Scholarship FAQs

1. Scholarship Types and Coverage

1.1. What types of scholarships does DLTS offer to new students?
DLTS offers two primary types of scholarships: Academic and Talent. Academic scholarships recognize outstanding academic achievement and potential, while Talent scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate exceptional ability in areas such as the arts, sports, music, or science. However, it can be a combination of both Talent and Academic scholarships.

1.2. How much of the tuition fees can a scholarship cover?
The amount awarded varies by grade level and type, with a combined maximum cap of 50%.
Grades 4–6: Academic (up to 40%), Talent (up to 20%)
Grades 7–9: Academic (up to 50%), Talent (up to 30%)
Scholarships typically start at a 5% discount and go up to these maximums.

1.3. The combined cap is given as 50%. Grades 7 to 9 list Academic up to 50% and Talent up to 30%, which totals 80%. Grades 4 to 6 list 40% and 20%, which totals 60%. Does the 50% cap override both, and is a student able to reach the cap on Academic alone?
Yes, that is correct — the 50% cap overrides both Academic and Talent scholarships. Scholarship percentages do not add together (for example, 50% Academic + 30% Talent does not equal 80%).
Regarding whether a student can reach 50% on Academic alone: this is possible, but only if the student scores in the very top percentile across all subjects. The maximum per subject is 20%, so in theory the combined total could reach 60%. However, these score thresholds are set by the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and are intentionally very challenging, as they reflect the highest academic strength.
In practice, while it is possible to reach 50% Academic, it is not easy. Most Academic Scholarship students typically fall within the 15–25% range.

1.4. Does the scholarship apply to tuition only, or to other fees as well?
Yes, it applies to tuition fees only.

2. Eligibility and Duration

2.1. At what grade level is my child eligible to apply for a scholarship?
Starting in the 2026/27 academic year, scholarships are offered to students entering Grade 4 and above. This allows the school to support students as they begin specialized academic and talent-based pathways in their middle and upper primary years.

2.2. Eligibility is given as Grade 4 and above, and separately as Grade 3 moving into Grade 4.
Can a student currently in Grade 6 or Grade 8 apply, or is Grade 4 the only entry point?
Yes, students currently in Grade 6 or Grade 8 can apply.
It is correct that the entry point begins at Grade 4, but any grade above Grade 4 is welcome to apply or re-apply under our bi-annual scholarship system.

2.3. Till what grade will students be able to qualify for the scholarship?
Our current Scholarship Policy states that students may begin applying in Grade 4, and scholarships will typically continue until Grade 9.
As DLTS develops its Pre-College Programme (Grades 10–12), students will be required to apply separately after completing Grade 9.
**Please note that this framework is not yet final. Policies may be adjusted as the Pre-College Programme is finalized, and future changes are possible.

2.4. Can siblings each hold a scholarship at the same time?
Yes. In fact, we have several Talent scholarship cases held by siblings.

3. How to Apply – Process and Deadlines

3.1 How can external parents apply for scholarships at DLTS?

Scholarship consideration is available once the student has completed the required entrance assessments and submitted a Talent portfolio, if applicable. Applications are reviewed according to the same criteria as internal students, with decisions based on MAP test results and/or Talent portfolio evaluation.

Students who are currently completing Grade 3 and moving into Grade 4 in the upcoming academic year at DLTS are welcome to apply during the second semester. This policy applies both to internal students who have been with us for some time, as well as to new students who are about to join.

Notifications regarding scholarship opportunities, timelines, and submission procedures will be communicated directly during the admissions process.

Parents are encouraged to follow these announcements carefully to ensure all requirements are met. 

3.2. Scholarship Application Deadlines (Academic Year 2026–2027)
**Note: Internal students can only apply once per year.**
Policies may change as DLTS continues to refine the scholarship framework.

3.3. We filled out the application; what is the next step?
For an Academic scholarship, the student will be scheduled for a MAP testing session. It can be arranged Monday to Friday. If workdays are not convenient, we do have sessions on Saturdays once every 4-5 weeks. In such a case, we advise you to plan accordingly.
For a Talent scholarship, parents must submit a portfolio ([email protected]) following the school’s template, which is then reviewed by a selection committee.

3.4. How long does it take to find out if my child has been awarded a scholarship?
It depends on the type of scholarship.
For an Academic scholarship, the process usually takes a week or less, as MAP test results are ready for grading within 24 hours of the test.
For a Talent scholarship, it may take up to one month because the Scholarship Committee must conduct a thorough review of the submitted portfolio.

