Admissions Overview
1. General
Applications for entry to Discovery College are made via the ESF Website.
Year 1 (children born in 2020) and Year 7 (children born in 2014) Central Applications are made during the month of September of the year before the student enters school. Click here to see Key Dates.
General Applications for all year groups can be made throughout the whole year.
Parents may only submit one online application form per child with their selected preference of schools. The application received will be considered under the application date order and added to the waiting list according to the first preference school and priority criteria.
For Central Applications (Year 1 and Year 7), all applications received within the ‘Central Application Period’ (during the month of September) will receive a computer generated random number. Applications will be ranked by priority category and assigned a random number for central processing. The interview list for each ESF/PIS school is compiled, taking into account the priority criteria, the parent’s preferences, placement availability and requirements in line with the Hong Kong Education Bureau.
Transport restrictions into Discovery Bay will also be taken into account for Discovery College processing. Applicants who are not able to gain a first-round interview are waitlisted for their first preference school.
Starting from 2022/23, ESF kindergarten children joining K1 from August 2020, who can benefit from a mainstream, English medium curriculum, will be guaranteed a Year 1 place at an ESF school.
In line with the Hong Kong Education Bureau (EDB) requirements:
Discovery College shall admit students to school in accordance with the prevailing admission policy, including the overarching requirement to admit students holding Hong Kong Permanent Resident status to no less than 70% of the overall student population of the college.
2. Determining Year Group
Parents should refer to the “Determining Year Group” guidelines under the ESF admission process to determine the appropriate year group to apply for when submitting their application. Please note that the Year Group may be adjusted to ensure your child’s year of birth matches the ESF system age requirements.
3. Application Fee
The application fee is HK$2,800 (non-refundable and non-transferable). Click here to view instructions on online payment.
4. Supporting Documents
Before you start the application process, please view the checklist for submitting the online application form and the list of required supporting documents on the ESF website.
5. Nomination Rights
Nomination Rights provide a fast-track entry route for children into ESF schools, providing they meet the admissions requirements. See Nomination Rights Terms and Conditions.
6. Assessments and Interviews for Admission
All ESF schools offer an inquiry-based English-medium education and, as such, children applying to join an ESF school, including Discovery College, must demonstrate sufficient English language skills to engage with the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.
For Year 1 admissions, the process used to assess a young child’s level of English language competence is through a play-based approach. Assessment reports from kindergartens also support the admissions process at Year 1.
Primary (Years 2 – 6) and Secondary students (Years 7 – 13) applying to join Discovery College will take age-appropriate assessments for English language. The assessments are accompanied by interviews that will explore each student’s potential for language learning as well as their ability to engage and succeed within the English medium curriculum being offered at the school. The student’s academic background, previous school reports and references, and supporting documents support the admissions process for those students offered places.
7. Admission into the IB Diploma Programme / Career-related Programme
The IB Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme are designed for students who have successfully completed their middle years of secondary schooling.
New students will normally be entered into the DP or CP according to the preference of the student / their families and with the school’s agreement.
A student has to be in the IB Diploma Programme / Career-related Programme (Years 12 & 13) for the full 2 years of the programme. There is some flexibility in the starting date, but apart from exceptional circumstances as determined by the College, a student will not be able to start after 4 weeks from the start of the academic year.
8. Enquiry
For enquiries please contact us at admissions@dc.edu.hk.
For more information about the admissions process please click here.