NUS Law to widen student pool, with top 5% in any JC or MI eligible for test and interview shortlist
SINGAPORE — The National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Law (NUS Law) will be introducing a pilot initiative to widen its pool of prospective students for its Bachelor of Laws (LLB) honours programme for the 2021/22 academic year.
In a media release by NUS on Monday (8 February), the faculty said that students who are in the top 5 per cent of the cohort at any junior college and Millennia Institute – based on their GCE “A” Level results, International Baccalaureate diploma or equivalent – will be eligible for shortlisting to sit for the written test and interview.
These students will need to place Law as their first choice in their applications to study in NUS. They will go through the same selection process as other candidates to determine their admission to NUS Law – performance at written test and interview, together with academic qualifications and other achievements.
About 800 candidates shortlisted annually for LLB programme
Currently, about 2,000 candidates apply to NUS Law’s LLB programme each year, with about 800 being shortlisted for the written test and interview. Under the regular admissions process, candidates are shortlisted based on their academic scores and a discretionary admissions policy which recognises excellence in areas other than academic grades.
The new pilot admissions initiative is expected to add about 50 more shortlisted applicants, coming in particular from schools with lower representation in NUS Law.
The faculty said the initiative will enable it to meet a wider pool of candidates to select the strongest and most deserving – including those who demonstrate a deep passion for the law – to join its annual intake of about 240 students.
“Inclusion and diversity in the student population does not only benefit those who earn a place in law school. It also benefits the entire cohort, by better reflecting the diversity of society as a whole and ensuring that diverse voices and perspectives are present in the classroom – as they are in life,” said Professor Simon Chesterman, dean of NUS Law.
“We need more diverse pathways to admission to the Singapore Bar. Law firms of the future will require a range of people with legal skills – in particular, combining those skills with technological and business sensibilities.”
Transferring undergrads can achieve faster completion of programme
NUS Law also announced that it is allowing NUS undergraduates from other faculties and schools who apply for transfer into the faculty in their second year, and who meet admission requirements, to complete the LLB programme within four years.
These students would have completed their first year of studies in another course of study and achieved exceptional grades. Academic credits gained in the first year will be recognised as non-law electives or a minor, contributing to the requirements for graduation.
The faculty also announced that its new Juris Doctor (JD) programme – which replaces its Graduate LLB and admits its first cohort of students in August – may be accelerated from three years to 2.5 years for candidates holding a non-law degree, based on strong results in the first year.
International candidates who wish to practise law in Singapore and already have a basic law degree, may be able to complete the JD programme in two years.
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