Policies and Placement

We open applications for the new school year starting mid-January and begin making offers in March. We offer a rolling admissions process and accept applications throughout the year and offer places to students deemed admissible  in accordance with our admissions policies. We also recommend new students start with their peers in August or at the start of the second semester in January. However, we do understand that families move throughout the academic year and we do our best to make these transitions as smooth as possible.

 

Admissions Policies

There are many factors that will influence student admissions into UNIS Hanoi including:

• Cultural Diversity Policy: UNIS Hanoi values its truly diverse international student body. In order to retain this diversity nationality quotas have been applied to our admissions process.
• EAL Policy: We offer support for English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners based on grade specific quotas.
• Learning Support: We successfully serve a managed number of students presenting with mild and moderate learning differences and accept students who we believe can be successful in the daily programme at UNIS Hanoi. Each application will be reviewed on an individual basis to determine if a child's learning support needs can be supported by the programme.
• Prioritization Policy: As a school founded by the UN and the Vietnamese government, we give priority to UN agency families, diplomatic corps, siblings of current students, alumni families and expatriate families. 

Priority Lanes

LANE 1: Families working for the United Nations, diplomatic corps, faculty children and scholarship students

LANE 2: Siblings of enrolled students and UNIS Hanoi graduates

LANE 3: Returning alumni students, alumni siblings and children of alumni students

LANE 4: Expatriate families temporarily residing in Hanoi

LANE 5: Vietnamese Nationals

 

Admissions Placement

School Age Placement

Please review our School Age Placement Guide (applying years: 2024-2025 / 2023-2024) to understand the grade for which your child will be considered. We understand that moving between international school systems can be a complicated process. In our experience, students excel when grouped with those of a similar age and this is especially true for our Lower Elementary classrooms. Know that in Early Years through Grade 1 applicants will be placed, without exception, in accordance to their age as of August 31. Students who have completed a grade 1 programme or higher and who are young according to grade placement guidelines may, at times, be considered for a higher-grade placement. Under these circumstances, a student's academic, social and emotional development will guide the student's grade placement and final placement decisions are made by the Admissions Committee.

Placement from Schools with a Different Calendar Year

UNIS Hanoi’s academic year starts in August and ends in June. A gap in education is not supported by UNIS Hanoi. Final grade placement decisions for students who apply from schools or educational systems with a different school calendar, such as those commonly found in Korea, Japan, or Australia, will be based on a combination of factors including the:

• Student's age
• Percentage of the school year the student has completed in his/her last school
• Percentage of the school year remaining in our school calendar
• Student academic performance
• Social and emotional developments

IB Diploma Placement: (Grades 11 & 12)

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a rigorous and challenging pre-university course for highly motivated students. Successful completion of a Grade 10 or equivalent year is required for enrollment in the full Diploma Programme and admission is at the discretion of the Principal. As IB courses are normally taken over 2 years, after Semester 1 of grade 11 applicants may not be admitted to the IBDP programme unless they have completed courses that can be aligned to UNIS Hanoi programmes. Applicants to the IBDP must interview with the Diploma Programme Coordinator prior to approval. The IBDP Coordinator is available for personal interviews until the last day of the academic year in June. An interview via video link may be arranged for overseas students. However, this must be supplemented by a face-to-face meeting following the arrival of a candidate in Hanoi before the start of school.

Language Programme Placement

Language acquisition and development is fundamental to teaching and learning. Language is an integral and interconnected part of the curriculum. At UNIS Hanoi we believe that learning through language and learning about language not only promotes cognitive growth but also encourages students to develop into confident and reflective communicators, while building an understanding of cultural identity and diversity. 

Find out more about the Language Programme’s Regulations and Practices and Placement.