Introduction
Two Beijing schools have almost the same name. Both belong to Beijing Normal University. Both are in Xicheng District. Foreign parents write to Alifa about one of them and mean the other, almost every month.
BNU High School was founded in 1901 — one of the oldest public schools in China. Its international student department opened in 1996 and now teaches nearly 1,000 students from over a dozen countries. Confirmed — school brochure, August 2026
They are different schools. They also take different children. The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学附属中学) has taught foreign students since 1996, in Chinese, with Chinese universities as the destination. The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University (北京师范大学附属实验中学) runs an international department for students leaving China, and its admission page dated 2023-05-07 describes only one way in: the Beijing city school entrance exam.
This page shows which school is which, what each one costs, and which one your child can join. For a full profile of BNU High School — including its three tracks, HSK thresholds and graduate destinations — see Alifa's dedicated school guide →
Alifa Education checked 7 of the 11 facts on this page against primary sources, including both schools' own admission pages and the Beijing city rules on enrolling international students, and states plainly which 3 the schools have never published. Checked 2026-09-15. See what to ask the school →
Does BNU High School take foreign students?
Yes. Foreign passport, age 12 or above, and a legal guardian living in Beijing. Admission is open all year. The school has taught international students since 1996.
SDSZ International Department — does it take foreign students?
No published route. The only way in described on the school's own page is the Beijing city school entrance exam, which a foreign passport holder cannot normally enter. Not published
BNU High School tuition
RMB 23,100 per semester (certificate class) or RMB 26,400 (Chinese classes). Boarding RMB 10,000/semester. Application fee RMB 500.
SDSZ tuition
RMB 105,000 per year — the school's 2023 admission plan, the most recent one published. No boarding fee, no other cost has been published. Not updated
What language are lessons in?
BNU High School: Chinese. Beginners start in a language class. SDSZ: English, on a United States university path.
Can we apply from outside China?
Yes for BNU High School. The interview is online by Tencent Meeting, so a family abroad can do it from home. A legal guardian in Beijing is still required before enrolment.
The one character that matters
The two Chinese names differ by one word: 实验 ("Experimental"). Check for it before sending any money or documents.
Is SDSZ on the Forbes list?
No — not because of its results, but because the Forbes China ranking excludes all public school international departments by scope. SDSZ ranks #1 nationally in Kinglead 2026 for the US direction.
Side by Side
| Question | BNU High School | SDSZ International Department |
|---|---|---|
| Who can join | Foreign passport, age 12 or above, legal guardian living in Beijing Confirmed | Students who may apply inside the Beijing school system. No route for foreign passports published. Not published |
| School size | 4,000 students, grades 7–12. International department since 1996 — nearly 1,000 international students from over a dozen countries. | Not published Not published |
| Language of lessons | Chinese | English, on a United States university path |
| Tuition | RMB 23,100 per semesterschool admission page, 2026-03-19 | RMB 105,000 per yearschool admission plan, 2023-05-07 |
| First-year total | RMB 73,000–74,200 Alifa estimate | Only tuition published Not published |
| Boarding | Yes, all year groups Confirmed | Not published Not published |
| Youngest entry | Year 7 | Year 10, after the city entrance exam |
| Leaving qualification | Beijing high school graduation certificate | Not published Not published |
| Where graduates go | Chinese universities School-reported | Mainly the United States and other top-100 universities |
Scroll sideways to see both schools →
Which School Can Take Your Child
Your child's passport decides most of this.
- Foreign passport. BNU High School can take your child. Its admission page dated 2026-03-19 asks for a foreign passport, an age of 12 or above, good health, legal entry to Beijing, and a legal guardian who lives in Beijing.
- Chinese passport, living in Beijing, planning to study abroad. SDSZ International Department is built for this family. Entry is through the 中考, the Beijing city school entrance exam taken at about age 15.
- Foreign passport, but you want SDSZ. The school has published no way in. Alifa searched its website, its official WeChat account and Beijing city records, and wrote to its admissions address. Nothing was found and no reply has arrived. Not published
BNU High School requires a legal guardian living in Beijing. The guardian paperwork must be apostilled — certified for use in another country — and one document must be notarised inside China. Read Alifa's guide to guardianship and notarization for foreign students, and check the X1/X2 student visa guide before you start. The full document list is in the How to Apply section below.
Two Names, One Word Apart
The Chinese names differ by one word: 实验, meaning "Experimental". Check for it before you send money or documents.
| BNU High School | SDSZ | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | 北京师范大学附属中学 | 北京师范大学附属实验中学 |
| English name | The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University | The Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University |
| Short name in use | 师大附中 | 师大实验 |
| Website | bjsdfz.com | sdsz.com.cn |
| Admissions contact | jlzx@bjsdfz.com Phone: 8319-3000-7899 WeChat contact ID: bjsdfzguojibu | admission@sdszintl.com Phone: 66526093 / 66526123 |
One more warning about WeChat. BNU High School also runs an account called 北京师大附中AP. That is the AP programme for Chinese students going abroad, not the foreign student department. A message sent there will not reach the right team.
