Half of O-level school leavers going to poly also qualified for JC

With a better understanding of their aspirations and encouraged by more polytechnic graduates winning places at the local universities, more O-level school leavers are choosing the polytechnic route despite qualifying for junior college (JC).

Nearly half – around 49 per cent – of the students who were admitted to the polytechnics in the 2024 Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) were eligible for JC, up from 45 per cent in 2023.

In 2014, the figure was 40 per cent.

The JAE is held in January every year for O-level students.

Of the 19,200 candidates who were posted to a post-secondary institution in the 2024 JAE, 52 per cent went to the polytechnics and 39 per cent to JCs and Millennia Institute (MI), figures from the Ministry of Education (MOE) show.

To qualify for a JC, students need better results. Their L1R5 score – based on English language and five relevant subjects – must not exceed 20 points.

Polytechnics require grades for English language and four other subjects to not exceed 26 points, although for the more popular courses, successful applicants need to score under 12 points.

All in, 20,800 students enrolled in full-time diploma courses across the five polytechnics, including those who entered through non-JAE pathways like the Early Admissions Exercise and Polytechnic Foundation Programme, said MOE.

About 270 students who entered the polytechnics in 2024 came from the JCs and MI, switching midway through their studies or after completing their A-level exams.

Students who picked a polytechnic over junior college said mindsets are changing, and polytechnics are now seen as a pathway of choice embraced by many of their peers and their parents. The five polytechnics are Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic.

One of these students is Anjali Curic, 17, who applied for early admission into engineering science at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, despite having O-level results that qualify her for the top Integrated Programme schools, including Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution.

The School of Science and Technology student said she was leaning towards the JC route, as it is “considered more academically vigorous”, but her parents – both academics with PhDs in engineering – surprisingly nudged her into considering the polytechnic pathway as she enjoys learning through projects.

“I was surprised when they told me I should check out the polytechnics, so I went to the open house held by Ngee Ann to have a look and immediately decided to apply for a place through the early admission scheme.

“My parents know me well and they knew that the poly route would suit me better as I learn best through projects and hands-on learning. On the other hand, I had some schoolmates who questioned my choice of taking the poly route over JC, especially since I had good O-level results.”

Another student who picked a polytechnic over JC is Ms Anne Wang, 20, who is in the third year of her diploma in environmental and marine science course at Republic Polytechnic.

The former Ngee Ann Secondary student has been passionate about environmental conservation since her primary school days, an interest fostered by her mother, who is a biology teacher in a secondary school.

“I grew up watching nature documentaries, and when it came to making the JC or poly choice after the O-levels, it was quite an easy choice for me,” she said.

“I knew I was interested in environmental science, and I picked Republic Polytechnic which is well known for its courses in the field. Never mind that the polytechnic is at the other end of the island from my home in the east.”

She said she is encouraged by the fact that more polytechnic graduates are getting into the six local universities and even entering more competitive courses such as medicine, law and computing.

With a high grade point average of 3.88, she has applied to study environmental science at the National University of Singapore and is awaiting the outcome. She hopes to graduate with a degree and work to conserve the biodiversity of rainforests.  

Mr Mah Wee Beng, deputy principal and registrar of Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said about 65 per cent of the students enrolling in its diploma programmes are JC-eligible.

He said that education and career guidance programmes in schools have helped more students discover their interests and make more informed decisions. Mindsets are also changing, he added.

“The polytechnic route used to be for those who want to go to work, and the JC route for those who want to go to university. But now at the polys, we prepare our students for both work and further education... and for thriving in life, whichever pathway they choose,” said Mr Mah.

In recent years, about one in three fresh polytechnic graduates matriculates in the six universities, up from about one in four in 2015. Based on the 20,000-strong annual cohort of polytechnic graduates, that translates to around 7,000 of them being admitted into the local universities yearly.

Parents who have been to the polytechnics’ open houses this week, ahead of the release of the O-level results on Jan 10, agreed that they are more open to their children taking the polytechnic route, because many more polytechnic graduates are entering the local universities.

Said Mr A. Rasul, 46, a business development manager who visited two polytechnics with his son: “My son’s clear preference is for the poly route, although he is likely to do well enough to make it to a good JC. But I decided to be open-minded and went to the open house, and I must say it’s very different from my days as a student.

“I think the emphasis the polys give to practical hands-on learning in the classroom and work attachments will be good for my son who is interested in computing. So after visiting two polys, I really do think he will do well taking the diploma route.”

Key admission figures

• In the 2024 Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE), of the 19,200 candidates who were posted to a post-secondary institution, 52 per cent went to the polytechnics, 39 per cent were assigned to junior colleges (JCs) and Millennia Institute (MI), and 9 per cent to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
• Around 49 per cent of the students who were admitted to the polytechnics were eligible for JC, up from 45 per cent in 2023.
• In total, around 20,800 students enrolled in full-time diploma courses in the polytechnics. These include students who enrolled through the JAE, as well as non-JAE pathways such as the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE), Joint Polytechnic Admissions Exercise, Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP) and independent applications.
• About 270 students who entered the polytechnics in 2024 came from the JCs and MI, switching midway through their studies or after completing their A-level exams.
• Around 9,500 students from secondary schools applied for admission via the Poly EAE, of whom around 4,000 received an offer. The scheme allows polytechnics to admit students based on their skills and talents apart from grades.
• In 2024, the polytechnics received around 2,050 applications for the PFP, with around 2,000 students admitted to the programme eventually. The programme allows Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students to apply directly to polytechnics for a foundation year instead of completing Secondary 5 and the O levels. Students need to pass all their PFP modules to progress to Polytechnic Year 1, and almost all have been able to do so.
• Over the past few years, an average of about 4,000 ITE graduates progress to polytechnics each year.