Fees in pesos vs dollars: how Zona Norte schools bill
For many families the school “price” is not just the amount: it is which currency is billed, which exchange rate applies when paying in pesos, and whether it is better to pay month to month or prepay the year. In Zona Norte two worlds coexist: local bilingual schools in ARS and expat-profile internationals in USD.
Two billing logics
1. Local bilingual / elite schools — pesos (ARS)
Northlands, St. Andrew’s, and most of the “St. …” schools along the northern corridor publish (or communicate to families) fees in Argentine pesos, with a March–December cycle and monthly installments for the Argentine school year.
- List currency: ARS.
- Adjustments: with deregulated fees in the segment without state subsidy, the March amount may not be August’s; ask for the update policy in writing.
- How many installments: Northlands bills tuition + scholarship fund in 11 installments (Feb–Dec). Others use 10. Comparing “monthly” without that skews the picture.
2. International schools — dollars (USD)
Lincoln (La Lucila) — and, in practice, other genuinely international options such as BAICA — think of tuition in dollars. You can pay in pesos, but the price and discount logic lives in USD.
- List currency: USD.
- Payment in ARS: usually accepted only on monthly schemes, at the official exchange rate of the day (Lincoln states this explicitly on its fees page).
- Discount for USD liquidity: Lincoln grants 2% if you pay the annual or semester period in dollars.
> Quick rule: if your income is in pesos and you do not have stable access to dollars, an ARS school with a published table (Northlands, St. Andrew’s) is more predictable month to month. If your cash flow is in USD (expat contract, savings abroad), Lincoln may be more “readable” — but the Capital Assessment and annual tuition are another order of magnitude.
Side-by-side comparison (directory)
| School | List currency | How you pay | Published cost signal | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | USD | Monthly; ARS only monthly at the official rate; 2% discount annual/semester in USD | Annual tuition K3–K4 U$S 17,120 → HS U$S 35,320; Capital Assessment U$S 12,000 (K5–12) | Tuition & Fees (official table as image) |
| BAICA | International logic (typically USD) | Contact admissions | Contact — no current public table | baica.edu.ar |
| Northlands Nordelta / Olivos | ARS | 11 installments Feb–Dec + scholarship fund | Primary ~$1.98–2.22 M; Sec. ~$2.70–2.92 M + $34,950 fund | Nordelta Info |
| St. Andrew’s Scots | ARS | Circular to families; CBU debit 1% | March 2026: Early years K2–K4 $629,640; Sec. Y10–Y12 $2,418,050 | Official PDF Nov 2025 |
| Michael Ham / St. Luke’s | ARS (typical) | Internal docs to families | Contact | Institutional sites |
Lincoln in detail (what is published in USD)
Primary source: official Tuition and Fees page (updated 2026). The tuition table is published as an image; amounts below are read from that table.
Annual tuition (USD)
| Level | Annual | Semester | 8 installments (each) |
|---|---|---|---|
| K3–K4 | U$S 17,120 | U$S 8,560 | U$S 2,140 |
| K5 | U$S 23,520 | U$S 11,760 | U$S 2,940 |
| Elementary (1–5) | U$S 30,600 | U$S 15,300 | U$S 3,825 |
| Middle (6–8) | U$S 31,920 | U$S 15,960 | U$S 3,990 |
| High School (9–12) | U$S 35,320 | U$S 17,660 | U$S 4,415 |
Entry / continuity costs (USD)
- Capital Assessment (one-time, K5–grade 12): U$S 12,000 on entry; 50% refund if the student withdraws in the first year.
- Annual re-enrollment (grades 1–12, typ. August): ES U$S 3,060; MS U$S 3,192; HS U$S 3,532 (official re-enrollment table).
- Application fee: check current table / admissions (aggregators report bands ~U$S 2,968–3,424; verify with admissions before budgeting).
Payment rules that matter in practice
- Tuition is billed monthly; there is a semester or annual invoice option.
- 2% discount if the annual or semester payment is made in dollars.
- Payments in pesos: monthly only, at the official exchange rate at the time of payment.
- Late payment in pesos: conversion at the official rate on the settlement date + 14% annual interest (official text).
- Cafeteria and bus: in pesos (monthly or semester). USD tuition does not include those extras.
- Mid-semester withdrawal: Lincoln charges the full semester (published withdrawal policy).
Northlands / St. Andrew’s: peso anchors
To contrast orders of magnitude (without mixing apples and oranges of calendar):
- Northlands 2026 (monthly tuition ARS): Primary 1–3 $1,980,300; Primary 4–6 $2,224,600; Secondary 1–3 $2,701,200; Secondary 4–6 $2,923,900; plus scholarship fund $34,950/month. Year in 11 installments. Source: Nordelta/Olivos website.
- St. Andrew’s March 2026 (ARS): Early years K2–K4 $629,640; Secondary Y10–Y12 $2,418,050 (bands from the family circular).
A Lincoln HS tuition of U$S 35,320/year (~U$S 2,940/month if you think in 12) is not 1:1 comparable with a Northlands fee of ~$2.9 M: different calendar, different profile, and the official FX of the day decides how many pesos those dollars are. That is why this guide separates currency from amount.
Checklist before you sign
- Is the list in ARS or USD? Ask for the currency of the educational contract, not only the “fee number.”
- If it is USD and you pay in ARS: which FX do they use (official, MEP, other)? Lincoln: official of the day, monthly only.
- Is there a discount for early payment in USD? Lincoln: 2% annual/semester in dollars.
- One-time fees: Capital Assessment, enrollment, re-enrollment, application — add them to year 1.
- Extras in the other currency: cafeteria/bus in ARS even when tuition is USD (Lincoln case).
- How many installments the year has (10 vs 11) and intra-year update policy.
- Ask for a receipt / invoice aligned with current electronic invoicing rules for private schools (ARCA RG 5824/2026 from July 2026): useful for traceability and, if applicable, deductions.
Sources
- Lincoln — Tuition and Fees (billing text + Tuition / Re-enrollment image tables).
- Northlands — Nordelta General Information (ARS fees 2026).
- St. Andrew’s Scots School — 2026 administrative letter/circular (PDF to families, Nov 2025).
- Prior guides on this site: Nordelta–Tigre fees, bilingual vs international, San Isidro–Olivos.
*Not affiliated with any school. Figures only from verified public sources; where there is no open table we mark contact.*