SINGAPORE: Higher Nitec students from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 will be guaranteed admission to a polytechnic course mapped to their current course from 2027, announced the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Friday (Jul 21).
Currently, around 900 graduates from the Direct-Entry Scheme to Polytechnic Programme (DPP) qualify for a spot in a polytechnic, said MOE in its press release.
The programme currently allows Normal (Academic) students to be admitted directly into a two-year Higher Nitec programme without having to sit for the O-Level examinations or go through a Nitec programme.
With the rollout of full subject-based banding from 2024, the DPP pathway will cease from the 2028 ITE intake, the press release read.
The new minimum GPA requirement will benefit about 1,000 students, or the top 10 per cent of Higher Nitec graduates, said the Education Ministry.
The minimum entry requirements for ITE students to progress to polytechnics will also be raised from GPA 2.0 to GPA 2.5 from the 2027 polytechnic intake, MOE announced.
This is to ensure students can better cope with the academic rigour of a polytechnic education, the Education Ministry said.
Today, most Higher Nitec students who progress to polytechnics achieve a net GPA of 2.5 and above, the press release read.
With full subject-based banding, admission requirements for direct entry into Year 2 of all Higher Nitec courses will also be set at G2 from the 2028 academic year – meaning students have to take all G2 subjects or higher in secondary school.
G2 and G3 subjects are mapped from the current standards for the Normal (Academic) and Express streams respectively.
MOE also announced at the Committee of Supply debates in March that the Work-Study Diploma spots will be expanded from 1,000 to 1,500 and Technical Diploma spots from 100 to 300 in 2025.