Is your teen studying in a local polytechnic? You might be wondering about their chances of entering a local university, especially the “Big 3” universities:

• National University of Singapore (NUS)
• Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
• Singapore Management University (SMU)

Unfortunately, we don’t have exact figures on how many polytechnic graduates make it to the Big 3.

However, Singapore has six autonomous universities in total, including the “new 3”:

• Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
• Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
• Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)

In 2024, about 8,000 polytechnic graduates were admitted to these six autonomous universities, making up roughly 43% of the total intake of 18,500 Singaporeans and permanent residents.

Think of it this way: your polytechnic teen has at least a two in five chance of making it to a local university.

Of course, we do know from speaking to our KiasuParents community that many teens aspire to enter the Big 3 universities. In this guide, we will look at:

• What is a good GPA to aim for in polytechnic?
• What GPA is typically required for the Big 3 local universities?
• What options are available if my teen doesn’t achieve a strong polytechnic GPA?

Read on to find out more!

What are Indicative Grade Profiles or IGP for local universities? 

An Indicative Grade Profile (IGP) is a guide published by local universities. It shows the grades or GPAs of students who were offered places in the most recent intake.

For polytechnic applicants, it is expressed as the 10th and 90th percentile GPAs of students who were offered places. Here’s what these indicators mean:

• 10th percentile: 10% of students had a GPA at or below this number; 90% were above it.
• 90th percentile: 90% of students had a GPA at or below this number; only 10% were above it.

In other words, the 10th percentile marks the lower 10% of students, while the 90th percentile marks the upper 10%.

Is the 10th percentile a cut-off score?


Students often view the 10th percentile score as a cut-off point, but to be precise, it’s a lower-end score — a handful of students offered places do score below that.

What this means is that teens can still apply for a course even if they are below the 10th percentile score, but their chances of gaining entry will be minimal.

Why don’t universities provide the lowest cut-off score?

The 10th percentile score is shown instead of the actual lowest GPA admitted because the lowest score can sometimes be an outlier — for example, a student admitted under special circumstances.

Using the 10th percentile gives a more reliable picture of the academic standard of accepted students. It reflects the point below which only 10% of admitted students fall, making it a better guide than looking at the grades of a few exceptional cases.

Why do we need to know the 90th percentile score?

At the 90th percentile, you’re looking at the GPA of the strongest 10% of students admitted. Treat this as a marker:

• If your teen's GPA is at or above the 90th, they are considered academically strong for that course and can treat it as a “safety” option, unless there are other tests required.
• If their GPA is between the 10th and 90th percentiles: Being closer to the 90th percentile means their GPA is stronger compared with most applicants, while being closer to the 10th percentile means that entry chances are slimmer.
• If scores are below the 10th percentile, the course becomes a “reach” option and teens should consider other courses or schools.

Knowing the lower and upper percentile markers can also hint at how much grades matter: if the 10th to 90th gap is wide, it might suggest that interviews, portfolios, or other achievements can play a greater role in admissions.

For more information, read about Aptitude-Based admissions for:

• National University of Singapore (NUS)
• Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Why is it important to review IGP scores across multiple years? Where can we find past data for NUS, NTU, and SMU?

It’s useful to refer to data that spans several years, rather than just one year. 

If past 10th percentiles have been stable, your teen can set a small +0.05 to 0.10 cushion as their target GPA to attain in poly.

But if scores for the 10th percentile have been creeping up in recent years, your teen might want to aim higher.

To get this data, you can refer to an unofficial compilation of historical entry scores for NUS, NTU, and SMU. Please note that this is not an official source, so accuracy is not guaranteed.

What GPA is Needed, to Get into NUS?

Instead of setting a broad GPA goal, check the most recent entry scores for the courses they are interested in — at the time of writing, this data would be from the academic year 2024/25. 

Do be aware that even if students meet the scores stated in the IGP, outcomes may still be influenced by factors such as student demand and performance in additional assessments.

Below, we list NUS's indicative entry scores (10th to 90th percentile).

Programmes that require additional assessments are marked with an asterisk (*), and lower entry scores (less than 3.5) are highlighted in blue:

Faculty of Law

• Law*: 3.86 – 3.99

School of Medicine

• Medicine*: 3.74 – 3.93
• Nursing*: 3.23 – 3.83

Faculty of Dentistry

• Dentistry*: No representative GPA (sample size too small)

College of Design & Engineering

• Architecture*: 3.28 – 3.85
• Engineering: 3.56 – 3.94
• Industrial Design*: 3.60 – 3.89
• Landscape Architecture*: 3.40 – 3.76

School of Computing

• Business Analytics: 3.81 – 3.97
• Computer Science: 3.80 – 3.98
• Information Security: 3.83 – 3.98
• Information Systems: 3.73 – 3.95

College of Design & Engineering and School of Computing

• Computer Engineering: 3.81 – 3.99

College of Humanities & Sciences

• Data Science and Economics: No representative GPA
• Environmental Studies: 3.70 – 3.90
• Food Science and Technology: 3.86 – 3.97
• Humanities and Sciences: 3.61 – 3.94
• Pharmaceutical Science: 3.91 – 3.98
• Pharmacy: 3.80 – 3.99
• Philosophy, Politics, and Economics*: 3.82 – 3.96

NUS Business School

• Business Administration: 3.68 – 3.96

For official updates, visit the NUS website.

