Singapore university and polytechnic admission explained
How the A-Level University Admission Score works on the 70-point scale, how the ELR2B2 aggregate for polytechnic admission is worked out, and the other ways in.
The A-Level University Admission Score (70 points)
From the 2025 A-Level, the University Admission Score has a maximum of 70 points. It is worked out from your three H2 subjects and H1 General Paper. A fourth content-based subject (such as H1 Mother Tongue or a fourth H2 or H1 subject) counts only if it improves your score, which is then rebased to 70 points.
- Project Work is now Pass or Fail and is not part of the score, but a pass is required for the autonomous universities.
- H3 subjects are not counted in the score.
- Students who sat the A-Level in 2024 or earlier were scored out of 90 points. Check with your university how it treats those results.
Each university decides its own admission
The Ministry of Education sets only the minimum eligibility for the autonomous universities. Each university decides its own admission measures and the scores each programme needs, and many also look at interviews, portfolios and aptitude tests.
Polytechnic admission: ELR2B2
For polytechnic admission through the Joint Admissions Exercise, your O-Level grades are added up as ELR2B2: English, two subjects relevant to the course and your two best other subjects. Bonus points (for example for CCA) are taken off. The net aggregate must be 26 or less, or 28 or less for the Diploma in Nursing (ELR2B2-C), and each course sets its own minimum subject grades.
Polytechnic Early Admissions Exercise (Poly EAE)
The Poly EAE gives conditional offers before the O-Level results, based on your interests and aptitude. To confirm the offer you still need a net ELR2B2 of 26 or less (28 for the nursing diplomas). ITE students apply with their grade point average instead: 2.5 or better from a Higher Nitec or 3.5 or better from a Nitec (3.0 for the nursing diplomas).
What changes from 2028
From the 2028 admission exercise, the Secondary Education Certificate replaces the O-Level, with subjects at levels G1 to G3. Junior college and Millennia Institute admission moves to an L1R4 aggregate. The Ministry of Education's page on the changes has the details for polytechnics.
ELR2B2 calculator
Enter your O-Level grades (A1 = 1 to F9 = 9) and any bonus points. The Diploma in Nursing allows up to 28 (ELR2B2-C).
Nanyang Polytechnic: ranges admitted in 2026
The lowest and highest net ELR2B2 aggregate of students Nanyang Polytechnic admitted through the Joint Admissions Exercise in 2026, by course. The other polytechnics do not publish their ranges as open data.
| Course | Net ELR2B2 range |
|---|---|
| Common Business & Technology Programme (C24) | 5-16 |
| Biomedical Science with Analytics (C25) | 6-8 |
| Aerospace Engineering (C26) | 7-14 |
| Common Science Programme (C27) | 4-11 |
| Common Design & Media Programme (C28) | 8-16 |
| Animation, Games & Visual Effects (C29) | 4-12 |
| Communication & Motion Design (C30) | 9-19 |
| AI & Data Engineering (C31) | 6-12 |
| Experiential Product & Interior Design (C32) | 11-18 |
| Common Business Programme (C34) | 5-14 |
| Business & Financial Technology (C35) | 6-14 |
| Common ICT Programme (C36) | 5-18 |
| Architecture (C38) | 9-15 |
| Sustainability in Engineering with Business (C41) | 10-23 |
| Common Engineering Programme (C42) | 10-23 |
| Applied AI & Analytics (C43) | 7-10 |
| Applied Chemistry (C45) | 4-10 |
| Food & Beverage Business (C46) | 4-15 |
| Social Work (C47) | 7-12 |
| Biologics & Process Technology (C49) | 7-10 |
| Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics (C54) | 3-11 |
| Advanced & Digital Manufacturing (C62) | 10-26 |
| Pharmaceutical Science (C65) | 7-10 |
| Hospitality & Tourism Management (C67) | 11-15 |
| Food Science & Nutrition (C69) | 8-12 |
| Game Development & Technology (C70) | 6-15 |
| Biomedical Engineering (C71) | 7-12 |
| Oral Health Therapy (C72) | 5-9 |
| Chemical & Pharmaceutical Technology (C73) | 10-11 |
| Cloud Engineering (C75) | 9-21 |
| Sport & Wellness Management (C81) | 6-13 |
| Information Technology (C85) | 6-26 |
| Robotics & Mechatronics (C87) | 11-26 |
| Electronic & Computer Engineering (C89) | 5-25 |
| Media & Communication Management (C93) | 8-13 |
| Business Management (C94) | 5-14 |
| Banking & Finance (C96) | 5-11 |
| Nursing (C97) | 7-28 |
| Accountancy & Finance (C98) | 4-11 |
Contains information from Nanyang Polytechnic GCE O-Level Aggregate Cut-Off-Points by Course, accessed on 4 October 2026 from data.gov.sg, which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0 (https://data.gov.sg/open-data-licence).
Official pages
- Ministry of Education: 2025 A-Level results and the revised score
- Ministry of Education: polytechnic admission (JAE)
- Ministry of Education: Poly EAE
- Ministry of Education: changes from 2028
- National University of Singapore
- Nanyang Technological University
- Singapore Management University
- Singapore University of Technology and Design
- Singapore Institute of Technology
- Singapore University of Social Sciences
Admission rules explained in Peernovo's words from the Ministry of Education's published information. Peernovo's analysis is not endorsed by the Singapore Government.
Questions
Is the University Admission Score out of 90 or 70?
Out of 70 from the 2025 A-Level onwards. Project Work became Pass or Fail and no longer counts towards the score.
Why is there no University Admission Score calculator here?
We have not yet confirmed the official points for each grade from a Ministry of Education source, so we explain the rules instead of guessing the numbers.
Is a net ELR2B2 of 26 enough for any course?
No. 26 is the general limit to be considered. Popular courses admit students with much lower aggregates, and each course has its own minimum subject grades.
An estimate from the results you enter. Your university's academic record is the official figure.