What is the tuition fee like?
A student’s full-time education is subsidised by the Government of Singapore. However, to help students pay part of the training cost, the government, through the Ministry of Education, provides tuition grants to all full-time students. The tuition fee for Academic Year 2024/2025 for Singaporean full-time students is $3,000.00. The tuition fees and tuition grant are subject to revision every year. Refer to Course Fees & Fees Payable for the most updated fees.
Is there counselling and special needs support?
Yes. Counselling services in SP include:
- Individual counselling
- Group counselling
- Referrals to external social agencies
- Psychological assessments
- Self-managing workshops
Refer to
Counselling and Special Needs Support for more information.
What’s the estimated percentage of SP graduates who enter the universities after graduation? What GPA would they require?
1 in 2 SP graduate pursue further studies at local autonomous universities. The grades required depends on the course they are applying to. For more information, you can refer to the respective Universities' admission websites.
Do all SP graduates enrol into year 2 of university directly?
SP Diploma can offer graduates credit exemptions in many degree programmes. For more information, you can refer to the respective Universities' admission websites.
What is Early Admissions Exercise (EAE)?
The Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise (Poly EAE) is an aptitude-based admissions exercise that allows students to apply for and receive conditional offers for admission to polytechnics prior to receiving their final grades. It allows the polytechnics greater flexibility to select and admit students based on their aptitudes and interests, apart from academic grades, thus allowing a wider range of talents to be recognised.
Poly EAE is open to graduating O-Level students, final-year Nitec and Higher Nitec students from the Institute of Technical Education and Adults (Singapore Citizen or Permanent Residents only) who have two or more years of relevant work experience.
For applicants who are sure of their course interest and demonstrate passion and aptitude, you are encouraged to apply via EAE. Else, applicants can apply to Poly admissions via JAE using O levels results.
For more information, please visit: https://sopossible.sp.edu.sg/admissions/guides/early-admissions-exercise
Is it recommended to apply to a common programme, such as common engineering to start off with and decide on the diploma at the end of year 1?
Common Entry Programmes (e.g. Common Engineering) provide students with the opportunity to be exposed to different specialisations within a discipline, so they can develop a better appreciation of each specialisation before they decide on one. For those who are unsure of what specific course to go into in their field of interest, this might be a good avenue to consider. If one is certain of their choice of course, it is recommended to apply directly to the course.
What is the basis of selection in the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE)?
Selection is based first on merit (which means the ELR2B2 aggregate score) and then according to the line-up of choices as listed in the JAE submission. Students who have better aggregate scores will have a better ranking and therefore a better chance of getting their first choice course.
For example, if your child has an ELR2B2 aggregate score of 6 and puts down as his third choice SP’s Diploma course in Biomedical Science which has a JAE ELR2B2 of 7, he stands a better chance than his classmate who has 7 points but puts it as the first choice.
Will the order of choices as listed determine whether my child gets into a particular course?
The way your child lists down his 12 choices indicates his preference. Depending on his aggregate score (and hence, ranking, in order of applicants), he will then be considered for each course, one by one, as listed in his order of preference. This means he will be first considered for his first choice, failing which, it will be the second choice and so on.
If my child lists a particular course, for example, the Diploma in Applied Chemistry as his third choice, but another student lists the same course as his first choice, will this application then take precedence over the first student for entry to this course, despite having a worse aggregate score than the first student?
No. Your child will still have precedence if his ELR2B2 aggregate score is better than the other student. Therefore, if your child is unsuccessful for entry to his first and second choice of courses, he will be posted to the Diploma in Applied Chemistry as this is his third choice (subject to vacancies).
If my child does not have the minimum English Language grade for the course he wants, can he still apply for the course?
Your child cannot apply for that particular course under the JAE as he is not eligible. However, he may apply through SP’s Direct Admissions Exercise (DAE), provided he fulfils the following requirements: he has scored distinctions in Mathematics and one other subject; has a minimum ‘B’ grade for the relevant subject (as stated in the course entry requirements) and has a good aggregate score. He is advised to also apply for the courses that he is eligible for under the JAE.
If my child did not take subject ‘X’ in the ‘O’ Levels which is relevant to the course that he is applying for, will his chances of getting into this particular course be lower than those applicants who have taken this subject?
As long as your child meets the Minimum Entry Requirements, it makes no difference which subject he has taken in the examinations.
What is the JAE ELR2B2 of a course?
This refers to the aggregate score of the student who fills the last vacancy of that particular course. For example, if the last applicant posted to a course in 2017 has an ELR2B2 aggregate score of 10, this will be the JAE ELR2B2 for the course. This means those before him either have an aggregate score that is better than or the same as his aggregate score.
What is the likely JAE ELR2B2 for a particular course for this intake?
