In Ho Chi Minh City, int’l school tuition for 2026-27 tops $38,000 a year

A review of tuition fees for the 2026-27 academic year found that one-time tuition payments at several international schools in Ho Chi Minh City have reached nearly VND1 billion ($38,000), excluding admission, development, meals, and transportation fees.

Annual tuition at several international schools reaches $35,000-38,000

The British International School Ho Chi Minh City (BIS HCMC) has the highest tuition fees among the schools surveyed.

For the 2026-27 academic year, tuition for year 2, equivalent to grade 1 in Vietnam's education system by age, is about $28,400 a year.

Tuition for year 12 and year 13, the final two years of the British school system and equivalent in age to grade 12, is about $38,300 a year.

Compared with the 2025-26 academic year, year 2 tuition rose from about $27,000 to $28,400, an increase of roughly $1,300, or 4.9 percent. 

Year 13 tuition increased from about $36,700 to $38,300, up by approximately $1,650, or 4.5 percent.

The figures cover full-year tuition payments under the school's fee schedule. 

New students are also charged an application fee of about $180, a registration fee of about $2,800, and a deposit of about $940 for elementary and middle levels.

At the International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), tuition for grade 1 is about $26,900 for the new academic year, while grade 12 tuition reaches approximately $37,900.

A year earlier, the two fees were about $26,100 and $36,800, respectively. Both increased by around three percent, or approximately $800 for grade 1 and $1,100 for grade 12.

In addition to tuition, ISHCMC charges an annual development fee of about $2,600 for grades 1-12 and an admission fee of about $1,900.

The school said tuition includes textbooks, uniforms, and personal devices such as an iPad or MacBook Air, depending on the grade, as well as some activities. 

School transportation and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination fees are charged separately.

At Saigon South International School (SSIS), tuition for grades 1-5 is about $28,000, while grades 11-12 cost approximately $35,400 for the 2026-27 academic year.

Students who pay the full amount before the deadline receive a six-percent discount, bringing the fees down to about $26,300 for grades 1-5 and $33,300 for grades 11-12.

For comparison, SSIS charged about $25,300 and $31,800, respectively, under the same full-payment arrangement in 2025-26. 

The increases were approximately $1,000 for grades 1-5 and $1,500 for grades 11-12.

New students are also charged an application fee of about $380, a registration fee of about $2,300 and a $1,700 deposit, which is credited toward tuition.

Other schools in the high-tuition group include the Australian International School, where primary tuition ranges from about $22,900 to $26,400 a year and secondary tuition from $28,700 to $34,800.

At the Canadian International School, tuition ranges from about $21,400 to $22,500 for primary students and $24,600 to $33,200 for secondary students.

The figures are based on the tuition schedules for each grade and do not represent a single fee charged to all students.

Several international schools raise annual tuition by thousands of dollars

At the North American International School (SNA), grade 1 tuition for the 2026-27 academic year is approximately $19,700, while grade 12 tuition under the IB Diploma Program is about $32,300, unchanged from the 2025-26 academic year.

Students who pay the full year's tuition before the early-payment deadline receive a 10-percent discount, bringing the fees down to approximately $17,800 for grade 1 and $29,100 for grade 12.

SNA also charges an application fee of about $215 and an enrollment fee of about $1,500.

Annual meal fees are approximately $1,360 for primary students and $1,570 for secondary students.

At the European International School Ho Chi Minh City, annual tuition is approximately $22,800 for grade 1 and $31,200 for grade 12.

According to the school's fee schedule, paying the full year's tuition costs about six percent less than paying in four installments. 

The acceptance fee is approximately $1,500 for grades 1-10 and $1,230 for grades 11-12, while annual meal fees for school-age students are about $840.

At the British Vietnamese International School Ho Chi Minh City, tuition for the 2026-27 academic year ranges from approximately $18,800 to $19,700 for primary students and $23,600 to $27,200 for secondary students. Some grades saw increases of around 3.5-6 percent from the previous year.

At Renaissance International School Saigon, tuition ranges from approximately $20,000 to $25,200 for primary students and $28,200 to $32,800 for secondary students.

Among schools with lower tuition levels, US Vietnam Talent International School charges approximately $8,700-11,100 for its international program at the primary level and $11,900-17,600 at the secondary level.

Scotch Australian Grammar School charges approximately $12,200-15,500 for primary students and $17,300-20,000 for secondary students.