NUS Admissions

Hello everybody!

Here are the application requirements for NUS High School Students entering NUS [taken from http://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/apply/local/nushs/BYA-nushs.html]. If we want our SAT IIs to count for our application, we have to take our THREE SAT II within TWO sittings. Do be aware of them and plan your SAT Subject Tests well! However, your NUS High Diploma is sufficient for admissions already. According to what I read from a senior's post on another forum, these grades will be most important for US Universities (rather than SATs); have not really experienced this so can't say more.

Applicants (regardless of nationality) seeking admission to NUS should present the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science Diploma.

You should also meet the Mother Tongue (MT) requirement for admission by having one of the following:
minimum of D7 for the higher MT paper taken at the 'O' Level examination
minimum of ‘S’ grade for the H1 MTL paper or General Studies in Chinese
minimum of 'S' grade for the H2 MTLL paper taken at the 'A' Level examination
pass in the MT 'B' Syllabus paper at the 'A' Level examination

If you are a candidate who has been exempted from MT as approved by MOE, the MOE-approved subject-in-lieu will be considered as your MT subject.

Discretionary Admission
We set aside up to 10 % of vacancies for consideration of exceptional candidates for admission to NUS. For such candidates, we will consider other factors besides grades. The following are some samples of exceptional achievements that we may take into consideration :

Medal winner at the International Olympiads (Biology, Chemistry, Informatics, Mathematics and Physics)
Winner in the National Science & Talent Search
Represented Singapore in Arts and/or Sports
Active participation in community service and volunteer programmes.
Work experience relevant to the course applied for (supporting document/s is/are required)
Key leadership positions in community organisations, sports and athletic clubs, etc (outside school)

In addition, you can provide information on awards/honours that you have won. If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you should provide the details in the 'Discretionary Admissions' section in the online application form. You should then follow up by sending supporting documents to NUS. Please note that if the 'Discretionary Admissions' section in the online application form is not filled in, you will be deemed as not interested for consideration under this scheme.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT I and SAT II) Requirements
SAT I - Reasoning Test
SAT I consist of 3 Sections, Critical Reading Section, Writing Section and Mathematics Section. The minimum acceptable Reasoning Test scores are 600 for the Critical Reading Section, 600 for the Writing Section, and 650 for the Mathematics Section.
For SAT I, all 3 Sections (i.e. Critical Reading Section, Writing Section and Mathematic Section) have to be taken in one sitting. Mixing and matching of different sections scores from various sitting cannot be accepted. => one of the stricter admissions requirements using SAT; c.f. Zhong Ming's post on how US Universities/Colleges view our SAT scores.

SAT II - Subject Tests
SAT II consists of 3 Subjects Test. The Subject Test, Mathematics Level II is compulsory. The two other Subjects Tests may be of your choice.

Compulsory subjects for the Subject Tests include :
Mathematics Level II
A second subject of your choice (excluding Mathematics Level I)
A third subject of your choice (excluding Mathematics Level I)

For SAT II, the 3 subjects can be taken in no more than two sittings, but within the period of one year. All other combinations or mixing of scores cannot be accepted. Please note that the old test format (SAT I & II) and the new test format (Reasoning Test and Subject Tests) cannot be combined. The validity of scores is five years, e.g. for applications closing on 28 February 2010, the validity period is from 28 February 2005 to 28 February 2010 (both dates inclusive).

The second and third subjects should be chosen based on the subject prerequisites of the courses you are applying for at NUS. For example, if you are applying for Chemical Engineering, you will need to choose Physics and Chemistry. If, however, you are applying for Business Administration, you may choose any subjects except Mathematics Level I. Just FYI for the many students considering medicine, it's Chemistry and Biology for medicine!
No minimum Subject Test scores have been stipulated. Mathematics Level II is a compulsory subject for all courses except Law. Applicants applying for admission to Law may take Mathematics Level I in lieu of Mathematics Level II.

Yup all the best for NUS applications!

Chui Yi