First Choice Bonus Points Scheme

What is the rationale for implementing the bonus points scheme for first choice programme for undergraduate admissions to NUS?

NUS has taken different approaches to broaden talent recognition, such as assessing and admitting students from diverse backgrounds and talents and providing support for students strong in sports and the arts. The move to award bonus points is aimed at helping students pursue their passion for a field of study.

How does the bonus points scheme for first choice programme work for undergraduate admission in NUS?

Does the new bonus points scheme result in higher admission cut-off (requirements)?

Admission to NUS is based on academic merit and open competition among the applicant cohort. The admission criteria vary from year to year depending on the applicants’ performance.

I can select several programmes in the application form for admission. How do I rank the choice of programmes that I wish to be considered for?

Applicants will be considered for admission based on their preferred programme choices ranked from first to last choice, i.e. if an applicant does not meet the admission requirements for their first choice, they will be considered for their second choice and so on. However, this excludes the following programmes:

1. Medicine, Dentistry and Law -
   
   1. Besides meeting programme prerequisites, applicants are required to rank these programmes within the first and second choice to be considered for shortlisting for test/interview (the only exception granted is when applicants place Law as their third choice with Medicine and Dentistry as their first two choices).
2. Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design, and Nursing -
   
   1. Besides satisfying programme prerequisites, applicants are required to rank these programmes within the top three choices to be considered.
3. Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) Programme -
   
   1. Applicants are required to submit their application essay to PPE Direct Entry Portal by the stipulated deadline.

Under the first -choice bonus points scheme, no bonus points will be awarded for the first choice of programme for these interview-based programmes, which are dependent on the outcome of interviews and/or aptitude tests.

What is the difference between the First Choice Bonus Points (FCBP) Scheme and Aptitude-Based Admissions (ABA)?

ABA consider factors in addition to academic grades, including ability and interest in a relevant subject, work experience, leadership and community service. Applicants must meet a minimum level of academic competence and may be offered any of their choice of programmes that they applied to, after the faculty considers their suitability and, in some cases, assesses them through tests and interviews.

The FCBP Scheme, on the other hand, considers the first choice of programme that an applicant has applied to and provides additional points for direct admission to the programme. This scheme is aimed at helping applicants pursue their strong interest and passion in a specific field of study.

Given the same programme, would an applicant with less competitive results but who ranked the programme first (and received FCBP) have better chances than an applicant with better results but ranked the programme second?

Applicants will be considered for admission based on their preferred programme choices ranked from first to last choice. Under the First Choice Bonus Points Scheme, bonus points will be awarded for the first choice of programme (applicable to non-interview-based programmes) to help students pursue their passion for a field of study.

How should the applicants rank their programme choices if the IGP is not made known to IB Diploma and NUS High School Diploma students?

Applicants may rank their programme choices based on their interest and passion, as long as they fulfil the subject prerequisites, which can be found here on the Office of Admission's website.

What is the difference between the bonus points for first programme choices and the Mother Tongue Language (MTL) bonus points?

The bonus point scheme is applicable to the first (non-interview) programme choice for Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level, Polytechnic Diplomas from Singapore, IB Diploma and NUS High School applicants.

MTL bonus points only apply to Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level applicants who wish to gain admission to the Humanities and Sciences (MTL-Related) Programmes.

Are Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level applicants who rank Humanities and Sciences as the first programme choice eligible for both FCBP and MTL Bonus Points?

Applicants presenting the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level would be eligible for both FCBP and MTL Bonus Points if they rank Humanities and Sciences as their first choice and indicate their intention to use the MTL Bonus Points on the application form.