International Student Admissions: General Information on Studying in Singapore

Admission to Pre-schools, Private Schools and Post-Secondary Institutions

International students who wish to seek admission to a pre-school, private school or post-secondary institution (e.g. university or polytechnic) should approach the pre-school, private school or institution directly.

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Age Criteria for Admission of International Students

The following age ranges for new international students seeking admission and former international students seeking readmission into schools will take effect from 23 June 2008 (Term 3 AY2008) onwards.

Level	Permissible Age Range (as at 1st January of Year of Admission)
Primary 1	6 to 8+
Primary 2	7 to 9+
Primary 3	8 to 10+
Primary 4	9 to 11+
Primary 5	10 to 12+
Primary 6	No direct admission is allowed to this critical level as the students will not have sufficient preparation time for the Primary School Leaving Examination held towards the end of the year.
Secondary 1	12 to 14+
Secondary 2	13 to 15+
Secondary 3	14 to 16+
Secondary 4	No direct admission is allowed to this critical level as the students will not have sufficient preparation time for the GCE ‘N’ or GCE ‘O’ Level Examinations held towards the end of the year.
Secondary 5	No direct admission is allowed to this critical level as the students will not have sufficient preparation time for the GCE ‘O’ Level Examination held towards the end of the year.
Pre-University 1	16 - 18+
Pre-University 2	No direct admission is allowed to this critical level as the students will not have sufficient preparation time for the GCE ‘A’ Level Examination held towards the end of the year.
Pre-University 3	No direct admission is allowed to this critical level as the students will not have sufficient preparation time for the GCE ‘A’ Level Examination held towards the end of the year.

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Student’s Pass

In accordance with the Immigration Regulations, a foreigner who wishes to study in a Government / Government-aided / Independent School is exempted from applying for a Student’s Pass if he/she is a holder of a Dependant’s Pass or an Immigration Exemption Order. For more details on Student’s Pass applications, please refer to ICA’s website.

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Guardian’s Particulars

Every international student is required to provide the particulars of his / her guardian to the school for contact purposes. The guardian should be a Singapore Citizen / Singapore Permanent Resident above 21 years old or the parent of the international student if the parent is working/staying in Singapore.

Every international student is required to report any change in guardianship to his/her school principal.

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Primary Level Admission

International students admitted at the primary level will be expected to complete the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) like all local students, before proceeding to the secondary level.

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Exemption from offering Chinese, Malay or Tamil as a Mother Tongue Language

As part of the Singapore education system, all students are required to offer their mother tongue language as part of the curriculum. Exemption from the mother tongue requirement may be considered on a case-by-case basis after an international student has been admitted to school. Application for exemption should be made through the school principal who will refer the application to the Languages & Literature Branch, Ministry of Education, for consideration.

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Monthly School Fees

The Table below shows the monthly rates of school fees payable by international students with effect from January 2008 and January 2009.

Year	Student’s Nationality	Monthly School Fees Rate
		Primary	Secondary	Junior College / Centralised Institute
2008	—	S$120	S$170	S$280
2009	ASEAN	S$135	S$195	S$330
	Non-ASEAN	S$145	S$210	S$350

For children of Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents and dependants of Employment Pass and Skilled Work Permit Holders, the monthly school fees payable for the first 2 years are S$3.50 for primary, S$6 for secondary and S$7 for pre-university levels. For the third year onwards, the school fees payable will be determined based on their citizenship status.

In addition to school fees, all students are to pay miscellaneous fees. The maximum monthly miscellaneous fees payable are S$11 for primary, S$16 for secondary and S$22 for pre-university levels. Students studying in Autonomous Schools are also required to pay additional miscellaneous fees. Please check directly with the schools on the actual amount of miscellaneous fees payable.

The rates of school and miscellaneous fees payable are reviewed by the Ministry of Education and individual schools from time to time.

For Independent Schools, the school fees payable varies from school to school. Please check directly with the schools concerned for the fees payable.

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Boarding Facilities

Please refer to the yellow pages of the Singapore Telephone Directory for the private hostels.

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Information on Schools

The contact information of mainstream public schools in Singapore may be found in the School Information Service website.

A hard copy of the “Directory of Schools and Educational Institutions, Singapore”, is also obtainable from the Customer Service Centre at the Ground Floor, Podium Block, Ministry of Education, at S$3.60 per copy (excluding postage).

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