NTU broadens admissions criteria

16 Feb 2019

School leavers eyeing a place in a highly competitive course at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) can soon improve their chances through interviews, aptitude tests and portfolios. NTU announced that for 40 of its 111 undergraduate programmes, shortlisted applicants will undergo a "qualitative assessment" that will include interviews, aptitude tests and portfolios. For the remaining 71 programmes, interviews will also be conducted for high potential candidates who may fall slightly short of the entry score for a degree course, or for those considered based on their talent in fields such as the arts and sports, under the discretionary admissions scheme. With the broader criteria, a prospective student who shows passion for a chosen programme and the potential to succeed may have an edge over a more academically qualified applicant vying for the same course. An example is SP’s Diploma in Mechanical Engineering graduate Samuel Fong. With a 2.4 cumulative grade point average (GPA), the 29-year-old poly diploma holder would not have been able to enrol at many universities. Struggling to complete his polytechnic course over eight years, he used to play truant, miss exams or fail his modules, which caused him to be expelled from poly thrice. Had NTU not looked at his other polytechnic grades - he scored a perfect 4.0 GPA for his second and third years - and the impression he made during his admissions interview, Samuel would not have made it to university. Now, he has performed exceptionally well in his first semester, with a GPA of more than 4.5 out of 5.

[The Straits Times]