The admissions timeline is the single most common thing families get wrong when planning a Chiang Mai move. Schools have application windows. Some have waitlists. Some don't accept mid-year. And the academic year here runs August to June, which is different from many countries' calendars.
This guide is the actual cadence: when to apply, what documents to have ready, what to do if you missed the window, and which grade entry points have the most pressure.
The academic year
Most international schools in Chiang Mai run the August-to-June academic year. Two semesters:
- Semester 1: mid-August to mid-December.
- Semester 2: early January to mid-June.
School breaks: Songkran (April 13-16), Christmas/New Year (mid-Dec to early Jan), shorter October and February breaks. Plus burning season closure days (variable).
Some bilingual schools (Panyaden, Varee) follow the Thai academic calendar, which starts in May. Confirm with each school.
The admissions calendar for August intake
| Month | What's happening |
|---|---|
| September - November (prior year) | School open houses begin. Tours available by appointment. Shortlist forms. |
| November - December | Most schools open applications for the August intake. Application forms available online. |
| December - February | Primary application window. Document gathering, admissions assessments, interviews. |
| March - April | Admissions decisions issued. Acceptance deposits due (typically ฿20k to ฿80k). |
| May - July | Education visa applications. School-fee deposits. Uniforms, supplies, orientation. |
| August | School year starts. Orientation for new families. |
The grade entry points with the most pressure
- Year 1 (kindergarten entry, age 4 to 5). This is the natural entry cohort and where most local Thai-international families enter. Popular schools (Panyaden, Prem PrePrem, CMIS K) often fill by January for the following August.
- Year 7 (middle school entry, age 11 to 12). Second-biggest entry cohort. Families on rotational expat assignments (oil, tech, NGO) time their moves to this point. Top IB and British schools fill earliest here.
- Year 11 (start of IGCSE / IB DP, age 15 to 16). Smaller cohort but high-pressure for diploma-track placements. Some schools won't accept new students this late if it would disrupt the 2-year programme.
The lower-pressure entry points: Year 2 through 5, Year 8 through 10. Most schools have rolling spots.
Documents to have ready
Every school's application checklist varies slightly, but the universal requirements:
- Previous school records. Report cards or transcripts for the last 2 to 3 academic years. Translated to English if not already.
- Birth certificate. Original or certified copy.
- Passport copies. Child and both parents.
- Vaccination record. Full immunization history. Some schools require specific vaccines for entry.
- Parent IDs. Passport, visa, sometimes work permit.
- Application form. Each school's own.
- Application fee. Non-refundable, ฿2k to ฿5k typical.
- Photos. Passport-sized for the child.
- Health declaration / medical form. Signed by a doctor.
- For older students: recent standardized test scores (if applicable), recommendation letters, samples of student work.
The admissions assessment
Most schools require some form of assessment. What it looks like:
- Early years (Year 1 to 3): Informal play-based observation, sometimes a parent interview. No "test" in any meaningful sense.
- Primary (Year 4 to 6): Reading comprehension, basic math, writing sample. Often combined with a teacher observation session.
- Middle school (Year 7 to 9): More formal academic assessment, English proficiency (especially for non-native speakers), math levels, sometimes an interview.
- Upper school (Year 10+): Subject-specific assessments aligned with the curriculum the student is entering. Often a full interview.
English-as-additional-language (EAL) support varies by school. Some have strong EAL programs; some require near-native English for entry. Ask each school directly.
Mid-year transfers
The cleanest mid-year entry points are early January (start of second semester) and post-Songkran (mid-April for the final term). Both work for most schools, except the highest-demand grades.
For mid-year, the timeline collapses: you'll typically submit application 2 to 6 weeks before the intended start, with assessments scheduled within that window. The school's response on availability is the constraint, not the documents.
What to do if you missed the window
If you're applying after the main April-May acceptance round and your top schools say they're full:
- Get on the waitlist anyway. Movement happens through August as families relocate or change plans.
- Apply to your second-tier schools too. If you only apply to one school and it's full, you have no fallback.
- Consider mid-year transfer. Start your child at school B in August, monitor the waitlist at school A, transfer in January if a spot opens.
- Talk to admissions directly. Sometimes there's a spot that isn't on the website. Sometimes there's a sibling-of-current-student waiver. Sometimes the school flexes for specific cases. A phone call is worth 20 emails.
The waitlist reality
Waitlists are real, but they're more fluid than they look. A school that says "full with a waitlist of 12" in February usually has 2 to 4 spots open by August because families withdraw, relocate, or change schools. Stay engaged with the admissions officer. Reconfirm interest in June and July.
What we cover on a Plan Check
For families with a specific timeline, we map your shortlist of schools against the admissions calendar, identify which grades have pressure for your kids' ages, build the document checklist, and write the outreach plan to admissions officers. If you're applying late, we flag the schools where mid-year is realistic vs. the schools that historically don't flex.
For the schools comparison, see our schools page. For a personalized admissions roadmap, see Family Plan Check.