What Each School Costs
BNU High School
Tuition is RMB 23,100 per semester in the international certificate class, or RMB 26,400 per semester if your child joins regular Chinese classes. School staff confirmed on 2026-09-14 that these amounts have not changed. Confirmed
| Item | Amount | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | RMB 500 | Once |
| Tuition — certificate class | RMB 23,100 | Per semester |
| Tuition — Chinese classes | RMB 26,400 | Per semester |
| Boarding | RMB 10,000 | Per semester |
| Textbooks | about RMB 300 | Per semester |
| Uniform | about RMB 300 | Once |
| Breakfast | RMB 3 | Per meal, prepaid card |
| Lunch or dinner | RMB 12–15 | Per meal, prepaid card |
| Payment is made at the school, by a China-issued UnionPay card, after the school asks for it. | ||
Alifa estimates the first year at RMB 73,000 to RMB 74,200 for a boarding student in the certificate class. Alifa estimate The inputs are: tuition RMB 23,100 twice, boarding RMB 10,000 twice, application fee RMB 500, textbooks ~RMB 300 twice, uniform ~RMB 300, and meals ~RMB 5,400–6,600 over around 200 school days. This excludes the visa, the insurance the school requires, and document translation and certification costs.
SDSZ International Department
Tuition is RMB 105,000 per academic year, under the school's admission plan dated 2023-05-07 — the most recent one published on the school's own website. No boarding fee, no other charge, and no newer fee schedule has been published. Not updated
See Both Schools in Action
BNU High School and SDSZ — filmed by Alifa. Click any thumbnail to watch in the main player.
How to Apply to BNU High School
Admission to BNU High School is open all year, until the places are full. You do not need to be in Beijing to start. Confirmed — admission page 2026-03-19
- Short-term exchange. The language programme also accepts short-term students — days, weeks or a single semester. Useful for families who want to try the school before committing to a full year.
- Interview. Held online through Tencent Meeting, also called VooV. School staff confirmed this on 2026-09-14. A family abroad can do it from home.
- Certificate class and Chinese-class entry. Interview plus a written test in maths, Chinese and a foreign language.
- Language class. Interview plus a review of past school reports.
- No HSK certificate. That is fine. The school tests Chinese at the interview and runs its own practice tests twice a year.
Three ways to study
| Track | What it is | Chinese needed |
|---|---|---|
| Language class 语言班 |
Mostly Chinese, plus English, sport, maths in Chinese, and culture and arts practice. Pass the end-of-semester exam and your child moves up next semester. | None. Beginners are welcome. |
| Certificate class 学历班 |
Small classes aiming at the Beijing qualification exams, with extra Chinese, maths and English, and support for HSK, IELTS and TOEFL. | Basic, usually after one or two semesters in the language class. |
| Chinese classes 插班 |
Your child joins regular Chinese classes, full-time or half-time for one to two semesters as a trial. | Full-time: HSK 5 at 220+ (junior high) or HSK 6 at 220+ (senior high). Half-time: HSK 4 at 260+. |
Scroll sideways to see all columns →
Documents you will need
What Your Child Studies and Leaves With
International students at BNU High School study the same national curriculum as Chinese students. To receive the high school graduation certificate issued by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, they must pass the 合格考, the Beijing subject qualification exams. The city holds these twice a year, so a student has more than one chance. Confirmed
For university, students follow CSCA, the Chinese Standardized College Admission route for international students. School staff told Alifa on 2026-09-14 that a university application is built from the HSK result, the CSCA result, a student profile, a CV and a recommendation letter.
National curriculum subjects
The full subject list from the school brochure (August 2026): Chinese, Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, History, Politics, IT, Art, Science and PE. International students study the same content as Chinese students and must pass the qualification exam in each subject to earn the Beijing Municipal Education Commission graduation certificate.
Application counsel courses
The school runs a structured four-year programme to prepare students for Chinese university applications:
- Year 10, Semester 1: Career planning
- Year 10, Semester 2: Leadership; speech and presentation
- Year 11, Semester 1: Protocol (Chinese and international); choosing universities
- Year 11, Semester 2: Choosing a major; career experience activities
- Year 12, Semester 1: CV writing in Chinese and English; mock application system practice
- Year 12, Semester 2: Mock interviews
SDSZ International Department has not published its exit qualification or its full course list on its own website. Not published Its stated direction is the United States university path. Families choosing between SDSZ and a curriculum they already understand may find Alifa's guides to AP courses in China, IGCSE and A-Level schools, and IB schools in China useful for comparison.
