Forum Letter Replies
No squeeze as more places, smaller cohort
The Straits Times headlines and articles (“Polytechnic grads put squeeze on university places” and “Varsity squeeze”, ST, 15 Mar) grabbed attention, but was inaccurate and raised unnecessary alarm.
The cohort of students who are eligible to apply to the universities in 2008 is significantly smaller than last year. Although the 1988 Dragon Year birth cohort is graduating from the polytechnics and hence more polytechnic graduates are applying for universities, this has been more than offset by a smaller number of graduating JC students this year.
It was misleading to compare the number of applications to the universities with the number of places available in order to paint of picture an increasing squeeze in university admissions. The increased number of applications to the three universities does not mean that more students are applying. With each university now having separate admission exercises, each student can choose to apply to all three universities, and many indeed do.
The bottom line is that there will be significantly more university places this year than any previous year, compared to the size of the cohort from our polytechnics and JCs. Although the cohort is much smaller in 2008, the universities will offer the same number of places as in 2007. This will mean that places will be available for at least 25% of the cohort this year, up from 23.5% in 2007 and 21% in 2000. Put another way, it means an additional 1,350 university places in 2008 compared to 2007 if the cohort size were unchanged.
This is also why there is no reason to think that admissions standards will be more stringent and that this will be “a tough year to get in”. Besides the fact that more places will be available for the JC and polytechnic cohort, the general performance of the A-level and polytechnic cohorts has been stable over the last few years.
The report was correct to point out that some courses will be “oversubscribed” based on student demand. Applicants know that there is keen competition for some courses and should weigh their choices carefully.
While we provide publicly-subsidised university places to a quarter of the cohort, we cannot assure every student a place in the course of his choice. No system does, and it would not be wise for us to do so. The universities will continue to spread places across various disciplines and courses, taking into account students’ interests and aptitudes as well as the needs of the employment market. This will allow us to ensure that Singapore graduates continue to enjoy high employment rates even as we increase the intake into our universities.
Director, Higher Education