- Applicants, regardless of nationality, may apply for undergraduate admissions with their International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. Applicants who have completed the IB Career-related Programme (CP) may also apply and compete for admission to NUS. English must be one of the subjects taken at the IB examination.
- Applicants who are currently or have been enrolled in a university as an undergraduate would need to apply as a Transfer applicant.
- Admission will be considered holistically based on academic merit, non-academic achievements, and additional interviews/tests (if required) as well as open competition among all eligible applicants.
- Applicants must meet the programme prerequisites for the programmes that they are applying for.
- For programmes requiring additional interviews/tests, applicants will be assessed based on their performance at the interviews and/or tests.
It is mandatory for all applicants to authorise the International Baccalaureate (IB) to release their IB transcripts to the 'National University of Singapore' (Institute Code 000690). Applicants can do so by informing their school’s IB coordinator. Please refer to the IB website for details.
You may refer to the FAQ for more information.
Some applicants may be required to fulfil the Mother Tongue Language (MTL) requirement for admission. Refer to more information below.
The Mother Tongue Language (MTL) requirement set by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) is applicable to the following groups of applicants:
School | Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents | International Students |
Independent/ Specialised Independent Schools in Singapore (Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), School of the Arts, Singapore Sports School, St. Joseph’s Institution) | Applicable | Applicable |
Other IB World Schools within and outside Singapore | Applicable | Not Applicable |
The MTL requirement can be fulfilled through one of the following:
Examination | Minimum Grade | Document Submission |
IB Diploma Programme | Pass in (Standard or Higher Level):
The IB Standard Level Language ab initio does not fulfil the MTL requirement. | *Submit your official MTL examination result/transcript via Applicant Portal. |
Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level |
IGCSE MTL First Language examination does not fulfil the MTL requirement. | |
Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level | 'S' grade in:
Pass in:
| |
MOE-approved MTL Exemption | - | *Submit your official MTL exemption approval via Applicant Portal. |
*The University will assess your fulfilment of the MTL requirement upon receiving your results/transcripts/exemption approval.
- Applicants who have been away from the Singapore school system for several years and have not continued studying their MTL (or an approved MTL-in-lieu) may be eligible for an MTL exemption.
- NUS will facilitate the MTL exemption application as part of the admissions process. Outcomes will be conveyed to applicants who receive an admission offer from NUS.
Please note that MOE does not accept direct applications for MTL exemption. Applying for an exemption will not prejudice the evaluation of your admission application. - Applicants who meet all admission requirements except the MTL requirement may still apply without prejudice to their application. Successful applicants will be admitted provisionally and must fulfil the MTL requirement by attaining the minimum grade stated above during their undergraduate studies to graduate.
- Information for private candidates on the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level MTL paper and the GCE O-Level Higher MTL paper is available on the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) website.
- Apply with the actual IB Diploma Programme results.
- Key in the IB Personal Code in the undergraduate admissions application form.
- Authorise the IB to release their IB Diploma Programme transcript to NUS.
- Submit English test scores if at least three IB subjects are taught in non-English language.
Most applicants presenting November 2025 or earlier IB Diploma Programme results will receive the application outcomes progressively by May 2026.
Please refer to this for tips on how to complete your admissions application.
- Apply with the predicted IB Diploma Programme results, as attested by their high schools.
- Authorise the IB to release their IB Diploma Programme transcript and ensure that NUS receives it by 7 July 2026.
- Update NUS with their IB Personal Code via the NUS Applicant Portal by 17 June 2026. An email will be sent to applicants in mid-May 2026 with instructions on how to update the IB Personal Code.
- Submit English test scores if at least three IB subjects are taught in non-English language.
Applicants presenting May 2026 IB Diploma Programme results will receive their application outcomes by the third week of July 2026.
Please refer to this for tips on how to complete your admissions application.
Additional Requirements for Dentistry and Medicine
Applicants who wish to apply for NUS Dentistry are required to submit the following documents and test scores by 23 February 2026:
- Predicted IB Diploma results (endorsed by applicant's high school) and
- SAT/ACT with Writing and
- SAT Subject Tests/AP Exams
Applicants who wish to apply for NUS Medicine are required to submit the following documents and test scores by 23 February 2026:
- Predicted IB Diploma results (endorsed by applicant's high school) and one of the following: