More students to be admitted to unis here, but it won’t be made easier
Singapore's autonomous universities will be able to admit more students this year as overseas study options continue to be disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing.
In a Facebook post yesterday morning, Mr Chan said local universities will have "some flexibility" in admitting more students, but that admissions will not be made easier.
He said: "The autonomous universities will continue to uphold admission standards and ensure a high quality of education."
In response to queries, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it is working closely with the six autonomous universities here to determine the appropriate number of places opened up to undergraduates this year.
An MOE spokesman said: "The allocation of additional places across the universities and courses will take into account relevant factors such as the quality of the applicant pool, areas/disciplines with strong student interest and employment prospects, and the autonomous universities' capacity to take in more students."
Singapore's six autonomous universities are: National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Social Sciences and the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
Last year, MOE said the six universities would make about 2,000 more offers across a range of courses.
At the start of this year, then Education Minister Lawrence Wong said about 1,000 extra places were given out across the autonomous universities.
The pandemic as well as rising anti-Asian hate crimes in the West have led to a drop in the number of Singaporean students applying to traditionally popular higher education destinations abroad.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