SDSZ International Department
This is the school most foreign families have already read about, because it sits near the top of the best-known China school rankings. Browse its Alifa school profile →
- Hurun Education (胡润百学) 2026: 4th in China overall, 1st among public school international departments, 2nd in Beijing. Confirmed — published 2026-08-04
- Kinglead (京领) 2026: 1st in China for the United States undergraduate direction, with an AAAAA rating. Confirmed — published 2026-04-27
Its admission plan dated 2023-05-07 describes one route. The department admits strong junior high graduates who may apply inside the Beijing system, and the city admissions office gives places by district quota. In plain words: that is the Beijing high school entrance exam, the 中考.
A child on a foreign passport cannot normally enter that system. SDSZ has not published any separate route for foreign passport holders. Alifa searched the school website, its official WeChat account and Beijing city records, and wrote to the school's admissions address. No published route was found and no reply has arrived. Families who need a school that definitely takes foreign passports should see Alifa's guide to Beijing international schools for expats or the American schools in Beijing guide. Not published
Some agents describe SDSZ as a Forbes-ranked school. The Forbes China international school ranking does not cover public school international departments, and said so when it published on 2024-07-01. SDSZ is absent from that list because of the list's scope, not because of its results. Reported in public record
Why There Is No Government List to Check
Many families expect an official list of Beijing schools allowed to take foreign students. That list no longer exists.
Under the Beijing rules 京教外〔2021〕19号, published 2022-01-28, a school that wants to enrol international students files a record with its own district education office. The rules carry no list of school names. The older 2000 regulation, which did work that way, has been cancelled. Confirmed — beijing.gov.cn, 2022-01-28
Ask the school, and ask for the answer in writing. A school that takes foreign students normally has an admission page for them, a fee list and a named contact. If an agent tells you a school accepts foreign passports, ask them for the school's own page that says so. For a broader picture of which Chinese public schools are open to foreign children, see Alifa's guide to Chinese public schools for foreign kids.
Location and Getting There
| BNU High School | SDSZ International Department | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 18 Nanxinhua Street, Hepingmen Xicheng District, Beijing 北京市西城区和平门南新华街18号 |
1 Zhongjingjidao Xicheng District, Beijing 100032 北京市西城区中京畿道1号 |
| Postcode | 100052 | 100032 |
| Nearest subway | Hepingmen station, about 100 metres north of the school | Not published Not published |
| School transport | Not published Not published | Not published Not published |
| Boarding | Yes, all year groups | Not published Not published |
BNU High School has three campuses. Which campus your child sits in depends on the track, not the age. For context on how Beijing public school boarding compares with other options, see Alifa's top boarding schools in China guide. A Year 7 student in the certificate class stays on the east campus (the main campus), across the street from the dormitory. A Year 7 student who joins regular Chinese classes studies at the south campus at 太平街西巷4, about 20 minutes away. If boarding matters to you, the certificate track keeps a young child next to the dormitory. Confirmed — school staff, 2026-09-14
What Alifa Checked
Every figure below was checked against a primary source before publishing. Where a school has not published a current figure, we say so.
| Claim | Value | Status | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNU High School — tuition | RMB 23,100/semester (certificate class); RMB 26,400 (Chinese classes) | Confirmed | School admission page | 2026-03-19 |
| BNU High School — first-year all-in | RMB 73,000–74,200 (boarding) | Alifa estimate | Tuition + boarding + fees + meals | 2026-09-15 |
| BNU High School — eligibility | Foreign passport; age 12+; legal guardian in Beijing | Confirmed | School admission page | 2026-03-19 |
| BNU High School — campus status | Three campuses; intake open all year until full | Confirmed | School admission page + staff | 2026-09-14 |
| BNU High School — curriculum & exit diploma | Chinese national curriculum; Beijing graduation certificate via 合格考; CSCA for university | Confirmed | School admissions material | 2026-08 |
| SDSZ — tuition | RMB 105,000 per year | Confirmed | School admission plan | 2023-05-07 |
| SDSZ — first-year all-in | Not published by the school | Not published | Checked school website + WeChat | 2026-09-15 |
| SDSZ — eligibility (published route) | Beijing city entrance exam; district quota places | Confirmed | School admission plan | 2023-05-07 |
| SDSZ — foreign passport route | No route published; no reply to written enquiry | Not published | School site, WeChat, Beijing records, direct email | 2026-09-15 |
| SDSZ — campus status | International department operating, Xicheng District | Confirmed | School website | 2025-10-14 |
| SDSZ — curriculum & exit diploma | Not published on the school's own site | Not published | Checked school website + WeChat | 2026-09-15 |
Scroll sideways to see sources and dates →
Ask the school before you pay a deposit
For the full picture on BNU High School — its full subject list, HSK thresholds, graduate destinations and contact details — see Alifa's dedicated BNU High School profile →
- Whether SDSZ International Department accepts your child's nationality. No route is published. Alifa checked the school website, its official WeChat account and Beijing city records, and wrote to admission@sdszintl.com with no reply. Ask by email or on 66526093.
