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Direct Admission Exercise for Secondary Schools and JCs Begins

The Straits Times

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May 07, 2025

Students who wish to apply for direct admission to secondary schools and junior colleges (JCs) may do so from May 7.

- Rhea Yasmine

Those who wish to apply for early admission to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) can start doing so from May 20. Application for early admission to polytechnics starts on June 2.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) said on May 6 that the Direct School Admission (DSA) scheme allows students to enter secondary schools and JCs based on their interests and aptitudes, beyond their performance at the national examinations.

Students will be considered by the respective schools they have applied for. Schools can admit up to 20 per cent of their students through the DSA, said MOE.

According to checks by The Straits Times, 142 secondary schools and 20 JCs are participating in the DSA exercise.

Students applying for DSA must still sit the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) or O-level examinations.

If a DSA offer is made to them by their selected school, students have until the indicated deadline to accept the offer, which will be before the release of the national examination results.

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