Singapore Best Education Destination

Education has always been a key in the growth and development of Singapore society, particularly in the years following 1965 when it became an independent republic.  By being in Singapore, you will get a chance to be plugged into an education system that promotes excellence and be part of a progressive, cosmopolitan community.

•        Hub for Educational Excellence

•        Stable Economy

•        Infrastructure and Accessibility

•        A Multicultural Nation with a High Quality of Life

•        A Vibrant City Lifestyle

Hub for Educational Excellence - Singapore, a Global Schoolhouse

Over the years, Singapore has evolved from its traditional British-based education system to one that endeavors to meet the needs of individuals and seeks to nurture talents.

 The strength of Singapore's Education system lies in its bilingual policy (English with Malay/Mandarin/Tamil) and a broad-based curriculum where innovation and entrepreneurship command a premium.  Individuals acquire the relevant skills and abilities to survive in competitive environments, equipped for a brighter future. 

At the tertiary level, on top of the 4 renowned locally grown universities, Singapore has attracted more than 10 world-class institutions with strong industry links to set up centers of excellence in education and research.  Among them are respected names such as the leading French university - INSEAD, the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and leading US business schools such as University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Our Achievements

•        Both the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University ofSingapore (NUS) have been ranked among the top 60 in the 2011 global ranking of universities by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a company that provides information on higher education and career choices. In the Asian ranking, NUS scored overall third placing with NTU ranked in 18.

•        TheNational University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and Nanyang Business School (NBS) are both among the top 35 Business schools worldwide according to the 2011 Financial Times (FT) Top 100 Global MBA ranking.

•        NationalUniversity of Singapore (NUS) was ranked 18th in Times of London survey of the 200 best universities in the world for 2004. NUS also appeared in the top league of Engineering and IT universities, placed 9th in faculty ranking survey, ahead of many renowned universities.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) - ranked among the top 50 in the world - has partnerships with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Duke University at graduate and postgraduate levels.

The Yale-NUS collaboration to set up a liberal arts college drew objections from Yale faculty over Singapore's human rights record.

Battle of the knowledge superpowers

Knowledge is power - economic power - and there's a scramble for that power taking place around the globe. In the United States, Europe and in rising powers such as China, there is a growth-hungry drive to invest in hi-tech research and innovation.

EduTrust certification scheme

•        The EduTrust certification scheme is a voluntary certification scheme administered by the Council for Private Education for private education institutions in Singapore.

•        While the EduTrust certification scheme is voluntary, it is one of the prerequisites which private education institutions that enroll international students must meet to qualify for the issue of Student Passes, as stipulated by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Singapore Education System

Singapore wants creativity not cramming

Singapore's schools have become global role models, with consistently high results in international tests. But now they want to move beyond this - towards something that cultivates creativity and what they term as ''holistic education''.

Outside the classroom

So instead of the traditional images of high-pressure Asian schools - with rows of heads buried in books - they are trying different approaches to learning. Armed with iPads and smartphones, pupils get out of the classroom to learn about science

Public Schools

The local school year (below tertiary level) consists of four 10-week terms beginning on 2 January each year. There is a one-week vacation after the first and third terms, a four-week vacation at mid-year, and a six-week vacation at year-end.

Singapore’s public schools maintain high standards of teaching and learning. According to IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2011, Singapore was ranked among top 3 in the world for its educational system. Singapore was also ranked 1st in both Math and Science across 142 countries in World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2011/2012.

International students who wish to study in a Singapore public school need to apply for a Student’s Pass unless they hold a Dependent’s Pass or an Immigration Exemption Order.

Foreign-System and Private Schools

While Singapore’s public school system is comprehensive and upholds high standards, expatriates can also choose to send their children to private or foreign-system schools.

There are more than 30 foreign-system (or international) schools in Singapore. Such schools may offer an education pathway and curriculum that are similar to those in your home country. This is especially beneficial if your children have been educated in a language other than English. Each school has its own admission criteria.

Institutes of Higher Learning

Singapore currently has four autonomous universities,

National University of Singapore(NUS),

Nanyang Technological University(NTU),

Singapore Management University(SMU), and

Singapore University of Technologyand Design (SUTD)

A graduate medical school, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, was also created through a partnership between Duke University School of Medicine and NUS to increase Singapore’s capacity to develop a vibrant biomedical hub.

University of Chicago Booth School of Business and INSEAD, Tisch School of the Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) provide specialized education in the arts, the Digipen Institute of Technology focuses on world-class technology education.

In addition, polytechnics were also set up to train middle-level professionals, and the Institute of Technical Education was established as a post-secondary technical institution of excellence.

You may also choose to send your children to one of the over 300 private education institutions in Singapore. Private schools offer a large variety of courses, including language and professional programs.

How to Apply

Supplementary Admissions Exercise for International Students

(1) School Admission for IS without Dependant's Pass (DP), Immigration Exemption Order (IEO), or with neither parent who is Singapore Citizen (SC) nor Singapore Permanent Resident (SPR)

From 2012, MOE will hold a Supplementary Admissions Exercise for International Students (S-AEIS) in February / March every year. This means that there will be two exercises for admissions into a particular school calendar year, for example, in September / October 2011 and February / March 2012 for admissions into Academic Year 2012. This initiative will provide better facilitation and convenience to international students (IS) as well as streamline the administrative processes for our schools.