In order to keep up with this reputation, The Ministry of Education takes great pride in creating innovative and creative lessons to bring the most out of each minute. In Singapore, education is compulsory,beginning from Kindergartens for those age 5 and 6, to Primary Schools in Singapore (PSLE), followed by Secondary Schools (GCE “N” Level and/or GCE “O” Level) and Tertiary Education which is either Polytechnic or Private Schools where diplomas are issued upon completion, or, Junior College or Pre-University Institutes where students receive their GCE “A” Level certificates.
The difference between Junior Colleges (JC) and Pre-U is that students in Junior Colleges take only 2 years to complete their A-levels while Pre-U students take 3 years. There are over 18 Junior Colleges and Pre-U’s here. Click for an overview map to show all the location of all Junior Colleges in Singapore.
As for the polytechnics, there are five of them, mainly Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic & Republic Polytechnic. The duration of full-time study in polytechnics is about three years.
After tertiary education, suitable candidates may apply for local university admission with an option of three universities namely, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University (SMU).
For foreign students living in Singapore, there are many international and foreign schools where the systems are suited and revolved around the countries of origin. Such schools include Singapore American School, Australian School, Dutch School, etc. Contact your country’s embassy for further assistance.
If you need further assistance on studying in Singapore, you may contact Singapore Education Services Centre (SESC). SESC welcomes walk-in queries and provides authoritative and reliable information on studying and living in Singapore for both local and international students.
They will be able to advise international students such as yourself on education options ranging from courses of study, accommodation options to registration procedures and processes such as Student's Pass application.
Visit Singapore Education Services Centre at
1 Orchard Road (YMCA Building), #01-01.
Open from Monday to Friday (10am to 7pm). Tel: (+65) 6831 3764.