Frequently Asked Questions (O-Level Students)

Frequently Asked Questions (ITE Students)

Frequently Asked Questions (Working Adults)

The Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise (Poly EAE) allows students to apply for and receive conditional offers for admission prior to their GCE O-Level Examinations.

Students applying through the Poly EAE are considered for admission on the basis of demonstrated aptitude and interest, beyond just academic grades.

Poly EAE is open to:

• (a) Singapore Citizens (SC) and Permanent Residents (PR) who have registered to sit for the GCE O-Level Examinations in the year of the Poly EAE application;
• (b) International Students enrolled in government, government-aided and Independent Schools during the year of the Poly EAE application, who have registered to sit for the GCE O-Level Examinations in the year of the Poly EAE application;

In Academic Year 2020, the five polytechnics (Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic) admitted about 20% of their Academic Year intake through Poly EAE.

The EAE intake may differ from year to year, and would depend on student demand and the quality of the EAE applications.

While interest in a field of study is important, having the requisite academic foundation helps to assure that you will be able to cope with the rigour of a polytechnic education and benefit from it. It is for this reason that students seeking admission to the polytechnics are required to meet the following admissions criteria:

(a) A net ELR2B2 aggregate score of 26 points or better for the GCE O-Level Examinations*; and
(b) Minimum entry requirements (MERs) for their respective diploma courses. The MERs for each polytechnic course can be found on the polytechnics' websites.

*Exception is for Nursing courses, which require a net ELR2B2 aggregate of 28 points or better. Applicants may combine results from no more than 2 sittings of the GCE O-Level examination.

If you do not meet the admissions criteria, your conditional offer will be automatically revoked upon the release of the GCE O-Level Examinations results. You will be eligible to participate in the Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) and other polytechnic admissions exercises at that point.

Application

6. When will I be able to apply through Poly EAE?

Poly EAE applications for O-Level students will be open from 25 June 2020 to 1 July 2020.

Poly EAE focuses on students who have strong aptitude and interest in a field related to the diploma course they are applying for. Where relevant to the course they are applying for, the polytechnics may consider students' outstanding talents and achievements, such as in sports, arts, leadership, entrepreneurship and community service.

Polytechnics will have the discretion to determine their modes of assessment, such as portfolios, interviews and aptitude tests, where relevant and appropriate. Polytechnics may also consider participation in relevant co-curricular activities (CCAs), Advanced Elective Modules (AEMs), Applied Learning Programmes (ALP) and Applied Subjects, as well as participation in activities such as work attachments and sustained involvement in projects that are related to the course students are applying for.

To ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff amidst the COVID-19 situation, the polytechnics will conduct EAE selections largely via electronic means, such as online interviews, or portfolio submissions over email, for most courses. On-campus selection will still need to proceed for some courses, where the selection process cannot be meaningfully replicated in a remote manner. One example of such courses is Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Oral Health Therapy. In all instances where applicants need to come onto campus, the polytechnics will ensure that appropriate safe management measures are put in place. This includes staggering assessment slots and designating waiting areas to avoid inter-mingling of applicants. Despite these changes, the polytechnics will ensure that selection remains rigorous and fair to all applicants.

The polytechnics will continue to monitor the national situation and will facilitate on-campus selection for more courses, if the situation allows.

You should inform the relevant polytechnic immediately if you are unable to make it for your scheduled appointment, so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Offer and Acceptance

10. Can I receive more than one offer in the Poly EAE? How will the order of my course choices affect my final outcome?

While you may apply for up to three course choices, you are only eligible to receive up to one offer. If you are assessed to be suitable for more than one of your course choices during the selection stage, your received offer will be to the course which is ranked highest among your three choices.

No. Once you have accepted your conditional offer and met the admissions criteria for the polytechnic course after the release of your final results, your EAE offer will be automatically confirmed and you will not be able to switch courses within or across polytechnics. You will also not be eligible to take part in the JAE and other polytechnic admissions exercises. Students are expected to honour the commitment to their choice of polytechnic and the course under Poly EAE.

Poly EAE is targeted at students who are interested in a particular course in the polytechnics, and admission is based on the student’s suitability for that course. If you are still discovering and/or developing your strengths and interests related to specific polytechnic courses, you can instead apply for a polytechnic course through the JAE after receiving your GCE O-Level Examination results.

Yes, you can participate in both Poly EAE and the DSA-JC Exercise. However, you should only accept either a polytechnic or junior college offer. Students who accept both offers will be disqualified from both exercises, unless they reject one of the offers before the end of the Acceptance Stage on 10 September 2020.

Withdrawal

13. If I have accepted a Poly EAE offer but subsequently decide that I prefer taking part in JAE, what can I do?

Should you wish to withdraw your acceptance of the Poly EAE offer, you must submit your withdrawal online via the Poly EAE online portal no later than 16 October 2020. Students who have accepted a Poly EAE offer but do not withdraw by the deadline will be deemed to have confirmed their acceptance and will not be eligible to participate in the JAE and other polytechnic admissions exercises.

