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International Schools in Milan: Options, Fees and Admissions (2026)

By Maria GarofaloFacts checked October 24, 2026

Schools compared

5: ASM, BSM, ICS Milan, ISM and St. Louis School

Annual tuition, 2026-2027

€10,760 to €26,950 at private rates (school fee schedules)

One-time entry fees

€800 to €5,700, plus €600 to €1,850 in yearly registration fees

Where they are

Central Milan, the northeast and the south side; ISM in Baranzate, ASM in Noverasco di Opera

Admissions

Rolling at ASM and BSM; BSM sets fixed dates for Year 10 and Year 12 entry

Waitlists

ASM listed grades 8 to 11 in October 2026; BSM does not publish a list

State school instead

Foreign children can enroll on the same terms as Italian children, at any point in the year

Which international schools are in Milan

This guide compares 5 schools that publish their 2026-2027 fees. They are grouped by curriculum, using each school's own description. How school types work in Italian law is covered in International Schools in Italy.

IB. The International School of Milan (ISM) calls itself "a full IB school". It offers the IB Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma, from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 13. Boarding is available from age 14.

American. The American School of Milan (ASM) uses US grade levels, from Pre-K to grade 12. Tuition in grades 11 and 12 includes IB exam fees, plus online classes for students not taking IB exams.

British. Two schools follow the English National Curriculum:

• The British School of Milan (BSM) teaches it from age 3 to 16, with IGCSE in Year 11. Every Sixth Form student takes the IB Diploma. It is a not-for-profit school: families join its association and pay tuition to the school company.
• St. Louis School offers a British Stream and an Italian Stream. The Italian Stream adds the Italian curriculum, and the Primary School is a scuola paritaria (state-recognized private school). High School students follow Cambridge IGCSE and the IB Diploma.

Bilingual and Italian-recognized. ICS Milan describes itself as a recognized paritaria school, and its home page lists "80% English". It is authorized for the IB Diploma and offers the IB Middle Years Programme and IGCSE. It is a candidate school for the Primary Years Programme. The St. Louis Italian Stream also belongs in this group.

ISM and St. Louis School are both part of Inspired, an international schools group.

What they cost in 2026-2027

Every figure comes from the school's own fee schedule for 2026-2027. Fees are per child, per year, at private rates.

What the headline numbers leave out:

• Corporate rates. ASM, BSM and ICS Milan publish higher rates for when an employer pays. At BSM, Years 12 to 13 cost €26,150 instead of €23,800. ISM's schedule lists a €1,530 "company premium" without defining it, so ask the school.
• Exams. ISM includes external exams in Grades 12 and 13. BSM bills IGCSE and IB exams separately; its 2025-2026 IB exam fee was €1,200. St. Louis does not include IGCSE or IB exam fees at its High School campus.
• Lunch and buses. BSM's lunches and buses are run by outside companies. Its FAQ puts a school lunch at €8.45, not included in fees. St. Louis bills lunch at €1,360 to €1,700 a year at its two younger campuses. ASM's bus costs €3,350 a year from Milan and suburbs, or €4,350 from Arese.
• English support. BSM charges €800 to €3,000 a term for English as an Additional Language support, depending on level.
• Siblings. ASM takes €500 off a second child and €1,000 off a third at private rates. BSM takes 12% off a third child and 65% off a fourth, when they attend at the same time.

Payment dates come early. St. Louis asks for the first third by April 30, 2026. BSM wants 40% by May 31 and its association fee by May 31, 2026. ISM collects 25% of tuition at enrollment, 50% by August 23, 2026 and 25% by December 1, 2026.

Where the schools are, and how children get there

The schools sit in very different parts of the metropolitan area. Pick the campus before the apartment.

• ISM has one campus, in Baranzate. Its buses run across the Milan metropolitan area, with door-to-door and shuttle options, and stop lists for Milan and Arese.
• ASM is at Via Karl Marx 14, Noverasco di Opera. By car, you take Via Ripamonti south toward Pavia. By transit, the school gives a route of metro M3 to Crocetta, tram 24 to its Vigentina terminus, then bus 222.
• BSM is in northeast Milan, at Via Pisani Dossi 16, between the center and Milano Due. It is about 10 minutes' walk from M2 Udine and from Lambrate FS station, and many older students come by metro or train.
• St. Louis School has 3 campuses. Archinto, for ages 14 to 18, is a historic palazzo on Via Olmetto near the Duomo (cathedral). Caviglia, in south Milan, and Colonna, in northeast Milan, both take children from nursery to age 14. A private company runs buses for the two younger campuses.
• ICS Milan has 3 campuses. Colletta (ages 1 to 4) is near Porta Romana and Lodi, and Tenca (ages 1 to 10) near Repubblica and Porta Venezia. Symbiosis (ages 5 to 18) is on Viale Ortles, near Fondazione Prada.

Families relocating to Milan and Rome ask on Reddit how to fit home, school and work close together. With campuses this spread out, the school usually fixes the area. Compare neighborhoods in Living in Milan and rents in Apartments for Rent in Milan.

When to apply, and how waitlists work

Each school publishes its own process. As of October 2026:

• ASM reviews applications on a rolling basis if the grade has space, and usually decides within 3 weeks. Grades 8 to 11 had a waitlist. Students in grades 4 to 12 take an online math and English test, and grades 9 to 12 have an interview.
• BSM has rolling admissions with no fixed deadline, and does not publish which year groups are full. It advises families moving from abroad to apply early, even before a relocation is confirmed. Entry to Year 10 and Year 12 follows a calendar: for September 2027, entrance exams ran on October 1 and October 6, 2026.
• ISM starts with an application form and a meeting with a principal. Secondary applicants take an online CAT4 test, and a place is confirmed when the first fee installment is paid.
• St. Louis School assesses children from Year 1 up, for a €100 fee, and aims to give results within 5 working days.
• ICS Milan admits early-years children through the year while places last. Older children send their 2 latest school reports in English, then have an interview, plus a CAT4 test from Year 5.

Grade placement follows age on September 1 at BSM and ISM. BSM notes that its Year 1 starts at age 5, while Italian primary school starts at 6. Check your child's placement before you compare fees.

BSM tells families to pay the registration fee within 10 days of an offer, and ASM asks for confirmation within 5 working days. Have the money ready when you apply.

The Italian state-school alternative

Foreign children in Italy have the right to attend Italian schools on the same terms as Italian children, regardless of residence status (D.P.R. 394/1999, art. 45). Enrollment can be requested at any point in the school year. The school's teachers choose the class, based on prior schooling and an assessment of skills.

For first-year classes at state schools, online enrollment for 2026-2027 ran from January 13 to February 21, 2026. A child without a codice fiscale (tax code) could enroll with a provisional code. How the system works is in The Italian School System, Explained.

Compulsory schooling. Foreign children present in Italy are subject to compulsory schooling (D.Lgs. 286/1998, art. 38). Ministry circulars, cited by Lazio's regional school office, list where it can be met. The options are state and paritarie schools, private non-paritarie schools on regional lists, regional vocational training and istruzione parentale (education arranged by parents). Families choosing istruzione parentale, at home or through a non-paritaria school, declare it to the nearest state school, per the ministry's enrollment portal. Ask your school how its families handle this.

Legal status matters if you may switch later. ISM and BSM say they are not paritarie; ICS Milan and the St. Louis Primary School say they are. The Education Ministry's 2026-2027 register of paritarie matches this: it lists ICS Milan and the St. Louis primary school, and not ISM, BSM or ASM. ASM calls itself a non-profit association, but its pages checked here do not state its Italian school status, so ask the school. A paritaria issues Italian diplomas with legal value (Law 62/2000). Moving from a foreign primary or middle school in Italy into a state or paritaria school means an esame di idoneità (placement exam). The rule is in D.Lgs. 62/2017, art. 10, unless a bilateral agreement says otherwise. ISM, ASM and BSM offer preparation for Italian state exams.

Common problems and fixes

The grade you need is full. ASM listed grades 8 to 11 as waitlisted. BSM says places are particularly competitive in key year groups. Apply to 2 or 3 schools at once, and ask about your child's grade before you fix a start date.

You arrive mid-year. At ASM, joining in the first semester means paying the full year. Later entry costs 60% or 35% of tuition, plus all other fees. St. Louis arranges a payment schedule for students who join after term starts. Get the rule in writing.

Your employer pays. Corporate rates are higher at ASM, BSM and ICS Milan. Ask the school which rate applies before your employer agrees a school allowance.

Leaving early costs money. BSM requires withdrawal notice by August 31, December 31 or March 31, and charges a €3,000 penalty after those dates. ASM refunds 40% of tuition for withdrawals in the first semester and nothing in the second.

Your child needs learning support. ASM keeps diagnosed learning needs to about 10% of each grade. It may confirm a place only after re-enrollment in March and April. Send evaluations with the application, and keep your current school place until an offer is confirmed, as ASM advises.

Do you need help choosing a school in Milan?

Most families can shortlist and apply on their own, since all 5 schools publish fees and steps. It gets harder when a school offer, a lease within the bus area and a visa date must line up from abroad.