Direct admission applications for secondary schools, JCs are open

SINGAPORE — Students interested in applying for direct admission to secondary schools and junior colleges (JC) may do so from this month, the Education Ministry announced on Monday (May 9).

The Early Admissions Exercise to polytechnics, which replaces the Direct Polytechnic Admission Exercise, will start from June. 

This year, 118 schools will be taking part in the Direct School Admission-Secondary Exercise, while 22 junior colleges are involved in the Direct School Admission-JC Exercise.

These admission exercises allow students to be selected for secondary schools or junior colleges even before their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) or GCE O-Level examination results are released. 

However, students will still be required to take their PSLE or GCE O-Level examinations respectively and cannot transfer to another school once the results are out. 

For prospective polytechnic students, both the Direct Polytechnic Admission Exercise and the Joint Polytechnic Special Admissions Exercise will become part of the Early Admissions Exercise this year, where students may apply for admission based on their aptitudes and interests in specific courses. 

Students with exceptional talents in areas such as leadership, community service, sports and arts may also be considered through this exercise.

Once a student has accepted a place, he or she will also not be able to transfer to another course after the release of the GCE O-Level examination results. 

Students are expected to honour the commitment to the polytechnic courses. Students interested in the various exercises should visit the participating institutions’ websites for more details.