Affordable school fees are at the core of LIFT’s identity. This is a subject of the utmost importance for the founding parents, and we know that it is for all of you too. Along with inclusive governance and truly multilingual education, it is one of the main reasons that gave birth to the project.

The scope of this pricing policy can be divided in the following four priorities:

1. Accessibility

LIFT aims to be accessible to as many people as possible, and to represent a schooling solution for all the French-speaking and Francophile communities of Taipei, based on values that reject elitism and self-serving biases.

LIFT does not receive any direct financial subsidy from the French government, although it must be emphasized that our school could not have been created without the continuous and unconditional support of the French Office in Taipei and our parliamentary representatives. LIFT does not receive any financial subsidy from the Taiwanese government, although here too we would like to emphasize the fundamental role of the city of Taipei.

Therefore, the economic model of LIFT is that of a business, where resources consist of tuition fees which will finance all the initial investments, operating expenses and development investments of the school. LIFT is a non-profit organization that does not depend on any private investment, nor does it reward any shareholders. Our investments are mainly financed by the French-speaking business communities in Taipei, by institutional and private sponsors and partly by the discount schemes offered to families able to pay tuition fees in advance. In other words, LIFT’s economy is based on the search for financial balance and not on profitability. Our strategy is to maximize the quality of the educational service provided for tuition fees set at the lowest level necessary to achieve financial sustainability.

This level of school fees has been determined according to :

• The desire to ensure a high standard of education for our students. For us, less expensive does not mean lower quality. We believe that at these fee levels, we can fund welcoming facilities satisfying high international quality standards and highly qualified teaching staff, for fulfilling learning experience that brings out each student’s full potential for success.
• Our desire to guarantee an affordable level of tuition from the first year and stability over time, while financing medium term investment needs.
• Solid guarantees from our financial partners that allow all parents to feel confident about the financial sustainability of our school over time.

2. Visibility

We know that education is one of the largest items of expenditure for families. Like any expense, predictability is just as important. By joining LIFT, you can be assured that fees will remain stable over time, with an annual increase voted by the LIFT Board where parents are largely represented, which reflects the inflation and educational project voted by the educational community itself.

3. Transparency

Our principle of transparency is applied here by providing each family with access to LIFT’s annual financial report, informing them of the precise use of each NT$ received. As a LIFT parent, you know each year the exact overall breakdown of each item of expenditure in which your school fees have been invested (premises, teaching and support teams, etc.), and, in the event of a surplus, the reinvestment projects voted by the LIFT Board for the school development.

As parents of LIFT pupils, you have a say in its management, and are part of its governance. In addition to receiving accurate information, you have the opportunity to influence the financial and investment decisions of your school.

4. Solidarity

Even at levels well below the other international schools in Taipei, we are aware that these fees represent an expense that is not always affordable for everyone. Therefore, we are working with the French Office in Taipei and the AEFE to ensure that French government scholarships are made available as soon as possible, and we are planning to set up an internal solidarity fund dedicated to financing scholarships so that LIFT can be the most inclusive school possible.

For the school year 2024/25, French families can contact the French Office in Taipei for more information on scholarships of the French government.