The University Counselling Department at CDNIS provides highly personalised, expert guidance to support students and families throughout the university planning and application process. Our experienced university counsellors work closely with students to help them identify best-fit post-secondary pathways and navigate the increasingly complex global university admissions landscape. Counsellors bring deep insight from years of experience in university counselling, including former admissions officers at selective universities worldwide.
A Personalised, Strategic Approach
CDNIS offers a one‑to‑one university counselling model, where students are intentionally paired with a dedicated university counsellor to maximise support and success. This individualised approach allows counsellors to tailor guidance based on each student’s academic profile, interests, strengths and aspirations.
University counsellors provide strategic support across a wide global range of application pathways, including:
- Australia and New Zealand
- Canada
- China (including Hong Kong)
- United States (Ivy League and selective institutions)
- United Kingdom (Oxbridge and Russell Group universities) and the rest of Europe
- Medicine, dentistry, visual and performing arts, and other specialised programmes
The department also offers expertise in competitive scholarships, athletics recruitment, creative portfolios and ambitious university targets.
Guidance counselling is provided separately by the Guidance Counselling team.
Supporting the Student Journey
University counselling at CDNIS is a multi‑year process that helps students understand how their choices over time contribute to strong applications. Counsellors guide students through:
- Course and curriculum planning
- Standardised testing strategies
- Extracurricular and leadership development
- University research and list building
- Personal statement and supplemental essay development
- Application timelines across multiple countries
- University visits and demonstrated interest
Grade‑Level Support
Grade 9
Early planning, informed course selection, and exploration of future pathways. The focus of Grade 9 is to provide students and their families with the opportunity to make informed decisions both inside and outside of the classroom:
- Course selection
- Extracurricular development
- Standardised testing
- Timeline for the university process
- Preparing for Oxbridge Talk
- Preparing for Selective US Universities Talk
- Interquest psychometric testing
Grade 10
In Grade 10, we aim to spark students’ interest in the higher education opportunities available to them and encourage them to factor their long-term aspirations into their course selections. Students attend Grade 10 seminars on how to select their IB courses (which specific subjects to consider) and how to approach their extracurriculars strategically.
Grade 11
Dedicated university counsellor assignment, application strategy development, university research and essay preparation.
Grade 11 is the time for students to get serious if they want to be competitive applicants to elite universities. This year is about working hard in academic courses, diving into extracurriculars and seeking out leadership opportunities.
All Grade 11 students attend a seminar to launch their application process. Students and families receive clear timelines for each step of the application process.
Each student will meet one-on-one with a member of the University Counselling Team. The university counsellor will provide the family with a research list of universities, a timeline for their process (balancing multiple application systems and countries as needed) and guidance on how to finalise the student’s application strategy and recommenders.
The Scholarship Workshop: University counsellors will introduce families to competitive academic scholarships, such as the Jefferson Scholarship, Robertson Scholars Leadership Program and the Morehead-Cain Scholarship.
Personal Statement Workshop: In the spring, students will be expected to attend personal statement workshops by application type. This will get students started on their primary university essays.
Student athletes will be expected to work with their university counsellor on their recruiting timeline and making contacts with coaches.
Grade 12
Finalisation and review of applications, including Oxbridge, Common App, UC and other global systems.
At the start of school, Grade 12 students will attend sessions to complete the Oxbridge, Common Application and UC Application.
Throughout August and early October, students meet one-on-one with their designated university counsellor. Students finalise their university targets and balance the list with their global choices, whether they are applying Early Decision or Early Action, whether they are pursuing special programmes, or applying for any merit-based scholarships.
If a student is applying Early Decision/Action, before the October Break, they will submit the application for review. For Regular Decision, the review should occur at the beginning of December.
Gap Year Students: Continued access to university counselling support following graduation.
University Engagement and Visits
CDNIS hosts hundreds of university representatives on campus each year and organises an annual Global Higher Education Fair in March. Students and families also benefit from university presentations, mini-fairs, and organised campus visits locally and internationally.
We welcome visiting university representatives throughout the academic year for presentations about individual universities and mini-fairs. The best time of day to visit our campus is from 1:30pm-2:30pm or after school between 3:30pm-5pm. Visits are normally hosted in the Counselling Office or Alan Dick Forum, and it is common for more than one university to visit on the same day. We are also able to accommodate larger presentations, but this must be arranged beforehand.
If you would like to arrange a visit, please contact the University Counselling Office.
University Outcomes and Destinations
CDNIS students graduate with a strong academic foundation, global perspective, and the confidence to pursue a wide range of post-secondary pathways. Each year, our graduates receive over 1,000 offers from leading universities around the world, reflecting both their individual strengths and the personalised guidance they receive through the university counselling programme.
Our students matriculate to a broad range of highly respected institutions, including:
- United Kingdom: Oxbridge and other top universities, including Russell Group institutions
- United States: Ivy League and other highly selective colleges and universities
- Canada: Leading research‑intensive universities
- Hong Kong: Top local universities
- Specialist pathways: Medical and dental schools, art and design institutions, drama and performing arts programmes
Rather than promoting a single definition of success, CDNIS focuses on helping each student identify universities that represent the best academic, personal and aspirational fit. University counsellors work closely with students and families to develop balanced, global application lists that align with students’ interests, goals, and long‑term ambitions.
This thoughtful, student‑centred approach has resulted in consistently strong outcomes across multiple regions and application systems, preparing graduates for success well beyond secondary school.
If you have questions about Graduate Outcomes and University Destinations, please contact: