Singapore offers various study pathway for all age group and academic abilities from primary to university education. International students can seek admission in any stage of primary and secondary education (except for final years) and the first year of post-secondary education.
Primary education in Singapore consists of six years of schooling which starts at the age of six. The flexible teaching system allows students to take a mix of standard and foundation subjects based on their strengths.
International students can seek admission to Singapore primary school from primary year one to primary year five. An entrance examination-the Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS) takes place for international students who wish to join primary year two onwards.
The primary school leaving examination (PSLE) happens at the end of six years of primary education. As all student need to have sufficient time to prepare PSLE, therefore there is no direct admission to the primary year six is allowed for international students.
Depending on the student’s strengths, interests and PSLE results, students could be eligible for different pathways to complete secondary education in four to five years. For international students who didn’t attend a primary school-leaving examination, they could take the entrance examination AEIS to join secondary education in year one to year three.
The three pathways of Singapore secondary education are Express, Normal (Academic), Normal (Technical).
The Express pathway has two programmes:
The Normal (Academic) pathway is a 4-year or 5-year course leading to the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Normal (Academic) Level (GCE N(A)-Level) examination in Secondary 4. Some students go on to take the GCE O-Level examination in Secondary 5, and progress to junior college, Millennia Institute, Polytechnic or Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
The Normal (Technical) pathway is a 4-year course leading to the Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Normal (Technical) Level (GCE N(T)-Level) examination in Secondary 4.
No matter which pathways the student is taking, there is no direct admission allowed for international students at the last year of secondary education.
Post-Secondary education in Singapore takes about two to four years to complete. Different study pathways are available depending on the degrees which international student choose. The eligible International students can seek admission in the first year of all pathways.
The five different post-secondary education pathways are:
| No. | Name of the institution |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) |
| 2 | Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) |
| 3 | Republic Polytechnic (RP) |
| 4 | Singapore Polytechnic (SP) |
| 5 | Temasek Polytechnic (TP) |
| No. | Name of the University |
|---|---|
| 1 | National University of Singapore (NUS) |
| 2 | Nanyang Technological University (NTU) |
| 3 | Singapore Management University (SMU) |
| 4 | Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) |
| 5 | Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) |
| 6 | Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) |
| Foreign Universities with Singapore Campus |
|---|
| École Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC) Asia-Pacific |
| Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) |
| S P Jain School of Global Management |
| DigiPen Institute of Technology |
| German Institute of Science and Technology - TUM Asia |
| Sorbonne-Assas International Law School |
| Private Education Institutions Offering Foreign Degree Programmes | |
|---|---|
| James Cook University Singapore | Management Development Institute of Singapore |
| Curtin Singapore | Nanyang Institute of Management |
| Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) Global Education | Ngee Ann Academy |
| Auston Institute of Management | PSB Academy |
| DIMENSIONS International College | Raffles College of Higher Education |
| East Asia Institute of Management (EASB) | SDH Institute |
| ERC Institute | Singapore Raffles Music College |
| Informatics Academy | TMC Academy |
| Kaplan Higher Education Academy | AMITY Global Institute |
The education system in Singapore is flexible and diverse. It provides students with more choice to meet their different interests and ways of learning. Choose Singapore as your overseas study destination, and you will not regret it.
Study options for Indian students with their Standard 10 examination result are:
1. Direct admission to diploma courses at polytechnics in Singapore. An additional English proficiency test result or admission test will be required to complete the admission application.
2. Direct admission to the preparatory course for Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ Level at private institutions. This course is an internationally recognised education qualification that leads students to direct university admission locally or internationally.
Upon completion of Standard 12 (Central and ISC Boards or State and Other Boards), Indian students can use the result to seek direct admission for a bachelor degree in Singapore universities. An ACT or SAT test score might be required to submit together with the application depending on disciplines and also the university you applied.
Chinese students can seek direct admission for the preparatory course for Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level at local private institutions. This course is an internationally recognised education qualification that leads students to direct admission for local Junior College or Polytechnics.
Chinese students can seek direct admission for a bachelor degree in Singapore universities by using their Gao Kao scores. As the English language is not the medium of instruction for your senior higher school studies, an additional English language test result (usually is IELTS or TOEFL) is also required when you submit your application.