What GPA is needed, to get into NTU?

Below are the NTU entry scores for the academic year of 2024/25. Please note that these are the 10th to 90th percentile scores.

Programmes that require additional assessments are marked with an asterisk (*), and lower entry scores (less than 3.5) are highlighted in blue:

Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine

• Medicine*: No representative GPA

College of Engineering

• Renaissance Engineering*: No representative GPA
• Aerospace Engineering: 3.64 – 3.94
• Bioengineering: 3.51 – 3.80
• Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering: 3.51 – 3.94
• Civil Engineering: 3.39 – 3.91
• Electrical & Electronic Engineering: 3.45 – 3.89
• Environmental Engineering: 3.44 – 3.84
• Information Engineering & Media: 3.56 – 3.84
• Maritime Studies: 3.51 – 3.84
• Materials Engineering: 3.38 – 3.85
• Mechanical Engineering: 3.47 – 3.92

College of Computing and Data Science

• Artificial Intelligence and Society: No representative GPA
• Computer Engineering: 3.65 – 3.92
• Computer Science: 3.75 – 3.97
• Data Science & Artificial Intelligence: 3.90 – 3.99

College of Science

• Double Major Programmes*: 3.83 – 3.99
• Biological Sciences*: 3.66 – 3.96
• Chemistry & Biological Chemistry: 3.61 – 3.95
• Chinese Medicine*: No representative GPA
• Environmental Earth Systems Science*: No representative GPA
• Mathematical Sciences: 3.43 – 3.79
• Physics / Applied Physics: 3.51 – 3.86

Nanyang Business School

• Accountancy*: 3.62 – 3.96
• Business*: 3.66 – 3.95
• Applied Computing in Finance*: 3.81 – 3.99

College of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences

• School of Humanities Double Major Programmes*: 3.57 – 3.86
• School of Social Sciences Double Major Programmes: No representative GPA
• Art, Design & Media*: 3.43 – 3.90 (admission is based on composite score, check NTU's website for details.)
• Chinese*: 3.38 – 3.70
• Communication Studies*: 3.70 – 3.91
• Economics: 3.55 – 3.79
• Economics and Data Science: No representative GPA
• English*: 3.36 – 3.58
• History*: 3.36 – 3.66
• Linguistics & Multilingual Studies*: 3.41 – 3.67
• Philosophy*: 3.38 – 3.60
• Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: No representative GPA
• Psychology: 3.70 – 3.94
• Public Policy & Global Affairs: 3.59 – 3.90
• Sociology: 3.59 – 3.85

National Institute of Education

• Arts (Academic Discipline & Education)*: No representative GPA
• Science (Academic Discipline & Education)*: No representative GPA
• Sport Science & Management*: 3.52 – 3.78

For official updates, visit the NTU website.

What GPA is needed for SMU?

Below are SMU's indicative entry scores for 2024 admissions (10th to 90th percentile):

• Bachelor of Accountancy: 3.69 – 3.94
• Bachelor of Business Management: 3.80 – 3.96
• Bachelor of Laws: 3.75 – 3.97
• Bachelor of Science (Economics): 3.67 – 3.88
• Bachelor of Science (Information Systems): 3.69 – 3.92
• Bachelor of Science (Computer Science): 3.80 – 3.97
• Bachelor of Science (Computing & Law): No representative GPA
• Bachelor of Science (Software Engineering): 3.66 – 3.89
• Bachelor of Social Sciences: 3.66 – 3.92
• Deferred Declaration of Degree / Bachelor of Integrative Studies: 3.73 – 3.95

For official updates, visit the SMU website.

What if my teen doesn’t have a strong polytechnic GPA?

We would advise your teen to consider Singapore’s newer universities, which offer more accessible entry requirements:

• Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
• Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
• Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)

If teens can't gain entry to their desired university, they can work or secure an internship after poly graduation (if not headed for National Service). They should contact universities directly to enquire about re-applying; admissions officers will be in the best position to provide advice.  

Teens can also look up Private Education Institutions in Singapore, to see what courses are offered.

If they are interested in an overseas degree, they can contact education consultants like Quill Learning, which partners with NCC Education — a UK-based organisation that provides accredited British qualifications. Through Quill Learning, students can access over 100 global universities, and learn at their own pace. 

Want to chat with other parents about tertiary education? Visit the Tertiary Education section of the KiasuParents forum, where you can join a discussion or start a new conversation!

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