Admission Pathways For Undergraduate Study in Singapore

The Singapore undergraduate diploma is globally recognized, taught in English, and of high quality. Graduates who complete the Singapore undergraduate course can apply for postgraduate courses at famous universities in other countries around the world, and can also stay in Singapore and work for three years. After working, they can apply for Singapore permanent residence. Or international students can choose Singapore undergraduate courses lasting more than 2 years and take at least one national exam (such as PSLE exam, N level, A level, O level) during study abroad, then they can also apply for permanent residence. Moreover, international students can work part-time while they are studying, so they can earn living expenses while accumulating work experience. Therefore, many students choose to go to Singapore for undergraduate studies. At present, undergraduate education in Singapore is mainly provided by private universities and public universities. Let’s take a look at the undergraduate education of private universities and public universities in Singapore, as well as the admission pathways for undergraduates in Singapore.

Undergraduate Education at Private Universities

The original intention of many private universities in Singapore was to serve the economic development of Singapore, so the majors they offer are employment-oriented, such as hotel management, finance, logistics management, multimedia communication and computer, which are currently popular in the world. Private universities in Singapore not only have first-class teaching standards, but also have an excellent learning and living environment, which also provides convenience for students to develop talents. Private universities have strategic cooperation with famous universities in different countries such as Britain, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, or set up branch campuses to issue global certification diplomas and degrees, and the admission requirements are relatively low. Generally, students are required to have a high school degree or above, and the language requirement is about IELTS 6.0. Students can also waive the IELTS score by taking the school’s language classes. The undergraduate education system of private universities in Singapore is short, usually about 2-3 years.

Undergraduate Education at Public Universities

In recent years, international students’ applications to Singapore’s public universities are mainly concentrated in the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University. The National University of Singapore is currently the number one university in Asia. According to the latest QS World University Rankings in 2022, the National University of Singapore ranks 11th in the world, and Nanyang Technological University ranks 12th in the world. Therefore, Singapore’s public universities have relatively high admission requirements for students. The undergraduate degree of public universities in Singapore is generally about 4 years, and the annual tuition fee is about 30,000 Singapore dollars. However, many majors can apply for government subsidies, and the amount of subsidies is generally about 40% of the tuition fees.

Singapore Undergraduate Entry Pathways

1. Apply through the local university entrance examination results

Students from some countries can apply to universities in Singapore through their national university entrance examination scores. For example, Singapore universities take Chinese National College Entrance Examination results, so international students from China can apply for universities in Singapore with their National College Entrance Examination results. The difficulty of this method is relatively high, and students must have excellent grades to have a chance to be admitted.

2. Apply through A-Level

More and more students are applying for public universities in Singapore by taking the A level test. Students generally have to go to a school in Singapore that teaches A level to study for about one year. After that, you can apply for public universities in Singapore based on your grades. A level generally starts to register for the exam in March every year, and the exam time is from June to November, and the results are released in March of the next year. Although the process is relatively long, it is a simpler course than the college entrance examination. The National University of Singapore generally requires 5 A-level results, 3 main subjects to achieve A, and 2 sub-subjects to achieve B or above. If you apply for NUS and NTU with such results, you will have a greater chance of success.

Generally, most students who apply for A level courses will choose to go out in the second year of high school, and they can sign up for the A level exam in Singapore when they are 17 years old.

3. Apply through international examinations such as IB, SAT, ACT, etc.

Students studying in international high schools can also apply for undergraduate courses in national universities through IB, SAT, ACT, Canadian OSSD, etc.