International Student Admissions: Overview
Information on International Student Admissions
The following sections are for international students (i.e children who are non-Singapore Citizens/Singapore Permanent Residents) seeking admission to mainstream public primary schools, secondary schools and junior colleges (JCs).
For admission to pre-schools, private schools or post-secondary institutions (e.g. university or polytechnic), please contact the school or institution directly. More information can be found at the pre-school, private schools and post-secondary education sections.
Admission to Mainstream Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and JCs
MOE conducts a centralised admissions exercise—Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS)—around Sep/Oct annually for new international students who wish to join our mainstream public primary and secondary schools in January of the following year.
AEIS involves a centralised test on English and Mathematics, and applicants who pass the test will be offered a place in a suitable school. The exercise is for new international students seeking admission into Primary 2–5 and Secondary 1–3. Primary 6 and Secondary 4 are critical levels where students sit for major examinations held towards the end of the year. Parents should be mindful that it would not be in the students’ interest to be admitted to these critical levels of Primary 6 and Secondary 4.
Details for the 2010 AEIS centralised tests for admissions in 2011 are now available on the AEIS webpage.
International students seeking school admission to Primary 1 (P1) in the current academic year 2010 can approach schools directly to apply for admission, subject to the availability of vacancies and schools’ admission criteria.
International students who are of age 6+ and below 7 as of 1 January in the year of admission can apply to the school of choice during Phase 3 of the P1 Registration Exercise for admission to P1 in the following year. Hence, international students who were born between 2 January 2004 and 1 January 2005 may register at the 2010 P1 Registration Exercise for admission to P1 in January 2011. If they miss the P1 Registration Exercise, they can approach their schools of choice directly to apply for admission after the Exercise.
International students who wish to seek admission to junior colleges (JCs) may approach schools directly.
For more details, please view the following pages:
- International students with Dependant’s Pass (DP) or Immigration Exemption Order (IEO)
- International students with either parent who is a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident
- International students without DP, IEO and whose parents are not Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents
- Children of S Pass or Work Permit (R Pass) holders, without DP, IEO and whose parents are not Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents