We welcome you to the Santiago College educational community, founded in 1880. Through this site we want to share information related to the admission process of new students according to the current legal provisions that regulate the processes of application and admission of students contained in the General Law of Education.
First by sharing with you our Admission Policies and below information about our application processes, information on vacancies, important dates such as application and delivery of results, requirements, types of tests and stages of the admission process, among others.
We require the members of our community for their commitment and respect for our Institutional Educational Project and the Internal School Regulations, which are also included in this section.
ADMISSION POLICIES
Santiago College is a diverse and multicultural college that admits students without discrimination based on creed, nationality, religion and/or gender identity. Application to Santiago College is open to all interested.
The application process ensures that the admitted student can benefit from the existing plans and programs, the human resources available as well as function adequately in the physical environment that we have.
Santiago College has always maintained close ties with its community, therefore, it gives priority in the application of families that are already members of the college; children of former students and staff.
Number of vacancies available for Pre-Kindergarten 2026 Admission Process: 144
APPLICATION DATES: February 20th through March 11th, 2025
REQUIREMENTS
Age: Children born between January 1st, 2021 through March 31st, 2022
Parents/Guardians are requested to:
1. Complete an online application form
2. Attach or submit by separate email:
– Child’s Birth Certificate if applicant is Chilean
– Copy of the child’s “Cédula de Identidad Extranjero” or Passport for foreign students.
3. Application Fee: 2 UF Once the application has been validated, the application fee will not be reimbursed.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Online Modality: Through the School’s website www.scollege.cl, admission, Pre-Kinder 2026 by filling in the online application form and paying the corresponding application fee through WEB PAY or in person at the school from Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. To complete the application parents/guardians will be required to sign the document “Declaración” which will be emailed once the application process is over.
Applications that are incomplete or filled in after the deadline, will not be considered.
Admission Process: Applicants are expected to participate in the guided tour. The admission process will be face to face for children that reside in Chile. Only children living abroad will participate in a remote mode. The admission process will be carried out during March-April 2025. Applicants will participate in a maturity evaluation. This is not a diagnosis assessment; it does not measure knowledge.
If the child complies with the necessary score to continue with the admission process, parents of applicants belonging to new families applying to Santiago College will be called to a parental interview. School families with a child or children already enrolled on Santiago College will not be interviewed, unless only one of them is a parent of the school and he/she is introducing a new family for admission, in this case both parents will be interviewed. The interview is part of the admission process.
Complete information regarding the process, requirements and criteria for admission are available at the School’s website www.scollege.cl, Admissions “Pre-Kinder Admission”.
According to our admission policy, priority will be given to siblings of Santiago College students (PK-12th Grade) and within new families to alumni and staff children, under similar results. The balance in gender will be considered when assigning the spaces, an approximately 12% margin of difference will be admissible.
DELIVERY OF RESULTS: Results will be delivered no later than April 16, 2025 by email and published at the School (Admissions Board outside the Administrative Building) according to current regulation.
www.scollege.cl – admiss@scollege.cl – Oficina Admisiones – tel. 2 27338911
General Admission Criteria
The application and admission process for Pre-Kinder consists of several stages:
Information in relation to these stages is detailed below.
In consequence to our admission policy the priority criteria for the admission process, are the following:
Vacancies
Santiago College offers a total of 144 vacancies for Pre-Kindergarten, to be distributed among applicants participating in the regular admission process, belonging to both school families and new families.
Pre-Kinder Application and Admission Process Dates
The application process is divided in two phases. The first one exclusively for school families (with children enrolled at Santiago College as of Pre-Kinder). The second one for new families.
Application for school families (with children enrolled as of Pre-Kinder)
Application for new families
Visit of the applicant and guardians:
Saturday March 8
Saturday March 15
These are group visits, we expect all applicants and parents/guardians attend. It will only be possible to reschedule a visit if we have an available date.
Evaluations: March-April
Parental Interviews: From March 20 to April 11.
Delivery of results: Wednesday April 16, 2025.
Application Requirements
Delivery of Information to New Families
Prior to or during the evaluation period of the applicants, information on this process will be delivered in an informative meeting which includes an audio visual presentation with information regarding the admission process and also about the characteristics of the school. We expect parents to attend. This information will be shared with parents/guardians who reside abroad (by email). In the case of parents/guardians who reside in Chile and neither of them can attend, they must give written notice so that we can emailed them the corresponding information. Rescheduling the date of the Talk will depend on date availability.
Admission Process
The admission process will be face-to-face for applicants that live in Chile. Applicants living abroad will participate on an online process. Both ways will be valid.
