Is AISG’s Tuition Way Too Expensive?

The American International School of Guangzhou (AISG) is considered one of the most reputable international schools in the province of Guangdong. The high school students who attend school here are privileged to have great teachers, resources, and facilities. However, they pay a sum of around ¥220,000 in order to receive this education. This brings out several questions: What does this cost include and is the quality of education provided at AISG worth its price?

The high school tuition for AISG’s 2018-19 school year is ¥222,500 (approx. $32,560 USD). When compared to the tuition fees of Utahloy International School of Guangzhou (which ranges ¥186,100 to ¥216,400) and The British School of Guangzhou (which ranges from ¥221,940 to ¥264,570), it seems that AISG’s tuition fits right in between… But does that necessarily mean the tuition is set at an appropriate price?

The article “Finance 201” from the Finance Office of AISG consists of information regarding the school’s budget and allocation of expenses. The article also included a pie chart (shown below) to visually represent the allocation of expenses for the 2018-19 school year.

As shown in the chart above, the largest portion of expenses is made up of faculty and staff salaries and benefits (S&B). The article states that these costs “[represented] 68.1% of all expenses” in the 2018-19 budget. The second largest category is campus operations, which includes the costs to operate facilities.

From the information provided in the article, it seems that the tuition that we pay to the school is mainly used to attract and hire qualified, passionate teachers in order to ensure that students at AISG get the highest quality of education possible. Additionally, the school is constantly making efforts to improve the school facilities with the goal of creating the best learning environment for students. Therefore, looking back at the question posed above, I think it is safe to say that the quality of education provided at AISG is worth its price.

What are your thoughts on the issue of tuition at AISG? Comment your opinions below!

Read more about tuition and fees at AISG on its main website.