly means putting tuition side by side. But what actually leaves the bank account is a good deal more. And because the size of the additional items differs by school, the ranking often changes once you calculate the total.

Money that goes out once, at enrolment

One-off costs arising around the offer. The amounts are large, but they are usually absent from the fee table.

• Application fee — incurred for each application. Apply to several schools and it multiplies.
• Enrolment fee — paid on registering after an offer, and generally non-refundable.
• Deposit — settled on leaving or transferring. Always check the conditions.
• Place-holding charge — some schools charge separately to hold a place before term starts.

Those four alone raise the first-year burden substantially. Only by calculating "the first-year total" and "the total from the second year onwards" separately does the real scale become visible.

Money that recurs every year

Items billed each term on top of tuition.

• School bus — the widest variation of all. It rises steeply the further you live from the school. In Singapore it is quoted at anything from S$1,100 to S$8,500 a year depending on distance.
• Uniform — many schools have separate PE and formal kit.
• Materials and devices — some schools require a laptop or tablet at the family's expense.
• Field trips and residential trips — the unit cost is high where the programme goes abroad.
• After-school activities (ECA) — free at some schools, charged at others.
• Exam entry fees — IB, A-Level and AP all carry a fee per subject.

Money that goes out beyond the school

If you go abroad, this is what decides the total.

• Housing — differences by city and catchment can outweigh differences in fees.
• Living costs — the accompanying parent is often restricted from working locally, so there is spending without income.
• Visas and insurance — recurring at each renewal.
• Return flights — every holiday, plus visits from the family left behind.

How to build a comparison table

If you are comparing three schools, we suggest setting it out as follows. You can also ask the school to fill this table in during a consultation.

• A. First-year one-offs — application fee + enrolment fee + deposit
• B. Annual school costs — tuition + bus + uniform + materials + activities + exam fees
• C. Annual residence costs — housing + living + visa and insurance + flights
• First year = A + B + C, each year after = B + C

Calculate it this way and it becomes immediately clear that "the school with the cheapest fees" and "the school with the cheapest total" are not the same. Fee ranges by country are set out in the Southeast Asia comparison in International Schools.

In summary

The cost of an international school is tuition plus one-off enrolment costs plus in-year extras plus residence costs. The school bus and housing in particular vary several-fold with distance and city, so the total is only fixed once you have also decided where you are going to live.