With half of Singapore’s O-Level holders taking the polytechnic route, it’s something that your teen should consider, especially if he or she has a clear passion or career interest. A plus factor is that entry scores for polytechnics are more forgiving — unlike junior colleges, where one needs to add up the points for six O-Level subjects to qualify for entry, polytechnics only require that you add up the points for five O-Level subjects.

Some parents might wonder if polytechnics are less academically rigorous, compared to junior colleges. In the past, the general impression was that polytechnics were suited to those who didn’t enjoy theory-based learning, as courses were designed to offer more hands-on experiences. But in recent years, the cut-off scores for polytechnics have been getting increasingly competitive — it’s not easy to gain entry to the most popular poly courses, as academically inclined students are vying for places too.

Below, we’ll look at available information on our local polytechnics, which may be helpful to your teen. Use our guide to start a conversation on what our polytechnics can offer! 

Which polytechnics are most popular, according to search results?

Looking at general searches for polytechnic courses, the names that come up most often are Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), Singapore Polytechnic (SP), and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP).

Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic are stalwarts on the scene — they were founded in the 1950s and 60s, and they’ve had decades to build their reputation. 

In comparison, Nanyang Polytechnic is a ‘younger’ institution as it was only established in the 1990s. However, it’s generated memorable publicity relating to the academic pathways of its graduates. For instance, one graduate from NYP’s information security course applied to the prestigious US universities MIT and Harvard, and was accepted by both schools. Others have gone on to well-known American universities like Columbia and Carnegie Mellon. 

There are two more polytechnics in Singapore, and they are Temasek Polytechnic (TP) and Republic Polytechnic (RP). TP is well known for its School of Design, but some of its Applied Science and Social Science courses are actually harder to get into. RP has a lower entry bar for many of its courses, and it is best known for its Sport and Exercise Science programme.

Which polytechnic courses take in the best students?

For convenience, you can refer to an unofficial compilation of polytechnic cut-off scores as a guide. 

For the most accurate entry score information, please visit the official polytechnic websites, or use the Ministry of Education's CourseFinder tool.

These are the polytechnic courses that required single-digit entry scores in 2023:

• Applied AI & Analytics (NYP)
• Applied Chemistry (SP)
• Biomedical Science (NP, SP)
• Business Studies (NP)
• Common Science (NP)
• Mass Communication (NP)
• Medical Biotechnology (TP)
• Pharmaceutical Science (NP)
• Psychology Studies (TP)
• Veterinary Technology (TP)

On each of their course pages, polytechnics will typically list education and career prospects, so you can take note of these as well. Try not to be too influenced by the cut-off scores — what’s more important is that your teen has a keen interest in the courses that he or she will apply for. 

Which poly is best for biomedical science?

NP, RP, and SP offer biomedical science courses, and based on past-year results, one would probably need a single-digit entry score to qualify for the NP and SP courses. Both polytechnics took in students with 7 points and below for 2023.

NYP offers a course called Biologics and Process Technology, where the cut-off score for 2023 was 10 points.  

Which poly is best for cybersecurity?

NP, NYP, and TP offer cybersecurity courses, and cut-off scores for 2023 were 10 to 11 points 

Which poly is best for aerospace engineering?

All five polytechnics offer aerospace courses, and the cut-off scores seem to be fairly generous across the schools. 

Although entry scores have fluctuated over the years, SP has maintained its Aerospace Electronics cut-off score at around 14 points. This would make it the hardest school to qualify for, in terms of aerospace studies. 

Which poly is best for psychology?

The best-known polytechnic for psychology is TP, where one would likely need a single-digit score to gain entry — its cut-off point this year was 8 points.

RP and SP offer a diploma course called Human Resource Management with Psychology — the entry score for SP is about 12 points, while RP takes in students at around 16 points.

Which poly is best for information technology?

All five polytechnics have a School of Infocomm or School of Computing. Of these, analytics courses seem to be the hardest to qualify for — at NYP, the cut-off score for 2023 was 9 points. Data science and cybersecurity courses are also in demand; at NP, one needed 10 points to qualify for either course this year.

Which poly is best for architecture?

NYP and SP have architecture courses, where the latest entry scores are 15 to 16 points. TP has an Interior Architecture & Design course, where the cut-off for this year was 11 points.

Which poly is best for accountancy?

Four polytechnics — NP, NYP, SP, and TP — offer accountancy courses, with 2023 entry scores between 11 and 12 points. 

This suggests that the student profile for accountancy across the polytechnics will be quite similar. In this case, your teen can focus on assessing the polytechnics based on course coverage and internship or student exchange opportunities, as well as other factors such as school culture and convenience.

Want to talk to other parents about choosing polytechnic courses? Join the conversation on our KiasuParents forum!