The cohort of students who are eligible to apply to the universities this year is significantly smaller than last year's. Although the 1988 Dragon Year birth cohort is graduating from the polytechnics, and hence more polytechnic graduates are applying for universities, this has been more than offset by a smaller number of graduating junior college students this year.

It was misleading to compare the number of applications to the universities with the number of places available in order to paint a picture of an increasing squeeze in university admissions. The increased number of applications to the three universities does not mean more students are applying. With universities now having separate admission exercises, each student can choose to apply to all three universities, and many do.

The bottom line is that there will be significantly more university places this year than in any previous year, compared to the size of the cohort from polytechnics and JCs. Although the cohort is much smaller this year, universities will offer the same number of places as last year. This will mean that places will be available for at least 25 per cent of the cohort this year, up from 23.5 per cent last year and 21 per cent in 2000. Put another way, it means an additional 1,350 university places this year compared to last year, if the cohort size were unchanged.

This is also why there is no reason to think admission standards will be more stringent and this will be 'a tough year to get in'. Besides the fact that more places will be available for the JC and polytechnic cohort, the general performance of A-level and polytechnic cohorts has been stable over the past few years.

The report was correct to point out that some courses will be 'oversubscribed' based on student demand. Applicants know there is keen competition for some courses and should weigh their choices carefully.

While we provide publicly subsidised university places to a quarter of the cohort, we cannot assure every student a place in the course of his choice. No system does, and it would not be wise for us to do so. The universities will continue to spread places across various disciplines and courses, taking into account students' interests and aptitudes as well as the needs of the employment market. This will allow us to ensure that Singapore graduates continue to enjoy high employment rates, even as we increase the intake into our universities.

Perry Lim
Director, Higher Education
Ministry of Education