Keeping the course-level intake allowance at 50% preserves a viable pathway into these specific diploma courses for other students who do not apply through aptitude-based admissions, whether it is because they have yet to discover or develop specific interests, or are undecided on the diploma course that they wish to apply for.

Course-level allowance for all other polytechnic diploma courses will remain at 30%.

Poly EAE for ITE students is an admissions exercise that allows final-year ITE students to apply for and receive conditional offers for admission to polytechnic based on their aptitudes and interests before their final Grade Point Average (GPA) for Nitec or Higher Nitec is released. It allows the polytechnics greater flexibility to select students based on broader measures of merit, beyond just academic grades.

Poly EAE for ITE students is for ITE students who are in the final year of their Nitec or Higher Nitec courses.

For the AY2021 polytechnic intake, ITE graduates who complete their Nitec course in June or December 2020 or Higher Nitec course in September 2020 or March 2021 will be eligible to apply for admission via the Poly EAE for ITE students.

ITE students in their final year of study who have strong aptitude and sustained interest in a field, and who wish to pursue their studies in that field through a polytechnic course, may wish to consider taking part in Poly EAE for ITE students.

Students who are not completely sure about what they want to do may wish to first further explore their interests and deepen their skills after graduation, e.g. through work, or progressing to a Higher Nitec course. Students who wish to apply to polytechnic on the basis of their ITE GPA should take part in the Joint Polytechnic Admissions Exercise (JPAE).

If you are a DPP student, you may take part in the Poly EAE for ITE students. Should you be offered a place and your conditional Poly EAE for ITE students offer is subsequently confirmed, you will not be eligible to participate in the JPAE and other polytechnic admissions exercises. Your DPP guarantee of a place to a mapped polytechnic diploma course (subject to meeting the minimum qualifying GPA) will also be voided.

Should you not be offered a place through Poly EAE for ITE students or reject a Poly EAE for ITE students offer, you may apply for polytechnic admission through JPAE. If you successfully complete your Higher Nitec course and attain the required minimum qualifying GPA, you will be able to use your DPP guarantee for polytechnic admission.

In Academic Year 2020, the five polytechnics (Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic) admitted about 20% of their Academic Year intake through Poly EAE. The EAE intake may differ from year to year, and would depend on student demand and the quality of the EAE applications.

While interest and aptitude in a field of study is important, having the requisite academic foundation helps to ensure that you will be able to cope with the rigour of a polytechnic education and benefit from it. It is for this reason that ITE students seeking admission to the polytechnics are required to graduate from ITE and meet the following admissions criteria:

a) Final net GPA 3.5 for Nitec holders* (including CCA bonus points); and
b) Final net GPA 2.0 for Higher Nitec holders (including CCA bonus points).

*For Nitec in Nursing holders only, the minimum GPA requirement for admission to Diploma in Nursing is 3.0.

If you do not meet the minimum GPA requirements, your conditional offer through the Poly EAE for ITE students will be automatically revoked. You will be eligible to participate in JPAE and other polytechnic admissions exercises at that point.

Applications will open from 11 June 2020 to 17 June 2020 for ITE students.

Selection

10. What attributes will be considered under the Poly EAE for ITE students? How will I be assessed for admission through this exercise?

Poly EAE focuses on students who have strong aptitude and interest in a field related to the diploma course they are applying for. Where relevant to the course they are applying for, the polytechnics may consider students’ outstanding talents and achievements, such as in sports, arts, leadership, entrepreneurship and community service.

Polytechnics will have the discretion to determine their modes of assessment, such as portfolios, interviews and aptitude tests, where relevant and appropriate. Polytechnics may also consider participation in activities such as work attachments and sustained involvement in projects that are related to the course students are applying for, as well as relevant co-curricular activities.

To ensure the safety and well-being of students and staff amidst the COVID-19 situation, the polytechnics will conduct EAE selections largely via electronic means, such as online interviews, or portfolio submissions over email, for most courses. On-campus selection will still need to proceed for some courses, where the selection process cannot be meaningfully replicated in a remote manner. One example of such courses is Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Oral Health Therapy. In all instances where applicants need to come onto campus, the polytechnics will ensure that appropriate safe management measures are put in place. This includes staggering assessment slots and designating waiting areas to avoid inter-mingling of applicants. Despite these changes, the polytechnics will ensure that selection remains rigorous and fair to all applicants.

The polytechnics will continue to monitor the national situation and will facilitate on-campus selection for more courses, if the situation allows.

You should inform the relevant polytechnic immediately if you are unable to make it for your scheduled appointment, so that alternative arrangements can be made.

While you may apply for up to three course choices, you are only eligible to receive up to one offer. If you are assessed to be suitable for more than one of your course choices during the selection stage, your received offer will be to the course which is ranked highest among your three choices.

No. Once you have accepted your conditional offer and met the admissions criteria for the polytechnic course after the release of your final results, your conditional Poly EAE for ITE students offer will be automatically confirmed and you will not be able to switch courses within or across polytechnics. You will also not be eligible to take part in the JPAE and other polytechnic admissions exercises. Students are expected to honour the commitment to their choice of polytechnic and the course under Poly EAE for ITE students.

