Applications for DSA to JCs, early admissions to ITEs and polytechnics to begin
SINGAPORE — Students interested in applying for Direct School Admission to junior colleges (DSA-JC) for admission in 2020 may do so from this month onwards, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) in a media statement on Monday (13 May).
Separately, applications for early admission to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnics based on course-specific aptitude and interests will start in May and June respectively.
Students interested either of the three application processes should visit the websites of the participating institutions for more details. More information is also available at the following MOE websites: DSA-JC, early admission for Polytechnic and early admission for ITE.
20 schools participating in DSA-JC
There are 20 schools participating in this year’s DSA-JC, which provides a pathway for students to gain direct entry to JCs based on talents and achievements that may not be demonstrated at the GCE O-Level examinations.
Students are encouraged to check the MOE website for important dates and timelines, and to find out how the exercise will be conducted.
Interested students should also visit the individual JCs’ websites for more information on application periods, procedures and selection criteria, all of which may differ across JCs.
They are still required to take their GCE O-Level exams this year, and must meet the eligibility criteria for admission to JCs. However, prior to the release of the exam results next year, they will be informed of the outcome of their DSA application and, if successful, will need to decide whether to take up the offer.
Students successfully admitted to a school via DSA-JC will not be participating in the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) with other students. They will also not be allowed to transfer to another school after obtaining their GCE O-Level results.
Applying for ITE early admission
Graduating N- and O-Level students can apply for early admission to ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec courses respectively through the ITE Early Admissions Exercise (EAE), based on their course- specific aptitudes and interest. They may need to submit portfolios, undergo interviews, and take aptitude tests as part of the selection process.
Applications will open from 21 to 27 May, and may be submitted online. Successful applicants will be given conditional offers before receiving their GCE N- or O-Level results. For their conditional offer to be confirmed, they must meet the minimum entry requirements of the offered courses.
Students who accept a place via the ITE EAE will not be eligible to participate in the JAE for Higher Nitec courses, or Joint Intake Exercise for Nitec courses.They are also expected to honour their commitment to their choice of course under the ITE EAE.
Applying for Polytechnic early admission
Applications for the Polytechnic EAE will be open from 6 to 12 June for ITE students, and 27 June to 3 July for students taking the GCE O-Level exams.
All the five Polytechnics – Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic – will participate in this EAE.
Similar to the ITE EAE, applicants may need to submit portfolios, and undergo interviews and aptitude tests. Where relevant, the polytechnics may also factor in students’ talents and achievements in areas such as sports, arts, leadership and community service.
Successful applicants under the Polytechnic EAE will be given conditional offers before receiving their final examination results. More information about the timeline and minimum entry requirements for the Polytechnic EAE can be found here.
Admission for working adults to polys
Starting from Academic Year 2019, the polytechnics will open their EAE to working adults. This is part of the broader effort to expand polytechnic admissions pathways for working adults, and applies only to Singapore citizens and permanent residents.
Working adults who would like to be considered for admission via the Polytechnic EAE will generally need to have at least two years of relevant work experience. They will need to submit employment records together with their applications, as well as employer recommendations, where available.
The polytechnics will assess the applicants’ work experience to determine the relevance of the competencies and skills gained over the course of their work to their course of interest.
Applicants who are found suitable, but whose past academic grades do not meet the minimum entry requirements, will be given an opportunity to demonstrate that they have acquired the pre-requisite competencies for their chosen course through supplementary assessments.
Applications for working adults will open from 6 June to 3 July.
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