- SDSZ's current fee year, boarding and exit qualification. Only the 2023 tuition is published. Ask for the current admission plan as a document.
- Whether the BNU High School fees still apply to your start date. The published figures are dated 2026-03-19 and were confirmed by staff on 2026-09-14.
- Whether a place is available in your child's year group. BNU High School admits all year round until places are full.
- Which documents must be apostilled, and which must be notarised inside China. The two are different processes with different costs and timelines.
- Who your legal guardian in Beijing will be, and what the school requires of them. This is the requirement that stops most families.
- What happens if your child does not pass the qualification exams the first time.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-15 by Alifa Education. Fees and admission rules change. Reconfirm with the school before making any payment.
Common Questions
The school has published no route for foreign passport holders. Its published way in is the Beijing city school entrance exam, which a foreign passport holder cannot normally enter.
Alifa checked the school website, its official WeChat account and Beijing city records, and wrote to admission@sdszintl.com. No reply had arrived by 2026-09-15. Ask the school directly and get the answer in writing before you plan around this school.
BNU High School (北京师范大学附属中学) accepts them. Its foreign student department has taught international students since 1996. Your child needs a foreign passport, must be 12 or older, and must have a legal guardian living in Beijing.
No. A beginner starts in the language class, which focuses on Chinese alongside English, sport, maths in Chinese, and culture and arts practice. Most students move into the certificate class after one or two semesters.
An HSK certificate is not needed to apply. The school tests Chinese at the interview and runs its own practice tests twice a year.
Yes. School staff confirmed on 2026-09-14 that the interview is held online through Tencent Meeting (VooV), so a family abroad can do it from home.
You will still need a legal guardian living in Beijing before your child can enrol. That guardian file — which must be apostilled and notarised — takes time to prepare and is worth starting early.
Alifa estimates RMB 73,000 to RMB 74,200 for a boarding student in the certificate class. That adds: tuition RMB 23,100 twice, boarding RMB 10,000 twice, application fee RMB 500, textbooks ~RMB 300 twice, uniform ~RMB 300, and meals ~RMB 5,400–6,600.
It excludes the visa, the insurance the school requires, and document translation and certification costs, because those change with your country.
Yes, if the child passes the 合格考, the Beijing subject qualification exams. The certificate is issued by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission. The city holds these exams twice a year, so a student has more than one chance.
You ask the school. Under the Beijing rules 京教外〔2021〕19号, published 2022-01-28, a school files a record with its own district education office instead of appearing on a published city list. There is no government page you can search.
Ask the school for written confirmation and for its own admission page for international students.
Alifa Education Services
Is BNU High School Right for Your Family?
It suits a family holding a foreign passport who want their child taught in Chinese, aiming at a Chinese university, and who can arrange a legal guardian in Beijing. The guardian requirement — not the fee — is what ends most applications. That is the part Alifa handles: we confirm the school's current position in writing, explain the guardian file, and prepare the documents in the order Beijing schools ask for them. Browse all verified profiles in the Alifa school directory, or explore our guides to international schools in Beijing, RDFZ and BNU, and international schools in China.
✉ Ask About Eligibility →Disclosure: Alifa Education Services is an independent education placement consultancy. We may earn a referral fee from partner schools when families enroll, at no extra cost to the family. Our recommendations are based on fit, not fee structure.
Sources
- BNU High School — admission information for international students. bjsdfz.com — school website, dated 2026-03-19.
- BNU High School — foreign student department admissions material. School-published document, August 2026. Held on file.
- BNU High School — admissions staff. Direct reply to Alifa by WeChat, 2026-09-14.
- SDSZ — school website. sdsz.com.cn — page dated 2025-10-14.
- SDSZ — 2023 admission plan. sdsz.com.cn — dated 2023-05-07.
- Beijing measures for enrolling international students, 京教外〔2021〕19号. beijing.gov.cn — published 2022-01-28.
- Hurun Education China International Schools ranking 2026. hurun.net — published 2026-08-04.
- Kinglead China International School ranking, United States direction 2026. jinglingedu.com — published 2026-04-27.
- Forbes China international school ranking scope. Carried in media — 2024-07-01.
Last reviewed 2026-09-15 by Alifa Education. School fees and admission rules change. Always confirm with the school before you pay.
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