Germany · Berlin
Canisius-Kolleg offers two German-medium routes in one Jesuit day school. Grade 5 Gymnasium entry and a new Grade 7 Pedro Arrupe ISS cohort are open for 2027–28, while fees depend on family income.
Canisius-Kolleg is a state-recognised, co-educational Jesuit private school beside Berlin’s Tiergarten. It is a day school, with no boarding or school-arranged accommodation. Its two German-medium routes serve different applicants and should not be treated as interchangeable.
The Gymnasium runs from Grades 5 to 12 and leads to the German Abitur. The Integrierte Sekundarschule Pedro Arrupe, or integrated secondary school, offers several leaving qualifications and a longer route to the Abitur.
The school does not offer the IB Diploma or an English-medium curriculum. Its Jesuit and Catholic identity affects both the timetable and expectations around religious education.
The Gymnasium admits pupils two years before the usual end of Berlin primary school. German, English, Latin, mathematics, science, geography, religion, art, music and sport are taught from Grades 5 and 6. Latin from Grade 5 matters particularly for later transfer applicants.
In Grade 8, pupils choose French or Ancient Greek. Choosing Ancient Greek establishes the classical-language route. Pupils normally gain the Latinum, the recognised Latin proficiency certificate, at the end of Grade 10. Those on the classical route usually gain the Graecum with the Abitur.
Grades 11 and 12 form the upper-secondary course phase leading to the Berlin Abitur. This is Germany’s general university-entrance qualification. Catholic or Protestant religion is compulsory for four course semesters, alongside the school’s study, careers and social-placement programme.
Completing Grade 10 and the school’s presentation assessment does not automatically secure progression. A pupil must also meet Berlin’s promotion rules for entry to the upper-secondary qualification phase.
The Pedro Arrupe ISS has operated from Grades 9 to 13 since 2019. For 2027–28, the school is adding one new Grade 7 class and will extend the route downward as that cohort progresses.
The new Grade 7 places are intended first for children with personal experience of forced displacement or migration. Children with a broader migration background are the secondary target group. This is therefore a specific inclusion route, not a general alternative entrance to the Gymnasium.
The ISS builds additional German development into its timetable, including debating and writing workshops. It does not publish a Common European Framework, or CEFR, entrance level. Ask what German the child must already manage and what language support the offered place includes.
ISS pupils can gain the Berufsbildungsreife, or basic vocational qualification, after Grade 9. After Grade 10 they may gain the extended version, known as eBBR, or the Mittlerer Schulabschluss, the intermediate school-leaving certificate.
Progression to the ISS upper school requires an MSA carrying the qualification for the introductory phase. Eligible pupils can then reach the Abitur in three further years: one introductory year followed by two qualification years. The route is possible, but not automatic for every ISS pupil.
As of 4 September 2026, online applications are open for both Gymnasium Grade 5 and the new ISS Grade 7 class for 2027–28.
For Grade 5, the school usually accepts registrations from early or mid-September until the final school week in December. It then holds a family interview and an admission test. Primary-school reports, the test and the school’s assessment of educational fit inform the decision.
The school says performance matters, but it also says it does not admit only the highest scorers. It looks for agreement with parents about education and for a diverse intake. The rector makes the final admission decision after advice from an admissions conference.
The specific 2027–28 page says families normally hear in late January or early February. The general process page says the admissions conference and notification usually occur in late February or early March. Ask the admissions office for the timetable attached to this application round.
Every ISS Grade 7 applicant and their parents or legal representative are invited to an interview with the rector and ISS head. The live page does not give a closing date, the class capacity or any additional ranking rule.
Gymnasium transfers up to Grade 10 depend on a vacancy and generally require Latin to have been studied since Grade 5. The transfer form still offers “regular entry for 2026–27” and does not publish a separate 2027–28 deadline.