3.5. In the deadline table, internal students close on 9 November and external on 2 November for Semester One. In Semester Two, this reverses, with internal on 5 May and external on 10 May. Is that intentional?
The scholarship committee, made up of SLT members, set those dates.
Closer to the end of the semester, we anticipate a spike in applications for the upcoming academic year. Therefore, priority was given to our current students, which explains why the external application deadline in May was set slightly later than internal ones.

3.6. MAP results are described as ready within 24 hours, but the Academic decision is described as taking about a week. What happens in between?
Yes, MAP results are available within 24 hours. However, the Academic Scholarship decision takes longer because there are several internal steps involved. Once the results are issued, the scholarship administration team must carefully review them, prepare the formal documentation, update the registrar, and only then inform parents.

3.7. If a student, who hasn’t been enrolled yet, wishes to take the MAP Test on a weekday as part of the Academic Scholarship process, how long does it usually take to schedule a testing date?
If the student is available to come during weekdays, then after the application is processed, the registrar usually follows up within a few working days. The MAP test can typically be scheduled within 3–4 working days or even quicker, depending on the availability of the time slots.

3.8. If external students in Grade 4 and above would like to enroll mid-semester, do they need to wait for the biannual Academic Scholarship review cycle (May and November), or can they apply for the scholarship immediately upon submitting the application form?
If an external student in Grade 4 applies to enroll mid-semester (for example, in Semester 2), the application will generally align with the scholarship review windows in November (end of Semester 1) and May (end of Semester 2). However, since this student would be applying as an external candidate not yet enrolled at DLTS, submitting the application slightly earlier than those dates may be permitted.
If that would be the case, kindly contact [email protected]

4. Academic Scholarships – Criteria and How Scores Work

4.1. Score versus percentile — what is a RIT score, what is a percentile, and which is used to set the bands?
The RIT score is the measurement. MAP is an adaptive test. When a student answers correctly, the next question gets harder. When they answer incorrectly, it gets easier. The test keeps adjusting until it settles on the student’s level. The RIT score is the number that describes that level — technically, the point at which the student is equally likely to get a question right or wrong.
The percentile is the comparison. The percentile does not measure anything new. It tells us where that same RIT score stands compared with other students in the same grade, sitting the same test, at the same time of year. A student at the 70th percentile scored as well as or better than 70% of students in that comparison group. It is not the percentage of questions answered correctly.

4.2 Why a rising RIT can sit alongside a falling percentile.
This is the question we are asked most often, and it is not a contradiction.
The RIT score measures your child against themselves. The percentile measures your child against everyone else. Because every student in the comparison group is also learning, the bar for any given percentile rises each year. A child can gain real ground in RIT terms and still move down in percentile if the rest of the group gained slightly more.
A rising RIT means your child is learning. A falling percentile means the pace of that learning has been slower than the average for the comparison group. Both pieces of information are useful, and we look at them together.

Within a single sitting, the score and the percentile are two views of the same result — one a measurement, one a ranking. Across time, they can move differently, for the reason explained above. They are two descriptions of the same result — one as a measurement, one as a ranking.
Applicants are assessed against fixed RIT score thresholds in each subject. These thresholds correspond to approximately the top 2–3% of students in that grade.
When the test is taken matters. The thresholds change depending on the time of year. A MAP test taken at the end of Grade 4 (or any other grade) covers material the student has studied across the whole year, so the score needed to reach a threshold is higher. A test taken at the start of the year has a lower threshold, for the same reason.

4.3. How the award is calculated
Grade 4 students are tested in four areas: Mathematics, Science, Reading (English) and Language Use.

Language use is not included in the Scholarship assessment.
The bands are applied separately to each subject. Each subject is assessed on its own. Where a score crosses a threshold, that subject earns a discount, and the discounts from each subject are then added together to give the total award.
The bands work in steps. Each step upward requires a higher score:

A student who does not reach the first threshold in a subject simply earns no discount from that subject. It does not count against them anywhere else. 

4.4. An example:

The figures below are illustrative. They are used only to show the method and are not the actual RIS scores that students can obtain.
Suppose the thresholds for this grade and this time of the academic year were set at:

A student who sits the test at the end of the academic year gets the following RIT scores in these subjects:
Math – 121
Reading – 113
And Science- 109

Then, the following table with students’ scores and total scholarship for each subject would look like this:

The bands are steps, not a sliding scale. The Mathematics score of 121 sits one point above the second threshold, so it earns exactly 10%. The award does not rise gradually between thresholds — it moves only when a threshold is crossed. The Reading score of 113 is comfortably above the first threshold but has not reached the second, so it earns 5%. The Science score of 109 falls one point short of the first threshold and therefore earns nothing, but this does not reduce the discounts earned elsewhere.

Subjects are added, not averaged. The 10% from Mathematics and the 5% from Reading combine to a total award of 15%. 

