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Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake

China, Guangzhou

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· Reviewed by · B2C Marketing Manager

Independently researched by doris.
Not yet claimed by the school
The school at a glance
Instructs in English, Mandarin
Fees RMB 40,000 - 178,000
Ages 14 - 18 years
Type Co-educational (boarding)
Opened 2021
Bus Service No
Availability Not shared by this school
Academic offering
Curriculum British Curriculum, BTEC Qualification, Cambridge A Levels, Pearson Edexcel IGCSE
Taught languages English, Mandarin, Armenian
Strengths Sport, Performing Arts, STEM
Clubs Academic and Intellectual, Arts and Creative, Community and Service
Stages Secondary School, Sixth Form
Introduction

Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake (MAS) opened in September 2021 and is presented on the school website as an international campus located in Songshan Lake Park, adjacent to Huawei's European Village; the site states the campus has about 35,000 m² of floor area and convenient transport links. MAS is described as offering courses within IGCSE and GCE A-level pathways and cooperating with Pearson/Edexcel and BTEC vocational provision for older students. The website also describes an on-site boarding provision and a broad co-curricular programme (sports, arts and STEM-related CCAs are listed). The school site does not publish a full fee schedule, an overall minimum/maximum age range for all entry points, typical class-size figures for MAS, or a total current pupil number; I can fetch the campus latitude/longitude from Google Maps if you'd like.

www.merchistonacademy.cn

No.12 Shilongzai Road, Dalang Sub-district, Longhua District, Shenzhen, China

Vibes and Culture
The school has not added this information
The Essentials

Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake has instruction in English, Mandarin.

Location
Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake is located in the Songshan Lake industrial park, Dongguan, Guangdong — the campus sits next to Huawei European Village and Songshan Lake Park. Address given on the school site is C4 CIMC Yi-Ning-Xi-Lu Road, Dongguan City, Guangdong, China. The site notes the campus is tranquil and has easy access to local transport links.

Stages
The school offers IGCSE and A‑level programmes and international preparatory (pre‑A level) options, with two‑year IGCSE and two‑year A‑level patterns and a one‑year pre‑A route described on the curriculum pages. The programmes are aimed at secondary / senior‑school students preparing for university.

Type
MAS is a co‑educational school and operates boarding provision; students are placed in age‑appropriate boarding houses with houseparents and resident tutors on site. The Songshan Lake campus is part of the wider Merchiston group (links with Merchiston Castle School and other Merchiston campuses) and shares resources across those campuses.

Additional learning support
The website describes a three‑teacher guidance model that includes academic mentors, pastoral care and a psychological counsellor as part of student support. The school does not publish a detailed Special Educational Needs (SEN) or specific learning‑support list on its public pages; parents are advised to contact admissions for case‑specific information.

Country affiliation
MAS presents itself as part of the Merchiston family and cites an affiliation with Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh, Scotland (UK).

Religious affiliation
The school website does not state any religious affiliation.

School day structure
The site publishes an Academic Calendar and a timetable page (作息表) where the school timetable is made available; exact start and finish times are shown on that calendar/timetable rather than in prominent text. The boarding page notes that boarders follow the same working day as day students and have a structured evening homework period and supervised weekend activities.

Bus service
The school refers to school buses in its uniform guidance (students must wear uniform on school buses), which indicates a bus service is used, but the website does not publish detailed route, provider or booking information. For pickup/drop‑off routes, costs and registration, the site directs parents to contact Admissions (admissions@merchistonacademy.cn / 400 999 0978).
Diving Deeper
The school has not added this information
Fees

Annual tuition at Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake ranges from RMB 40,000 to RMB 178,000 for 2026/27.

Application / Seat‑reservation fees
- Seat reservation (placement) deposit: RMB 18,000 (payable on offer/booking; treated as a seat deposit).

Tuition fees (current academic year — listed as annual amounts by programme)
- QingTeng programme (national curriculum + AP): RMB 178,000 per year.
- Songshan Lake programme (national curriculum + A‑Level): RMB 158,000 per year.
- ZiJing programme (national curriculum + DSE): RMB 98,000 per year.
- DeQin (domestic curriculum + Xingzhi特色): RMB 40,000 per year.

Per‑term / billing equivalents
- The school has previously published semester figures (two semesters per academic year) for international and domestic directions; older published semester examples include RMB 75,000 per semester for international direction and RMB 30,000 per semester for domestic direction. Where an annual fee is published, treat it as the full academic‑year charge unless a semester breakdown is specified.

Boarding (annual)
- Boarding (6‑person room): RMB 18,000 per year.
- Boarding (3‑person room): RMB 30,000 per year.

Other charges (paid separately)
- Insurance, optional paid CCAs, school bus, bedding/room setup, meals, uniforms, textbooks, international examination registration fees and occasional field‑trip or practical course fees. These items are charged in addition to tuition/boarding.

Billing schedule and payment terms / refunds
- Tuition is charged according to the published fee schedule for the relevant programme/year. If a student enrolls after a term begins, fees may be charged on a pro‑rata basis. Students are required to settle outstanding fees to receive school reports. If a registered student pays but does not commence, 90% of fees may be refundable; mid‑term withdrawals are calculated pro‑rata by actual days in attendance (school example formula: refund = paid/184 (184 − days attended), with a minimum month unit). One‑term written notice of withdrawal is normally required; failure to give notice can result in charges for remaining fees.