The school also welcomes upper-secondary applications, but the public page does not set out a current document list or selection calendar. Ask for a subject-by-subject transcript review before assuming that a foreign curriculum will transfer cleanly.
The Gymnasium is taught in German and publishes no CEFR threshold for any route. An international applicant should obtain a written view of language readiness, rather than treating an invitation to apply as confirmation that support will be sufficient.
The school normally expects every pupil to attend religious education. Protestant pupils receive Protestant instruction. Pupils from other faiths or world views are welcome, but the school says they generally receive Catholic religious education.
Grades 5 and 6 also have a weekly service period introducing biblical texts, prayer, singing and silence. A family that does not want these elements should discuss participation before accepting a place.
Lessons usually run from 08:15 until 13:50 or 14:30. Afternoon care operates after lessons until 17:00 and is aimed mainly at younger pupils. It includes supervised homework, recreation and learning support, but the school distinguishes that support from private tutoring.
The school’s ZiBf, or Centre for Individual Talent Development, works with both strengths and difficulties. Its published offer includes assessment of learning starting points, literacy, spelling, numeracy, attention and concentration.
It also provides German, mathematics and Latin support groups in Grades 5, 6, 7 and 10. The centre can refer families to therapists, doctors or other specialists. School counselling includes pastoral staff, a psychologist, social work and an independent child-protection officer.
These services show a meaningful internal support structure. The public pages do not, however, specify special-education staffing, therapy, accessibility or the adjustments guaranteed for a particular diagnosis. Ask the school to assess the child’s needs and proposed provision in writing before enrolment.
The June 2026 fee rules offer two approaches. The statutory Berlin reductions require an application and evidence of gross family income. The school’s own scale uses self-assessed taxable household income, without income documents, when parents waive the statutory table.
| Statutory reduction route | Monthly tuition |
|---|---|
| Transfer income up to €30,000 and residential care placement | €10 |
| Gross family income up to €30,000 | €35 |
| Gross family income up to €42,000 | €65 |
| Gross family income up to €55,000 | €160 |
“Residential care placement” in the €10 line is a legal family circumstance. It does not mean Canisius-Kolleg offers boarding.
The school’s own self-assessment scale starts at €198 per month for taxable household income up to €76,000. It then rises through the published income bands.
| Taxable household income up to | Monthly tuition |
|---|---|
| €82,000 | €232 |
| €88,000 | €249 |
| €94,000 | €266 |
| €100,000 | €283 |
| €106,000 | €300 |
| €112,000 | €317 |
| €118,000 | €334 |
| €124,000 | €351 |
| €130,000 | €368 |
| €136,000 | €385 |
| €142,000 | €391 |
| €148,000 and above | €396 maximum |
From Grade 9, add €20 per month for the school tablet and its listed equipment and management. Learning materials cost €43 per school year. Both charges can be reduced or waived through the same application route.
The school can grant a further reduction or complete waiver under its own process. Its rules link a Berlinpass to a full waiver or a rate below €90. An assessed payment from €100 to €197 can be reduced as low as €91.
Decisions last one school half-year and require a new application for extension. There is no legal entitlement to an award.
The sibling rule is also conditional. For proved gross family income up to €29,420, the second child pays 75% of the base rate and the third pays 50%. The fourth and later children attending Canisius pay no tuition.
Other households can ask the rector for a sibling reduction or use an additional €3,000 allowance per family child in the assessment. Ask which option applies rather than calculating the bill independently.
These are 2026–27 charges. The fee document anticipates another regular adjustment by 1 August 2027 and mentions €215 and €430 as possible base and maximum calculation figures. It expressly leaves them subject to legal and other changes, so they are not final 2027–28 prices.
Tuition covers the school year from 1 August to 31 July and is collected by direct debit by the 15th of each month. A mid-year entrant is charged proportionately from the entry month.
When the school contract is signed, an administration fee equal to one base monthly payment is due, currently €198. An approved lower entry rate also lowers this fee. It is credited to the first payment if the pupil starts, but retained after a no-show.
