Start of 2020 Early Admissions Exercise for the Institute of Technical Education and Polytechnics

The Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) for the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and all five polytechnics will open in May and June respectively.

2. EAE provides a pathway for graduating ITE, N-Level and O-Level students to apply for and receive conditional offers for admission to ITE and the polytechnics. Beyond academic grades, EAE applicants are considered on the basis of demonstrated aptitude and interest towards a specific course. Applicants may be required to submit portfolios, undergo interviews and take aptitude tests as part of the selection process.

Conduct of EAE Selection in View of the COVID-19 Situation

3. To ensure the safety and well-being of applicants and staff amidst the COVID-19 situation, ITE and the polytechnics will conduct EAE selections largely via electronic means such as online interviews, or portfolio submissions over e-mail, for most courses. ITE EAE selections will take place between 23 June – 24 July 2020, while polytechnic EAE selections will take place between 6 July – 1 September 2020.

4. On-campus selection will still need to proceed for some courses, where the selection process cannot be meaningfully replicated in a remote manner. Examples include ITE’s Nitec in Nursing and Higher Nitec in Performance Production, as well as Nanyang Polytechnic’s Diploma in Oral Health Therapy. In all instances where applicants need to come onto campus, the polytechnics and ITE will ensure that appropriate safe management measures are put in place. This includes staggering assessment slots and designating waiting areas to avoid inter-mingling of applicants.

5. The total number of applicants expected to come to campus for EAE selection is expected to be low. Institutions will continue to monitor the national situation and will facilitate on-campus selection for more courses, if the situation allows.

6. Institutions will ensure that selection remains fair and rigorous. A list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the conduct of EAE selection can be found in the Annex.

ITE Early Admissions Exercise (ITE EAE)

7. Graduating N- and O-Level students can apply for early admission to ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec courses respectively through the ITE EAE, based on their course-specific aptitudes and interest.

8. Applications will open from 27 May to 3 June 2020. More information on the application procedure and key dates for the interviews, acceptance and confirmation of offer can be found at https://www.ite.edu.sg/admissions/full-time-courses/nitec/early-admissions-exercise or https://www.ite.edu.sg/admissions/full-time-courses/higher-nitec/eae.

9. Successful applicants under the ITE EAE will be given conditional offers before receiving their GCE N- or O-Level results. For their conditional offer to be confirmed, they must meet the Minimum Entry Requirements (MERs) of the offered course. The MERs for the respective Nitec and Higher Nitec courses can be found at https://www.ite.edu.sg/apply-for-ITE-courses/ite-eae/for-secondary-school-students-and-gce-holders.

10. Students are expected to commit to their choice of course under the ITE EAE. As such, students who accept a place via the ITE EAE will not be eligible to participate in the Joint Admissions Exercise for Higher Nitec courses, or Joint Intake Exercise for Nitec courses.

Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise (Polytechnic EAE)

Admission for Graduating O-Level and Final-year ITE Students

11. Graduating O-Level and final-year ITE students can apply for early admission into courses at the polytechnics1 through the Polytechnic EAE, based on their course-specific aptitudes and interest.

12. Applications will open from 11 to 17 June 2020 for final-year ITE students, and from 25 June to 1 July 2020 for O-Level students. More information on the application procedure, entry requirements and important dates for the interviews, acceptance and confirmation of offer can be found at https://eae.polytechnic.edu.sg.

13. Successful applicants under the Polytechnic EAE will be given conditional offers before receiving their final examination results. For the conditional offer to be confirmed, they must meet the MERs for the offered polytechnic course. The MERs for the respective diploma courses can be found on the polytechnics’ websites.

14. Students are expected to commit to their choice of polytechnic and course under the Polytechnic EAE. As such, students who accept an offer via the Polytechnic EAE and have their place confirmed will not be eligible to participate in all other polytechnic admission exercises. They will also not be able to transfer to another course within or between the polytechnics.

Admission for Working Adults

15. Working adults with at least two years of relevant work experience can apply to the polytechnics via the Polytechnic EAE. This applies to Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents only.

16. Interested working adults will need to submit employment records together with their application, as well as employer recommendations where available. The polytechnics will holistically assess applicants’ work experience to determine the relevance of the competencies/skills gained over the course of their work to their course of interest. Applicants who are found suitable, but whose past academic grades do not meet the MERs, will be given the opportunity to demonstrate that they have acquired the pre-requisite competencies for their chosen course through supplementary assessments, such as interviews.

17. Applications for working adults will open from 8 June to 5 July 2020. More information can be found at https://eae.polytechnic.edu.sg.

Further Information

18. Students interested in the ITE or Polytechnic EAE should visit the websites of the participating institutions for more details. They are advised to do so before the start of the respective exercises. More information is also available at the following MOE websites:

Footnotes
  1. All the five Polytechnics – Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic – participate in the Polytechnic EAE.