Face to Face Admission Process (Applicant)
Online Process (Applicant)
Areas to observe and Weighting
MOTOR SKILLS /4 points – 7%
Fine and gross motor skills
LANGUAGE /18 points – 31%
Oral language comprehension, oral language expression
COGNITION /12 points – 21%
Memory, attention, mathematical logical reasoning
OVERALL MATURITY /3 points – 5%
Graphic expression
EMOTIONAL OBSERVATION GUIDELINE
Socialization and adaptation /21 points – 36%
Total Score Obtained: /57 points – 100%
Score Review (General for both onsite and remote admission process)
Once the results of these evaluations have been attained, the scores obtained by the applicants will be revised. The review criteria is based on the scores established by the school to carry out this process.
The number of eligible applicants is larger than the number of existing vacancies.
Parents/Guardians of the applicants who, after the review have not reached the necessary score to continue in the process, will be notified by email before the end of the admission process (April 30th at the latest).
Parents of applicants that belong to new families, who after the review of scores continue in the process, will be summoned to a parent interview, which can be held in person or on an online modality, instinctively.
Parent Interviews
The purpose of the interview is to know the applicants’ families and, at the same time, that they get to know better our educational program, beyond the material already offered through the informative meeting, or audio visual presentation.
The school establishes principles aiming at promoting an integral development and for that purpose, it needs the commitment from all the members of the community, specially mothers/fathers and/or guardians. Therefore, during the interview that is meant for new families, it will be analyzed the consistency between the family’s expectations and the school’s mission, the educational program and the understanding and support for its principles.
The interview is scheduled by phone or email with the adults responsible for accompanying the child through his school life.
Parents’ interview and participation of the new families in the admission process, will be considered when assigning vacancies and it will correspond to the 50% of the result. The score obtained in the interview will be linked to a concept (grade) for the vacancies assignment. It can be held in person or in a remote mode, both options are valid.
Grades
Outstanding: 6,0 a 7,0
Good: 5,0 a 5,9
Satisfactory: 4,0 a 4,9
Unsatisfactory: 3,9 or less
Those families having children enrolled in the School won’t be interviewed, unless one of the parents is a parent/guardian of this new family. In this case, we will set a date for an interview with both parents (the new and old parent/guardian).
Parents of new families, whose children do not comply with the minimum educational achievement needed during the maturity assessment, would not be interviewed. Parents will be informed by email of the admission process result, the email will be sent prior to the date established to deliver the results.
Final Stage of the Process and Assignment of Vacancies
According to our admission policy, priority will be given to siblings of Santiago College students (PK-12th Grade). They will not be compared with the rest of the applicants. Priority does not imply the admittance of the applicant, he/she must comply with the minimum entrance score established.
Once the parental interviews have been completed, the Admission Commission meets and reviews the information regarding the scores obtained by the applicants. The evaluation of the applicant corresponds to the 50% of the final score. The gross score obtained by the child is transformed by applying a mathematical formula that will result in a standard score that will allow to sort and compare the scores within the applicants, regardless of their age. The Commission will review, as well, the parent interview which equates the remaining 50%. The scores of new family applicants that complete the admission process will be sorted from high to low scores. It is important to reiterate that according to the priority criteria:
Within new families with similar results, priority will be given to alumni and staff children.
The balance in gender will be considered when assigning the spaces, an approximately 12% margin of difference will be admissible
Delivery of the Results
The date for delivery of the results will be informed to parents/guardians in the call to the admission process, through the school’s website, posters and in the informative meeting for parents that will be held face-to-face or through the information that will be sent to parents through email that could not attend the talk..
The results will be delivered by email at the end of the admission process, on the established date. In the event that the admission process ends before the established delivery date, the results may be sent prior to the date. Once the results are communicated to parents, the list of applicants who are admitted, on the waiting list or not admitted will be published in accordance with current regulations.
The school will deliver a report of the children who are not admitted when Parents or Guardians request it in writing. Request will be accepted no later than 15 days after the result is delivered. The school has set a maximum of 15 working days to deliver such a report.
Enrollment Confirmation
The date and information regarding the registration procedure will be informed to the parents of children who are offered admission, either in the acceptance letter or separately in a financial letter that will be sent by email.
Application Process PK 2026 for applicants with siblings enrolled in Santiago College – Closed
Application Process PK 2025 (click here)
Vacancies
The number of vacancies from Kindergarten on, will be published together with the call for the application process in August.
It is important to point out that the number of vacancies may vary during the regular admission process, which will depend on the withdrawals after the date of publication and the special processes for the admission to the second semester of foreign families or students applying to re-enter Santiago College after a period of absence.
Dates
Application Call and information on vacancies: August
Reception of applications for admission: first fortnight of August
Review of applications for admission: August-September
Tests and interviews: October
Results: November
Application requirements
Academic and language requirements for applicants
The minimum presentation average required is 5.8 (average of Language, English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science) or their equivalent in cases of international applications.