Each year’s JAE ELR2B2 depends on the number and quality of students applying for each course and the corresponding number of course vacancies.
What are the chances of getting into a particular course, if my child’s aggregate score is higher than the previous year’s JAE ELR2B2 for the course?
We are unable to advise his chances of getting into the course of his choice. Even though his aggregate score does not meet last year’s JAE ELR2B2, he should still list the course that he is very interested in as his first choice. You never know what this year’s JAE ELR2B2 will be! However, it is advisable to include some courses that he stands a good chance of getting into.
Can my child use combined results?
Yes, your child may combine his GCE ‘O’ Level results of any two years.
Is it possible for my child to change his course after studying in SP for a few months?
Your child cannot change course once the semester has started. We advise applicants to consider a course transfer before the semester starts. Please note that applications for course transfer are based on merit and subject to available vacancies.
How many examinations are there in a year?
There are two semesters in a year and there will be an examination at the end of each semester. There are also regular in-course assessments as well as projects. For some courses, the students are assessed on projects instead of examinations.
How does SP’s modular system help my child in his studies?
Subjects are offered as modules. Upon completion of the module in one semester, the SP student will take an examination on the module. A key benefit of SP’s modular system is that a student needs only to repeat a failed module instead of all subjects. This can be done the following semester instead of waiting for one year. This system allows flexibility and helps students pace their learning.
How are excellent students recognised in SP?
Students who perform well are recognised in the Director’s Honour Roll. There are also prizes and awards given to top students every year, either by SP or by external companies and organisations. Every year, SP also honours achievers at the annual Excellence Awards.
Is it a must to participate in Co-curricular Activities (CCA) in polytechnic?
Life of a student should be a balance between coursework and social experiences. Our CCAs aim to develop students into all-rounded young adults via offering of a wide range of exciting activities to help our students develop life skills so that they are future-ready. Students have the autonomy to decide the time they wish to participate in CCAs that they choose. Though it is not compulsory to take up CCA, students are strongly encouraged to participate for a holistic education experience in SP.
What is the Accelerated Pathway Programmes (APP) and how is it different from normal course?
The Accelerated Pathway Programmes (APP) allows eligible students have the opportunity to take on university modules taught by the universities, in lieu of SP elective modules. These university-level modules will fulfil SP graduation requirements and mapped to SP's Examination Grading System. The credits may also be recognised by the relevant university when they choose to pursue a degree with them. SP offers the most number of APP programmes in Singapore. Currently, we have partnerships with four local universities allowing eligible students from 18 diplomas to fast-track their degrees. For more information about APP, please visit https://sopossible.sp.edu.sg/courses/poly-wide-curriculum/university-pathways
How long is each semester?
The new academic session begins in April. There are two semesters of 15 weeks each. There is a short mid-semester break of two to three weeks in June and December. Semester vacations are five to six weeks long from September to October, and March to April.
How much time do SP students spend on campus each day?
As a tertiary institution, the timetable is flexible. There are no structured classroom lessons like in secondary school. Instead, students move from lecture theatres to tutorial rooms or from laboratories or workshops to classrooms. The first lecture of the day may begin at 8 am and most classes end by 5 pm. In between, there may be stretches of free time for students to read up on their work. Many of our students remain on campus after classes for sports, student club programmes and other recreational activities.
Where can my child go for advice on the choice of academic course and career?
You can go to SP’s Education and Career Guidance (ECG) Centre located at T16 Level 1, just a short walk away from the Dover MRT Station. It provides information on SP courses and entry requirements, local and overseas university brochures, accreditation database, career information and job vacancies. Our qualified staff will guide you in making an informed course/career choice. You can also email your queries to ssc@sp.edu.sg.
Are there any opportunities for overseas exposure?
There are plenty of opportunities for SP students to travel overseas for educational, recreational, immersion or community service experiences. These opportunities are not confined to any particular course of study and could arise from various organised groups including SP’s student clubs, and even external, national or international bodies. For instance, there are exchange programmes to countries like Japan, Korea, and Thailand; overseas immersion and credit transfer programmes in China, Finland and the United States, and community service programmes in Vietnam and the Philippines. We have sent our students for international competitions in cities such as Bangkok, London and Berlin. Under the SP’s Credit Transfer Scheme and Overseas Industrial Programme, students have wonderful opportunities to broaden their educational experience in Asia, Europe and the United States.
Is sport or physical education a must in SP?
Every student is strongly encouraged to take part in sports and outdoor activities. SP’s Wellness for Life (WFL) programme is a compulsory physical education and wellness curriculum which is part of the graduation criteria for all students. WFL aims to enhance students’ knowledge and general well-being by introducing the five pillars of wellness, namely social, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellness. We hope that our students will practice healthy habits on a regular basis to achieve holistic wellness.
