Admission of Polytechnic Graduates to Degree Courses at Local Universities

Asst Prof Tan Kheng Boon Eugene asked the Minister for Education (a) what is the number of local Polytechnic graduates who have been admitted to the Architecture, Dentistry, Law and Medical undergraduate courses in NUS and SMU in the past 10 years; and (b) what accounts for the low admission rates of our local Polytechnic graduates for degree courses in Dentistry, Law and Medicine.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: Over the past 10 years, about 200 local Polytechnic graduates have been admitted to the Architecture, Dentistry, Law and Medicine undergraduate courses in NUS and SMU.

A Polytechnic diploma is a work-ready qualification. Many Polytechnic graduates, therefore, progress directly into the workforce. Of the local Polytechnic graduates who apply to degree programmes, the majority apply to Engineering, Computing and Business. Far fewer apply to Architecture, Dentistry, Law and Medicine. The intakes for Dentistry, Law and Medicine are also small, and admissions to these programmes are, therefore, very competitive.