That is about 2,000 more than what was given out last year to secondary school leavers, those switching from the A-level route and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates looking to move up the education ladder.

Nanyang, Singapore, Ngee Ann and Temasek polytechnics will each offer about 5,000 places, while Republic Polytechnic in Woodlands will be able to take in up to 4,600 students.

More than a dozen new courses have been added this year, ranging from fund management and psychology to financial informatics.

More places will also be added to established courses whose graduates continue to be in demand by employers. These include accounting, business, applied sciences such as biotechnology and environmental science, as well as hospitality and management courses.

Polytechnic officials said although there are more seats up for grabs, students opting for the more popular courses such as media studies and tourism will still face stiff competition.

To help students better gauge their chances, the polytechnics have for the first time listed last year's cut-off entry score for all their courses. These can be found at a joint poly website, www.polytechnic.edu.sg

The number of places has gone up over the years, from less than 15,000 to over 20,000.

But this has not placated concerns that better students who could have opted to go to junior college are taking up polytechnic places and leaving average students out in the cold.

Education Ministry figures showed that 32 per cent of the 17,600 fresh O-level school leavers offered polytechnic places last year had qualified for JC.

The polytechnics, however, maintained there was no shortage of places. The problem was that most students opted for the more 'glamorous' courses, such as life sciences and digital media, and shunned programmes such as engineering and nursing.

Singapore Polytechnic principal Tan Hang Cheong said many applicants listed only three or four choices, not the 12 choices they are given in the application form.

'So, if their results are not good enough for the three or four courses, we can't consider them for the other courses,' he added.

If students fail to get into a course of their choice, they can appeal to be let into others which have places available. However, some have chosen to pursue an ITE education instead.

Republic Polytechnic principal Low Teck Seng asked students to consider signing up for engineering, pointing to its good job and further education prospects.

The latest employment survey for polytechnic graduates showed that average monthly salaries went up from $1,711 in 2006 to $1,805 last year.

And engineering graduates rank among the highest earners. Mechanical and manufacturing engineering graduates had an average gross monthly salary of $1,923, while electrical and electronic engineering graduates earned $1,895.

Student Melvyn Loh, 17, who scored one A1, two B3s and four B4s in the O-levels, said although he prefers media-related courses, he is taking the advice of his teachers, who suggested that he had a better chance of getting a place in business or engineering.

'I will still put mass communications at the top of my list as it sounds exciting. But I will add business and engineering to my list as well. My maths is good, so I will do well in them,' he said.

sandra@sph.com.sg

MORE REPORTS, SINGAPORE