SINGAPORE - The early admissions exercise for polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will open over the next few weeks.
Students graduating from ITE, the N levels or the O levels, and working adults will be able to apply to polytechnics from June 7. Applications to ITE through the early admissions exercise open on May 27.
The bulk of the process will take place online with virtual interviews and e-mailed portfolio submissions due to the Covid-19 situation, said the Ministry of Education on Friday (May 7).
A small number of courses may still require in-person assessment, such as ITE's Nitec in Nursing and Higher Nitec in Performance Production, as well as Nanyang Polytechnic's Diploma in Oral Health Therapy.
Safe management measures like staggered assessment slots will be in place for these.
The early admissions exercise is an aptitude-based assessment that allows students to enter these institutions through their non-academic achievements.
Applicants may be required to submit portfolios, undergo interviews with their chosen institutions and take aptitude tests as part of the selection process.
Successful applicants will receive conditional offers for entry into the polytechnics and ITE.
The early admissions exercise programme for ITE is open to graduating O-level and N-level students to Nitec and Higher Nitec courses. Applications open on May 27 and close on June 2.
Students must meet the minimum entry requirements for their course to confirm their conditional offers. Students are expected to commit to their choice of course, said the MOE, and will not be able to participate in the general enrolment exercises once they have accepted a course through the early admissions exercise.
The polytechnic early admissions exercise is open to graduating O-level and ITE students as well as working adults who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents.
Working adults must have two years of relevant work experience and must submit employment records with their application.
Applications for final-year ITE students open on June 10 and close June 16. O-level students can apply from the June 24 to June 30. Working adults have from June 7 to July 4.
These applicants must similarly meet the minimum entry requirements to confirm their conditional offers. These can be found on the polytechnic's websites.
The MOE said working adults whose past academic grades do not meet the minimum entry requirements but are otherwise suitable candidates will get opportunities to demonstrate that they have the necessary knowledge for their chosen course through supplementary assessments such as interviews.
More information can be found at this website. Early admissions exercise selections for ITE will take place between June 22 and July 27, while polytechnic selections will take place between July 5 and Aug 31.