Afternoon care is voluntary, but one day per week cannot be booked. The annual fee is paid in 12 monthly instalments, including school holidays.
| Care each week | Annual fee | Monthly instalment |
|---|---|---|
| 2 days | €1,080 | €90 |
| 3 days | €1,600 | €134 |
| 4 days | €2,150 | €180 |
| 5 days | €2,690 | €225 |
The current rules say these amounts cover recreation and learning supervision, not meals. Reduction or waiver can be requested, but is not guaranteed.
Lunch is free for Grades 5 and 6, provided it is ordered in advance and collected using the pupil card. The cafeteria page still shows €4.36 from 1 August 2021 for other meals. It does not identify that figure as the current 2026–27 price.
The suggested Bauschulgeld is a voluntary building donation, separate from tuition. Suggested monthly donations are €130 for the first child, €110 for the second, €90 for the third and €70 for the fourth. Enrolment does not depend on making this donation.
For a timely withdrawal during the school year, tuition is due through the departure month. Otherwise it remains due to the end of the half-year, meaning 31 January or 31 July. The public rules do not define the notice period that makes a withdrawal timely.
Abitur candidates owe the full final school year regardless of when the certificate is issued. Tuition also continues during ordinary approved leave. For a full-year leave at the transition to upper school, the contract can be suspended and no tuition is due.
International families planning a stay over 90 days must resolve residence separately from admission. Federal guidance says a residence permit for long-term school attendance is generally available only from Grade 9. This matters for the advertised Grade 5 and Grade 7 entry points.
Canisius-Kolleg does not publish boarding, a visa service or local guardianship. Families who need immigration permission should ask the responsible German mission and Berlin immigration authority before signing. They also need their own daily care, address and emergency-consent arrangements.
Canisius-Kolleg is strongest for a pupil who can learn fully in German and wants a classical Gymnasium or the Pedro Arrupe inclusion route. The central location, Jesuit education and substantial internal support are real distinctions.
It is a poor fit for a family seeking English-medium teaching, the IB or boarding. The new ISS Grade 7 class may be valuable for its intended group, but it should not be treated as a general language-preparation place.
Before accepting, resolve the exact 2027–28 fee, the admissions calendar, German readiness and any individual support plan. Compare the John F. Kennedy School for a bilingual public route or BBIS for English-medium IB.
Our Berlin guide explains the wider local choices. The Germany guide covers the national system.
Official pages and documents we read. If a figure matters to your budget or your application, open the link and confirm it is still current.
Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.
BBIS offers English-language education from age three through Grade 12, with boarding from Grade 9. Its Kleinmachnow location and the separate tuition, registration and boarding charges are central to the decision.
BerlinJFKS charges no tuition and offers German-American education in Zehlendorf. Check the child-and-parent citizenship requirements, language category, Berlin residence and application deadline before planning around a place.
MunichBIS is an English-medium day school with primary provision on both campuses and secondary provision in Haimhausen. It offers all four IB programmes, but its Grade 11–12 routes do not carry the same recognition. Admissions are rolling and capacity-led.
BonnBonn International School offers the full IB continuum in English, with German taught in every grade. It is a day school in southern Bonn, not a Düsseldorf campus. Its current online fee table is undated, so families planning for 2026–27 should confirm the figures in writing.
Compare a public German-American school in Zehlendorf, an English IB school in Brandenburg and a German Jesuit school by the Tiergarten. Eligibility and location come first.
7 minStart with the qualification your child would actually receive. Then check its subjects, language demands, and recognition in the countries where they may study next.
7 minStart with your child and the family's likely plans. Define the non-negotiables, verify the school's claims, compare three realistic options and visit with specific questions.
7 minTuition is only one line of the budget. Separate charges from advance payments, record what each figure includes, and ask the school to confirm your calculation in writing.