4.5. Why we describe the bands as percentiles
When we say a student would typically need to be in roughly the top 2–3% of their year group, we are translating the score threshold into language that is immediately meaningful. A raw RIT number tells a parent very little without a reference chart, whereas a percentile does. Because the two move together, a student who meets the score threshold will also sit in that percentile range.

We do not publish the specific score cut-offs for each award level, as this would allow the thresholds to be targeted directly rather than reflecting a student’s genuine performance. 

4.6. What are the specific requirements for an Academic Scholarship?
Recipients are selected based on their Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) results.
To be eligible, a student must reach a fixed RIT score threshold in each required subject, including Mathematics, Reading, and Science. These thresholds are set to correspond to approximately the top 2–3% of students at that grade level. See “Score versus percentile” below for how this is measured. 

4.7. How do MAP test scores determine scholarship percentages?
The figures below are illustrative only and are not the actual thresholds DLTS applies. Each subject has its own score range, called a “band,” that corresponds to a scholarship percentage. For example, in Math, a score of 110 points may qualify for a 5% scholarship (Band 1). The next band, 10%, might begin at 120 points. This means a student must reach at least 120 points to qualify for the 10% scholarship. If a student scores 109, they are just one point short of reaching the 5% band. The same system applies to each subject tested through the MAP. 

4.8. Is there anything besides MAP that can affect an Academic award?
The Academic Scholarship is primarily based on MAP results. In some cases, additional academic achievements or participation in academic-related events may be taken into consideration by the Scholarship Committee. However, this is not a formal policy and is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

4.9. When applying for an Academic Scholarship, do parents need to submit their child’s most recent MAP results, or will the Scholarship Committee access them directly?
For students already enrolled at DLTS, the Scholarship Committee will retrieve the student’s most recent MAP results directly from the system, so parents do not need to submit them separately. External applicants who have not yet sat a MAP test at DLTS will be scheduled for testing as part of the application process; see “We filled out the application, what’s next?” above.

5. Talent Scholarships – Portfolio & Evaluation

5.1. What do I need to provide for a Talent Scholarship application?
Parents must provide a portfolio, performance, or other evidence of their child’s talent and a proven track record of achievements in their chosen field.
The committee evaluates these portfolios based on three criteria:

• Achievement (skills and progress)
• Reputation (impact and community perception), and
• Potential (growth and future success).

5.2. What criteria does the Committee use to evaluate Talent Scholarship applications, and how should students prepare their portfolios to meet these expectations?
The Talent Scholarship is evaluated based on three key criteria:

• Achievement – measuring the student’s performance and progress in their talent, including skills and ability to perform.
• Reputation – assessing the student’s contributions and impact in the community, and how they are perceived in their field.
• Potential – evaluating the student’s capacity for growth and future success.

For the portfolio, it is very helpful if it is organized in chronological order, starting from past achievements and moving toward the most recent. Upcoming events or tournaments may also be included if proof of participation is available, though the Committee’s main focus is on past and present accomplishments.
While international competitions are valued most highly, national and even district-level events can also play a significant role in building a strong portfolio. Talent fields such as music (e.g., Yamaha Grade Examination System or Trinity College London) or sports (e.g., golf, swimming, badminton) where rankings are awarded are particularly relevant. Adding video links that showcase the student’s talent is also highly beneficial for the Committee’s review.

5.3. Do the achievements submitted for the Talent Scholarship need to have been earned within a specific timeframe (for example, within the past year), or is the Committee’s focus more on consistency and overall development?
The Committee’s main focus, apart from evaluating talent quality, is to see whether there is consistency in performance and development. Therefore, both past and present achievements are thoroughly reviewed. The best practice is to always include the most recent events, championships, or tournaments, as this demonstrates ongoing progress and commitment.
In case a significant tournament or championship is coming up in the future that you would like to include in the portfolio, there must be proof of registration or participation. This ensures the Committee can verify the student’s involvement and consider it as part of the evaluation.

5.4. What factors does the Committee consider when evaluating singing or music competitions, certifications, and overall portfolio strength for Talent Scholarships?
The Committee places greater value on the quality and competitiveness of an event rather than its location, meaning that competitions held in Thailand can carry strong weight if they bring together participants from different countries and include an international judging panel that provides feedback in English. At the same time, the type of recognition matters: while certificates of participation are noted, competitive placements such as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place within a genuine competitive group carry far more significance than awards given to all participants. Beyond competitions, formal certification pathways such as Yamaha or Trinity College London are also highly regarded, as they provide a structured record of skill development over time. Ultimately, what makes a portfolio strong is not a single award but a clear picture of consistent growth—regular participation, steady progress, and achievements that build year by year.