Singapore Local School Admission for Foreign Students

Local public schools in Singapore providing primary and secondary school education comprise of government, government-aided, independent schools, junior colleges that follow the educational curriculum established by Singapore's Ministry of Education. Singapore is fast catching up as the preferred destination for education not only for higher education but also for primary and secondary education. This article gives a preview of admission procedure into local Singapore schools for foreign students on student or dependent pass.

First Grade (Primary One) Admission

The first year in primary school education in local school system is called Primary One or P1. The Ministry of Education strictly adheres to the policy of admitting children to P1 when they are 6 or 6+ as on 1st Jan of the year of admission. Due to high competition during P1 enrollments especially into good local Singapore schools, majority of the parents enroll their children into pre-school education between the age of 3-6.The pre-school education is a structured 3-4 year program encompassing language, basic mathematics, simple science, music and play-learning.There are 2 years (N1 and N2) of nursery school, followed by 2 years (K1 and K2) of kindergarten.

For children who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents, application for admission into P1 has to be made under Phase Three i.e. the last phase of enrollment. Clearly, the priority is given first to Singapore citizens and then to permanent residents, and as a result, getting admission into good local schools for students on dependent pass is not easy. Parents need to approach the school of choice directly. Vacancies in schools can be checked via Ministry of Education’s website or through direct enquiry at the school of choice.

Admission Into Other Grades

Application for admission into local school of choice can be made by foreign students all through the year subject to vacancies. Admission is dependent on the availability of vacancies in the school provided there are no Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents on the school’s waiting list. The prospective foreign student will be tested on subjects such as English, Mathematics and Mother Tongue Language (where applicable). Exemption from the mother tongue requirement may be considered on a case-by-case basis after the student has been admitted to school. Besides the performance in the school placement test, international students will be considered for admission to a level subject to documentary proof that he/she has completed the previous level, and the age criteria.

There are two ways to seek admission into local schools:

Direct School Contact
Parent of foreign students who wish to seek admission into a local school can approach the school of choice directly. The tests will be conducted by the school directly in this case and the application procedure is below:

• Step 1. Contact the local Singapore school of choice and enquire about the possibility of enrolling your child into the school.
• Step 2. Submit the completed application form along with all the necessary supporting documents to school.
• Step 3. On receipt of application the concerned school will call the applicant for a placement test. The placement Test is aimed at testing the applicant’s aptitude in English, Mathematics and Mother Tongue language (if applicable). Apart from the placement test, for admission into a particular level at a desired school, (i.e. Primary 2 or Primary 3 for instance) the applicant’s age and proof of successful completion of the previous level of education are important criteria.
• Step 4. After the test, if accepted, the local school will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA).

Centralized Admission Test
The Admissions Exercise for International Students (AIES) is another alternative for students seeking admission into local schools in Singapore. AIES is a centralized admission test for foreign students to streamline the application and admission process into local public schools. Instead of taking multiple tests at various schools of choice, the applicant can sit for AIES and based on the score obtained, he/she can apply for admission into the participating schools.

AIES admission testing for Primary as well as Secondary school level consists of two subjects - English Language and Mathematics. Candidates are encouraged to prepare themselves on express standard in conjunction with MOE syllabus. The result is being recognized by more than 100 participating local public schools. AIES does not offer admission test for Primary 1 (P1), Primary 6 (P6) and Secondary 4 (S4) grades. To apply for AIES admission test, the following documents must be mailed to the AIES office:

Applicant's documents

• Completed AIES Application Form
• A recent passport size color photo
• A certified true copy of the passport
• A certified true copy of birth certificate
• A copy of Dependent Pass (if any)
• A copy of Deed Poll (if any)
• A copy of Immigration Exemption Order (if any)
• A copy of Student Pass (if any)
• Non-refundable test fee: S$620

Applicant's parents' documents

• A copy of personal particulars page of passport
• A copy of Deed Poll (if any)
• A copy of Singapore NRIC (if any)
• A copy of Re-entry Permit (if any)
• A copy of Employment Pass/Work Permit (if any)

The application procedure under AIES is below:

• Step 1. Submit the completed AIES registration application form along with all the necessary supporting documents to AIES office. As part of completing the registration form, you will need to indicate the date of test and the grade level your child is applying for. The test are conducted few times a year on pre-scheduled dates.
• Step 2. Your child will need to take the test on the scheduled date. The results of the AIES test will be sent by post to the candidates within a month from the date of testing.
• Step 3. Once you have received the test results, contact the local Singapore school of choice, share with them the test results and check if they have a vacancy.
• Step 4. If the school is willing to accept your child, complete and submit the application form along with all the necessary supporting documents to school.
• Step 5. If all documents are in order, the school will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA).

Documents Required for Admission

While submitting the application documents for admission into a local school, the following documents are needed:

• Copy of Birth Certificate
• Copy of Passport
• Copy of Dependent Pass (if any)
• Particulars of the child's guardian. The guardian should be the parent of the child if the parent is on employment pass OR a Singapore Citizen/ Singapore Permanent Resident above 21 years old.

Visa Matters

If you child is a Dependent Pass holder, he/she can start the school right away upon receiving the LOA from the local Singapore school and a student pass is not required. Otherwise, you child will need to immediately apply for a student pass.

The Letter of Acceptance from local schools in Singapore is valid for two weeks only. Acceptance to the school is subject to the applicant obtaining and returning with a student's pass from Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). During the 2 week validity period the candidate must apply for a Student Pass from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. Upon approval the student must approach the school along with the Letter of Acceptance, ICA’s confirmation and other accompanying documents to conclude the admission exercise.

Applicants whose parents are working in Singapore but not eligible for DP, need to be referred to ICA before the school can conduct the placement test. School will fax a Letter of Referral to ICA. ICA will look into the case and issue a letter approving immigration to the applicant who can then sit for the Placement Test conducted by the school.

Applicants with at least one parent working in Singapore on S Pass or Work Permit (R Pass) must pass a qualifying test (Assessment of General Ability conducted by Civil Service College Consultants) before they can be considered for admission. The test is conducted at various times throughout the year. The outcome of the test will be mailed to the applicant and eligible applicants can proceed with further steps of the admission procedure.

In case of international students whose parents do not work or stay in Singapore then a Singaporean or Singaporean PR aged over 21 years must be provided as a local guardian. The contact details and other particulars of the international students’ guardians have to be furnished.

Fees and Costs

Ministry of Education requires international students to contribute S$1000 as donations to the MOE fund once every 2 year of their education in Singapore. Donations to the Education Fund are exempted from and non-refundable except when the student is awarded a Singapore Government scholarship. The Pupil Placement Cell of the MOE will send a letter seeking Donation to the parents or guardians upon successful admission of the applicant into a local school. Students in local public schools pay slightly varied fees depending on their immigration status. Singapore citizens pay the lowest fees whereas foreign students on student pass pay the highest fees. Also there is a disparity in the fee structure for foreign students of ASEAN origin or otherwise. Regardless, fees in local public schools are nominal when compared to the international schools in Singapore.

Other Related Topics

Singapore Immigration | EntrePass | Employment Pass