Fee payment options
- Publicly available materials do not list a definitive set of accepted payment channels for MAS Songshan Lake. Common channels for campuses in this group include bank transfer and electronic payments; for admissions or payment instructions, use the school admissions contact (admissions@merchistonacademy.cn).
Academics

Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake teaches British Curriculum, BTEC Qualification, Cambridge A Levels, Pearson Edexcel IGCSE for students aged 14 to 18.

Curriculum
Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake delivers UK‑style 14–19 provision with IGCSE, a Pre‑A‑level year where applicable, two‑year A‑levels and vocational BTEC pathways in partnership with Edexcel. Programmes run on three entry models — 0+2 (two‑year A‑level for G11–G13), 1+2 (one year Pre‑A‑level then two years A‑level for G10–G11 entrants) and 2+2 (two years IGCSE then two years A‑level) — with staged academic targets for each cohort. Core and elective subjects include Mathematics and Further Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Economics (students typically choose three at A‑level), with IGCSE equivalents and wider options such as Biology, Geography, Accounting, Computer Science, ICT, Drama and Art & Design. Language provision includes IGCSE English plus A‑level and Chinese pathways (including Chinese A‑level and HSK for international students), and the school offers extension and admissions‑test preparation (STEP/MAT/PAT) and competition training. The wider scope comprises vocational/internship modules (BTEC, finance, e‑commerce, data analysis), phase‑assessed general education credits (software, media, Mandarin, arts, performance) and a broad co‑curricular activities programme.
Wellbeing
The school has not added this information
Parent Experience
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Facilities
The school has not added this information
Extra-Curricular Activities
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Languages
The school has not added this information
Reputation
The school has not added this information
Admissions

Admissions
1. Follow the school's official WeChat and make initial contact. Merchiston Academy Songshan Lake (MAS) asks families to follow its official WeChat account as the first step; the Applications Process page on the school website lists this as Step 1 and this is also where open days, application links and contact details are announced. Parents should follow the account so they receive updates (assessment dates, open-day slots and application-link notices) rather than relying on third‑party summaries.

2. Pay the non‑refundable application fee (RMB 1,000). MAS requires a non‑refundable application fee of RMB 1,000 to progress an application; the Applications Process page shows this as Step 2. Keep the payment receipt and proof of payment — the school asks you to submit proof of payment with the application form and will not proceed with assessment without it.

3. Complete and submit the school application form. Parents should complete every section, including declarations about medical conditions and support needs — incomplete forms slow processing and the school uses the information to plan assessments and pastoral support.

4. Attend the interview and complete entry assessments (or arrange online if necessary). Both parents and the student are normally expected on campus for a face‑to‑face interview; an online interview is an alternative when required (for example, COVID‑related restrictions). Students take the entry assessments (the school specifically lists CAT4 and WIDA among the assessments); prepare copies of recent school reports and expect English proficiency testing (WIDA) and cognitive/ability screening (CAT4).

5. Provide required supporting documents at application or assessment. MAS lists the documents they require: mainland candidates should bring ID cards (international/HK/Macau applicants should provide passports), a recent frontal colour digital photo (two‑inch, white background), the application form, and academic transcripts for the last two years; CVs and certificates of awards are optional but recommended where relevant. The Application Information page also notes the school usually requests a confidential report from the applicant's current school and requires disclosure of any special learning needs so the Head of Section can assess reasonable adjustments.

6. Receiving an outcome, accepting an offer and next administrative steps. The school states parents will receive an offer letter by email within five working days after assessments, and offers should be accepted within five working days; if a candidate is declined they may reapply after six months once recommendations (if any) have been completed. After accepting a place, expect follow‑up steps such as fee‑payment instructions, a medical check on entry and placement decisions (year placement is determined by birth date and assessed ability); consult the school fee policy and the admissions team for payment deadlines and refund/withdrawal rules.

Scholarships
MAS publishes a specific scholarship page describing a range of awards and eligibility rules for 2024. The school runs targeted scholarships for different entry points and programmes: (a) A‑Level and DSE one‑year ‘crash‑course' scholarships (full or half tuition) using gaokao/DSE thresholds and interview performance — thresholds on the page show Guangdong candidates with higher listed score cutoffs (for example, A‑Level full scholarship considered at gaokao 500+ with interview; half scholarship at 470+). (b) Middle‑school/new‑student scholarships ("优才新生奖学金") tied to Dongguan Zhongkao scores (examples on the page show full award at a pure culture score of 700, half award at 650) and renewal conditions requiring the student to remain in the top percentage of the year. (c) Awards for outstanding graduates ("优秀毕业生奖学金") and academic/excellence awards (e.g., 20,000–50,000 RMB and other ranges) for students who achieve high university placements or sustained in‑school performance. Each scholarship page links to the application form and a WeChat/MikeCRM application URL; the page also sets renewal conditions (for multi‑year awards) and clarifies that scholarship value usually applies to tuition rather than extras such as boarding, uniform or activity fees — read the scholarship terms closely and contact admissions to confirm current availability and exact amounts.

Waitlist
MAS's published Applications Process states that where there are more candidates than available places, applications will be placed on a waiting list. The site gives no further public detail about waiting‑list ordering, typical wait times, or whether priority is given by application date, assessment score, sibling link or other factors; parents on the waiting list should contact admissions directly (admissions@merchistonacademy.cn or phone 400 999 0978) to ask about their position and any expected timeline. If an application is declined, the school's page also notes a candidate may reapply after six months, provided any recommendations have been followed.
School Events
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