International Student Admissions

Children of Work Permit (R Pass) and S Pass holders who earn less than S$2,500 per month, whose parents are not SC/SPR, may be considered for admission to a mainstream public school if they pass a Qualifying Test (QT) or the Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS). For more information on this requirement, please refer to the Ministry of Manpower’s website.

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)

Under AEIS, international students would be able to enjoy the convenience of a centralised test and an offer of a school place if they pass the test. The 2008 AEIS centralised test will be held on 22 Sep 08 and 13 Oct 08 for applicants seeking school admission into Primary 2–5 and Secondary 1–3 levels for academic year 2009. 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.

Please visit the AEIS section for more information.

Applying Directly to Schools

If you are seeking admission to Primary 2–5 or Secondary 1–3 and are unable to make it for the AEIS exercise or if you are seeking admission to Primary 1 or JCs, you are required to sit for and pass the Qualifying Test (QT) before you can apply to schools for admission.

For admission to Primary 1 in the following year, the international student can register with the school of choice during or after Phase 3 of the annual Primary One Registration Exercise. Prior to that, you are required to sit for and pass the QT before registering.

Step-by-Step Guide for Qualifying Test and Applying 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

   Children of S Pass and Work Permit (R Pass) holders without DP, IEO and whose parents are not SC/SPR are required to sit for and pass the Qualifying Test before they can be considered for admission to mainstream public 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.

2. Apply at school of choice with QT letter of eligibility

3. School conducts placement test 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 and the school accepts him / her, the school will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA). The LOA will indicate in-principle acceptance of the applicant, and the applicant can then proceed to Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to apply for a student’s pass with the letter (see Step 3).

   Admission is subject to the applicant obtaining and returning with a student’s pass from the ICA within 2 weeks from the LOA’s date of issue.

4. Apply for student’s pass at ICA

   The LOA is valid for 2 weeks from the date of issue. Upon receiving the LOA, the applicant should proceed to ICA immediately to apply for a student’s pass. Applicant must produce the original LOA endorsed by the School to ICA.

5. Return to school within 2 weeks with student’s pass

   The applicant must return to the school with a valid student’s pass within 2 weeks of the LOA’s date of issue. Otherwise, the applicant will forfeit his / her admission to the school.