A Singapore Government Agency Website How to identify
Official website links end with .gov.sg

Government agencies communicate via .gov.sg website
(e.g. go.gov.sg/open). Trusted websites

Secure websites use HTTPS

Look for a lock () or https:// as an added precaution.
Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Start of 2017 Direct School Admission Exercises, Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise and ITE Early Admissions Exercise

Published Date: 08 May 2017 12:00 AM

News Press Releases

1.Students interested in applying for Direct School Admission (DSA) to secondary schools and Junior Colleges (JCs) for admission in 2018 may do so from today. Separately, applications for early admission to polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) based on course-specific aptitude and interests will start in June 2017.

Direct School Admission-Secondary (DSA-Sec) and Direct School Admission-Junior College (JC) Exercises

2. The DSA exercises allow students with talents and achievements beyond what is recognised at the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) and the GCE O-Level examinations, seek admission to secondary schools and JCs that can develop their talent further. There are 128 secondary schools participating in the 2017 DSA-Sec Exercise, and 18 JCs participating in the 2017 DSA-JC exercise.

3. Students are encouraged to check the MOE DSA-Sec website and the MOE DSA-JC website for important dates and timelines, and for information on how the exercises will be conducted. The MOE DSA-Sec website also contains the full list of DSA categories that are offered for the 2017 exercise, and the secondary schools offering them. Interested students should visit the individual schools’ websites for more information on their open houses, application periods and procedures, plus selection criteria, which may differ from school to school.

4. Students participating in the DSA-Sec or DSA-JC exercise are still required to take the PSLE or GCE O-Level examination respectively. Students will be informed of the outcome of their DSA application, and have to decide whether to take up the offer, before their examination results are released. Students who take up a DSA-Sec confirmed offer are guaranteed a place in that secondary school, provided their PSLE results meet the minimum requirement for a course [Express / Normal (Academic) / Normal (Technical)] offered by the school. Similarly, for students who take up a DSA-JC offer, their GCE O-Level results must meet the eligibility criteria of a gross aggregate L1R5 score of 20 points or better for admission to a JC.

5. In accepting an offer of admission through the DSA exercise, students are expressing a commitment to develop their talent in the chosen area in that school. Students are expected to honour this commitment to their posted DSA school for the duration of the programme they are admitted to. Students successfully admitted to a school via the DSA-Sec or DSA-JC exercise will not be able to participate in the Secondary One Posting Exercise or the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) respectively. They will also not be allowed to transfer to another school after obtaining their PSLE or GCE O-Level results.

6. Since students must commit to their chosen DSA school’s programme, they are strongly encouraged to carefully consider and limit their DSA selection to one or two choices, based on their aptitudes and strengths, the school’s academic and non-academic requirements, and the programmes available to develop their talents.

Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise (Polytechnic EAE) for O-Level Students

7. All five polytechnics1 are participating in this year’s Polytechnic EAE. Through this exercise, graduating O-Level students can apply for admission to courses based on their aptitudes and interests. As part of the selection process, applicants may need to submit portfolios and undergo interviews and aptitude tests. Students with exceptional talents in areas such as leadership, community service, sports and arts may also be considered through the EAE.

8. Successful applicants under the Polytechnic EAE will be given conditional offers before taking their GCE O-Level examination. For the conditional offer to be confirmed, they must meet the baseline admissions criteria of a net aggregate ELR2B2 score of 26 points or better and course-specific Minimum Entry Requirements (MERs). The timeline for the 2017 Polytechnic EAE can be found at https://eae.polytechnic.edu.sg/.

9. Students who have accepted an offer via the Polytechnic EAE and had their place confirmed, will not be eligible to participate in the JAE. They will also not be able to transfer to another course after the release of their GCE O-Level results. Students are expected to honour the commitment to their choice of polytechnic and the course under the EAE.

ITE Early Admissions Exercise (ITE EAE) for N- and O-Level Students

10. Graduating N- and O-Level students can apply for early admission to ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec courses through the ITE EAE based on their course-specific aptitudes and interest. As part of the selection process, applicants may need to submit portfolios, go through interviews, and take aptitude tests.

11. Successful applicants under the ITE EAE will be given conditional offers before taking their GCE N- or O-Level examination. For their conditional offer to be confirmed, they must meet the subject-specific MERs for the course of their choice. The MERs of the ITE courses and the timeline for the 2017 ITE EAE can be found at http://www.ite.edu.sg/admission/eae.

12. Students who have accepted a place via the ITE EAE will not be eligible to participate in the admissions exercises that are based on their GCE N-level or O-level results, e.g. JAE or Joint Intake exercise. Students are expected to honour their commitment to their choice of course under the EAE.

Further Information

13. Students interested in the DSA-Sec exercise, DSA-JC exercise, Poly EAE, or ITE EAE should visit the websites of the participating institutions for more details. They are advised to do so before the start of the respective exercises. More information is also available at the following MOE websites:

Footnotes
  1. The five polytechnics are Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic.