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International Student Admissions

This information pertains to International Students:

  • without Dependant’s Pass (DP), without Immigration Exemption Order (IEO) and
  • whose parents are not Singapore Citizens (SC) or Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR)

International students without DP, IEO and whose parents are not SC/SPR, who wish to seek school admission to mainstream public primary and secondary schools, and who will be age 7 and above as of 1 January in the year of school admission, are to take part in the Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS).

Age Criteria

International students should ensure that they satisfy the age requirements for the levels they are seeking admission into. MOE does not recommend admission to levels where international students will be more than two years older than their classmates.

Please refer to the section on the age criteria for admission of international students for more information.

Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS)

International students seeking admission into Primary 2–5 and Secondary 1–3 in the following academic year are to take part in the AEIS. Under AEIS, international students would be able to enjoy the convenience of a centralised test on English and Mathematics, and an offer of a school place if they pass the test. Applicants who pass the test would be offered a place in a suitable school, based on available school vacancies and their performance in the centralised test. To register for or find out more about AEIS, please visit the AEIS webpage.

Applying Directly to Schools

International students who are seeking admission to Primary 2–5 and Secondary 1–3 but are unable to make it for the AEIS exercise and those who are seeking admission to Primary 1 or JCs may approach their schools of choice directly to apply for admission.

Step-by-Step Guide for Applying Directly to Schools

Admission is subject to the availability of vacancies, provided there are no SC/SPR children on the schools’ waiting lists, and the schools’ admission criteria.

  1. Qualifying Test

    International students without DP, IEO and whose parents are not SC/SPR and who are seeking admission to mainstream public primary or secondary school, and who will be age 7 and above as of 1 January in the year of school admission, are required to sit for and pass a Qualifying Test (QT) before making a direct application to schools.

    For more information, please visit the Qualifying Test section on this website. If you have passed the QT and are eligible for school admission, please see Step 2.

    International students who are of age 6+ and below 7 as of 1 January in the year of admission seeking admission to Primary 1 or who are seeking admission to JCs are not required to sit for the QT. They can apply to their school of choice directly. See Step 2 below.

  2. Apply at school of choice

  3. Sit for placement test conducted by school if there is a vacancy. Applicants will be tested on subjects such as English, Mathematics and Mother Tongue Language (where applicable).

    If applicant passes the placement test, he / she will receive a Student’s Pass Online Application & Registration (SOLAR+) Registration Acknowledgement Letter from the school that will register him / her for student’s pass (STP) application (see Step 4).

    Admission is subject to the applicant obtaining and returning with a student’s pass issued by the ICA.

  4. Apply for student’s pass at ICA

    Upon receiving the SOLAR+ Registration Acknowledgement Letter issued by the school, the applicant should log in to SOLAR+ on-line at ICA website immediately to apply for a student’s pass.

  5. Return to school with student’s pass

    The applicant must return to the school with a valid student’s pass. Otherwise, the applicant will forfeit his / her admission to the school.