An effective IB admission policy explains who may enter the school and the Diploma Programme, how decisions are made, what evidence is considered, and how equitable access is protected. It should be precise enough for consistent decisions while allowing individual consideration of readiness, support needs, and different educational backgrounds.
The IB requires schools to implement and review an access or admissions policy describing participation conditions. It does not prescribe a universal GPA, entrance examination, interview, or admissions formula. These are school decisions, subject to IB expectations, applicable law, and the school's capacity to support admitted students.
Define the policy's purpose and scope
State whether the document governs admission to the school, the Diploma Programme (DP), or both. These may be separate decisions: a student might meet general enrollment requirements but not a particular subject prerequisite.
Include the policy owner, responsible staff member, approval date, effective date, version number, review date, related policies, and contact details. This document control prevents outdated criteria from continuing through informal practice.
The policy should connect admissions to the school's mission, fairness, transparency, inclusion, and IB philosophy. The IB Programme standards and practices expects schools to promote access to an IB education for the broadest possible range of students and monitor equal opportunities to participate.
Criteria should therefore identify suitable pathways and necessary support, not simply protect examination statistics. The policy must also prohibit unlawful discrimination, using terminology and safeguards appropriate to the school's jurisdiction.
Explain the available DP pathways
Identify which routes the school offers, such as the full IB Diploma, individual DP subjects, or another school qualification. Do not imply that taking individual subjects is equivalent to pursuing the full diploma.
A full DP student studies six subjects and completes theory of knowledge (TOK), the extended essay (EE), and creativity, activity, service (CAS). Students take three or four subjects at Higher Level, with the remainder at Standard Level, as explained in the official DP curriculum overview.
The admissions policy should identify:
- Eligible year groups and the normal entry point
- Rules for internal, external, international, and transfer applicants
- Application deadlines and late-entry arrangements
- Capacity limits and procedures for oversubscribed courses
- Locally required qualifications studied alongside the DP
- Circumstances in which an alternative pathway may be recommended
Any recommendation must be distinguished from a compulsory placement decision and applied consistently under published rules.
Specify admission criteria and acceptable evidence
A DP admission criteria document should distinguish each criterion from the evidence used to assess it. Terms such as "motivated," "independent," or "suitable for IB" are too subjective unless defined through observable indicators.
| Criterion | Possible evidence | Fairness safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Academic preparation | Reports, transcripts, moderated work, or prerequisite courses | Account for different curricula and grading systems |
| Language readiness | Assessments, writing samples, interviews, or recognized results | Assess instructional language, not accent or nationality |
| Subject readiness | Prior study, diagnostic tasks, and teacher recommendations | Publish requirements for specific HL and SL courses |
| Learning habits | Completion patterns, reflections, and structured references | Use defined descriptors rather than reputation |
| DP understanding | Orientation attendance or applicant reflection | Give every applicant the same programme information |
Schools may set minimum grades, but these are local admission rules, not universal IB requirements. The policy should explain the grading scale, relevant subjects, treatment of predicted or incomplete grades, conversion of external qualifications, and handling of borderline cases.
Interviews, entrance tests, statements, and references should have defined purposes and scoring criteria. The policy should identify who evaluates them and avoid evidence unrelated to readiness. Families can consult RevisionDojo's explanation of what an IB coordinator does to understand the coordinator's guidance role.
Separate DP admission from subject placement
Admission to the DP does not establish readiness for every subject or level. Publish course-specific prerequisites separately, especially where mathematics, sciences, languages, or arts courses require prior knowledge.
Placement should consider attainment, interests, university plans, learning needs, workload, and timetable feasibility. Explain who approves combinations, when choices become binding, and how changes are requested. RevisionDojo's guide to choosing IB subjects can support family discussions, but school rules remain authoritative.
Where staffing, class size, or timetable blocks limit choices, disclose this before students accept places. The policy should distinguish academic eligibility from operational availability.
Build inclusion into admission
Admissions must align with the school's inclusion and language policies. The IB's Access and inclusion policy explains that access arrangements reduce barriers without changing learning expectations or creating an unfair advantage.
State how applicants disclose learning, language, medical, or access requirements; who reviews confidential information; what support is available; and which evidence may be needed for IB-authorized arrangements. Explain how records are stored and how financial, technological, or scheduling barriers are considered.
A disability or support need should not itself be treated as evidence that a student cannot succeed. After admission, the school must provide the support it represented as available. The IB's inclusive education overview provides further context.
Document decisions and review routes
Present the process chronologically, including application dates, forms, orientation, assessments, decision deadlines, and acceptance procedures. Identify decision-makers, conflict-of-interest rules, evidence reviewed, and how decisions are recorded.
Possible outcomes might include unconditional admission, admission with defined support or bridging work, waiting-list placement, deferral for further evidence, an alternative-pathway recommendation, or non-admission. Conditions must be measurable, time-bound, written, and consistent with the policy.
Applicants also need a procedure for correcting factual or procedural errors. State the deadline, permitted grounds, reviewer, acceptable evidence, and response timeline. Reconsideration does not necessarily mean a complete reassessment based only on dissatisfaction.
Transfer rules should address subject and level compatibility, internal assessments, CAS progress, TOK and EE status, examination sessions, language arrangements, timetable availability, and academic integrity records where lawfully available. Admission depends on whether the receiving school can provide a viable route to completion.
Align and review the policy
Cross-reference the school's inclusion, language, assessment, academic integrity, safeguarding, data protection, complaints, fees, and financial assistance policies. Responsibilities and promises must agree across documents. RevisionDojo's IB academic integrity guide may support orientation, while the school's policy defines binding expectations.
Review implementation as well as wording. Examine application, offer, enrollment, retention, subject-placement, and appeal patterns for unexplained disparities or recurring problems. Confirm that promised support was delivered and record improvements without exposing personal data.
Conclusion
A sound IB admission policy combines transparent entry criteria, defined evidence, inclusive practice, subject-placement rules, documented decisions, transfer provisions, and fair reconsideration. It should help students enter an appropriate pathway rather than operate as an unexplained gatekeeping mechanism.
Coordinators should review it against current IB publications, local law, programme data, and stakeholder feedback. RevisionDojo's coordinator guide and IB resources can support subsequent orientation and preparation through Study Notes, Questionbank practice, and Jojo AI.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB Programme standards and practices 2020
- IB Diploma Programme curriculum
- IB Access and inclusion policy
- Inclusive education in the IB
- What an IB coordinator does
- RevisionDojo guide to choosing IB subjects
- RevisionDojo IB academic integrity guide
- RevisionDojo for IB coordinators
- RevisionDojo IB resources
