The education system in Singapore: choosing your level and field

Understanding how education is structured in Singapore before you pick a school stops you applying to the wrong level or the wrong type of programme.

What you need to know

• Six government-funded autonomous universities — NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT and SUSS — each with its own strengths and admission route.
• Five polytechnics teach applied diplomas, with articulation pathways into degree programmes.
• Private institutions and international branch campuses award UK, Australian or US degrees in Singapore.
• Secondary education follows the Singapore-Cambridge system, with O-Level and A-Level examinations.

Language of instruction and the tests that go with it

• English is the medium of instruction in most programmes, so IELTS or TOEFL is normally required.
• Some institutions accept prior study in English in place of a test score.

The order to work through

1. Settle the level and field first — they determine everything else in the application.
2. Check the language requirement of the exact programme, not the institution's general statement.
3. Compare deadlines school by school; they differ between intakes.
4. Prepare the financial and immigration paperwork alongside the academic file, not after it.

Check against official sources

Fees and residence conditions in Singapore change year to year and school to school. This article describes the mechanism; check current figures against the official sources below, or ask VNIS to verify them for your chosen programme.

• ICA — Student's Pass
• Ministry of Education Singapore

Next steps

• Study in Singapore — overview
• The same topic across every destination
• School directory