Knowledge of English language at bilingual school level for the grade level of application.
Knowledge of Spanish from 7th grade on and command of this language at bilingual school level from 8th grade on for all those applicants whose academic tongue is not Spanish.
General Admission Criteria
Santiago College is an open school that admits students from different creeds and nationalities. It is a bilingual English-Spanish school that offers most courses in English up to 8th grade and in Spanish from 9th grade on (except for the English course). It is also a member of the International Baccalaureate Organization, as it teaches its three academic programs: The Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP) and the Diploma Program (DP).
Applicants must be knowledgeable in English at bilingual school level according to the grade level to which they are applying and must have knowledge of Spanish from 7th grade on.
It will only be possible to have access to the admission process if there are vacancies available. No incomplete or delayed application for admission will be taken into consideration.
Any student who wishes to reenter Santiago College after a period of absence and has approved the corresponding admission exams will have priority over other applicants.
Amount and payment conditions for participating in the process:
The amount and payment conditions for participating in the process will be informed at the time of the call.
Evaluations to which applicants will be submitted
Applicants will be evaluated in the courses of Language, English and Mathematics. From 10° grade on, the student will be required to submit to a test of one of the three Sciences (Biology, Physics or Chemistry).The minimum performance expected to continue with the admission process is 80% of achievement in each area. If due to a difference in the curriculum with the school of origin, the applicant does not reach the average(s) established in the admission criteria, the school will review its particular situation and according to this analysis, will determine to continue with the corresponding admission process if it deems so.
Those students applying to 7th grade and whose academic language is not Spanish, will have to obtain a minimum percentage of 60% in their Spanish language examination in order to continue with the admission process.
Applicants in process
After having approved the admission examinations according to the above-mentioned requirements of the school, applicants will be called by our Counseling Department to evaluations measuring general cognitive aspects and personal interviews to inquire about the applicant’s social and emotional areas.
Parents Interview
Parents and guardians of applicants tjat belong to new families complying with the admission criteria will be interviewed by the principal of the corresponding school cycle. The purpose of this meeting is to deliver to the applicant’s parents the necessary information on the school, such as the most relevant points within the educational project. Parents’ interviews will be valid for all applicants from the same family. Families with children enrolled in the School will not be interviewed unless one of the parents is a parent/guardian of this new family. In that case, we will set a date for an interview with both parents (the new and old parent/guardian).
Applicants who become part of the Santiago College Community
To assign the vacancies amongst applicants who comply with the criteria for admission to Santiago College, the school will give priority to those applicants with brothers or sisters enrolled in Santiago College. Amongst new families, the children of former students of the school and the children of school employees will have priority – under similar conditions; for this purpose the information corresponding to all applicants participating in the admission process will also be considered. The balance in gender will be considered when assigning the spaces, approximately a 12% margin of difference will be admissible.
Results
Parents and guardians of applicants who do not reach the required percentage to pass to the next evaluation phase will be notified by e-mail or by phone.
The final results of the admission process will be informed by email and the list of accepted applicants will be published on the Admission board at the entrance of the Administrative Building and on the Admissions Office panel, in accordance with the current regulations on the date established in the convocation notice.
Application Process Year 2025 Kindergarten onwards – Closed (click here)
Application Process Year 2024 – Kindergarten onwards (published 29-9-2023) (CLOSED)
Application Process Year 2024 – Kindergarten onwards (published 1-8-2023)
Application Process Year 2023 – Kindergarten onwards
As stated in our mission and reflected in our institutional values, our school is nurtured from cultural diversity. We receive applications from abroad, regardless of the applicant’s nationality and creed.
Applications from Chilean or foreign students who live abroad are received throughout the year.
When the admission form is not available in our website, the family must get in touch with the Admission Office at admiss@scollege.cl - telephone 56-2-27338911.
It should be noted that a student’s admission will depend on the existence of a vacancy at the time of his/her arrival in Chile and the results the applicant obtains in his/her admission exams. The school cannot guarantee vacancies for applicants who arrive from abroad once the regular admission processes have ended.
The school does not take admission exams to applicants during the summer holidays (January and February).
Steps to follow:
Note: For applicants to First Grade up, it is recommendable that Chilean children or children of Chilean father or mother bring their child’s last school year report legalized by the Chilean Consulate of the country where the child studied before returning to Chile. Likewise, foreign applicants coming from countries with treaties or conventions with Chile (Andrés Bello Convention or bilateral conventions) must present school documents that have been duly legalized by the Chilean Consulate. These documents must be presented at the Ministry of Education of Chile.
Community Handbook (see document)
Institutional Educational Project (see document)