Poly EAE for ITE students is targeted at students who are interested in a particular course in the polytechnics, and admission is based on the student’s suitability for that course. If you are still discovering and/or developing your strengths and interests related to specific polytechnic courses, you can instead apply for a polytechnic course through the JPAE after receiving your final GPA.

No. Once you accept a place and meet the minimum GPA requirements, your conditional Poly EAE for ITE students offer will be automatically confirmed and you will not be able to participate in the JPAE and other polytechnic admissions exercises.

Should you wish to withdraw your acceptance of the Poly EAE offer, you must submit your withdrawal online via the Poly EAE online portal no later than 16 October 2020. Students who have accepted a Poly EAE offer but do not withdraw by the deadline will be deemed to have confirmed their acceptance and will not be eligible to participate in the JPAE and other polytechnic admissions exercises.

Keeping the course-level intake allowance at 50% preserves a viable pathway into these specific diploma courses for other students who do not apply through aptitude-based admissions, whether it is because they have yet to discover or develop specific interests, or are undecided on the diploma course that they wish to apply for.

Course-level allowance for all other polytechnic diploma courses will remain at 30%.

Working adults who are Singapore Citizens (SC) and Permanent Residents (PR), and have at least two years or more of relevant work experience in the year of the Polytechnic EAE application can take part in Poly EAE.

As a general gauge, two years of relevant work experience is sufficient to provide applicants with the necessary exposure to meaningfully pick up and accumulate new skills and knowledge relevant to the course, as well confirm their interest in the field.

Individuals with fewer than two years of work experience can submit an application, although shortlisting would be based on merit and subjected to available places in the course, with priority given to applicants with two or more years of work experience.

No. The Poly EAE for working adults will be for Singapore Citizens/Permanent Residents only.

International students will continue to have access to polytechnics via EAE, but only if they are mainstream school or ITE candidates from the immediate past O-Level or ITE cohort. They will also continue to have access to polytechnics via the Direct Admissions Exercise, but will be considered primarily on the basis of their academic grades, as is the case today.

The polytechnics will conduct a holistic assessment of applicants’ work experience, to consider the relevance of their demonstrated competencies and skills for their courses of interest. For example, prior experience working in the service industry (e.g. in F&B, or in a hotel) might be counted as relevant work experience for an individual applying to a course in the Hospitality field.

Internships undertaken as part of full-time studies may be considered, but the duration would not be counted towards the two or more years of relevant work experience required for applicants to take part in Poly EAE.

Applicants will need to submit their employment records together with their application, as well as employer recommendations where available.

Applicants who are shortlisted for an interview can expect to discuss their work experience, and demonstrate how their work experience has prepared them for a polytechnic education.

Yes. Although MERs remain relevant as a measure of applicants’ general ability to cope with the academic rigour of the polytechnic course, working adult applicants who are not able to meet the MERs can demonstrate that they have acquired the pre-requisite competencies for their chosen course, through supplementary assessments designed by the polytechnics.

Polytechnics will have the discretion to determine their modes of assessment for such applicants, which will generally focus on the foundational competencies relevant to the specific polytechnic courses. For example, applicants interested in Engineering but do not possess the required Mathematics grade will be tested on specific numeracy skills required for the course.

To ensure the safety and well-being of applicants and staff amidst the COVID-19 situation, the polytechnics will conduct EAE selections largely via electronic means, such as online interviews, or portfolio submissions over email, for most courses. On-campus selection will still need to proceed for some courses, where the selection process cannot be meaningfully replicated in a remote manner. One example is Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Oral Health Therapy.

In all instances where applicants need to come onto campus, the polytechnics will ensure that appropriate safe management measures are put in place. This includes staggering assessment slots and designating waiting areas to avoid inter-mingling of applicants. Despite these changes, the polytechnics will ensure that selection remains rigorous and fair to all applicants.

The polytechnics will continue to monitor the national situation and will facilitate on-campus selection for more courses, if the situation allows.

You should inform the relevant polytechnic immediately if you are unable to make it for your scheduled appointment, so that alternative arrangements can be made.

While you may apply for up to three course choices, you are only eligible to receive up to one offer. If you are assessed to be suitable for more than one of your course choices during the selection stage, your received offer will be to the course which is ranked highest among your three choices.

8. Can I switch courses after I have successfully obtained an offer?

No. Once you have accepted your offer, you will generally not be allowed to switch courses within or across polytechnics, without submitting a fresh application. This is because you would have been assessed for your suitability to enter a specific course, on the basis of your aptitude and interest for that course, as well as your relevant work experience. In addition, applicants are expected to honour the commitment to their choice of polytechnic and the course under Poly EAE.

No. Current O-Level and ITE students’ access to the polytechnics will not be compromised by this change. There will be additional places catered for working adults, on top of the places catered for fresh O-Level and ITE graduates.