SOUTHEAST ASIA · SINGAPORE
Students in Singapore finish school with different qualifications: Singapore-Cambridge A Levels, the IB Diploma, a polytechnic diploma, or the NUS High School Diploma, among others. Yours shapes where you can apply directly and what each university will ask of you. If you’re a Singaporean or permanent resident (PR) man, National Service shapes your timing, too.
For 2027 entry
START WITH YOUR QUALIFICATION
The Singapore-Cambridge A Level is Singapore’s own national exam, with subjects at three levels: H1, H2, and H3. Universities abroad set separate rules for it, as they do for polytechnic and NUS High School diplomas.
SINGAPORE-CAMBRIDGE A LEVELS
You take subjects at H1 or at the fuller H2 level, and H3 lets you go further in a subject. You sit the exams at the end of the year and get your results in late February.
INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE
You take six subjects, three or four at Higher Level, plus the core. Depending on your school, you sit the final exams in May or November.
POLYTECHNIC
You study one field in depth at a polytechnic and graduate with a diploma and a grade point average (GPA).
NUS HIGH SCHOOL
NUS High School of Mathematics and Science awards its own diploma, graded with a GPA.
Letrado’s adviceAsk your school early how it reports your grades and subjects to universities abroad, especially if you’ll apply before your results arrive.
Oxford: Your three H2 subjects must include any your course requires. H2 Knowledge and Inquiry and H3 don’t count toward an offer, but you can draw on H3 work in your personal statement.
Cambridge: It encourages relevant H3 subjects. If you plan to take Knowledge and Inquiry as a fourth H2, ask your college first.
If you take UK A Levels: Singapore’s universities list them separately from Singapore-Cambridge A Levels, often with different dates. Check each university’s page for international qualifications.
Oxford: For a polytechnic diploma, contact the department for your course first. For the NUS High School Diploma, the GPA it asks for rises with the course’s usual offer, and some required subjects need higher marks.
Cambridge: For a polytechnic diploma, relevant modules matter, so talk to a college first. For science courses, it says a diploma on its own isn’t suitable preparation.
NTU’s dates: NTU takes polytechnic applications from 1 to 21 February 2027, and NUS High School Diploma applications from 1 December 2026 to 20 January 2027.
COMPARE THE SYSTEMS
You can apply to all three in the same year, and we help with all three, including NUS, NTU, and SMU. Each has its own application, deadlines, and idea of a strong applicant, so give each one its own plan.
UNITED STATES
Selective colleges look at your grades in the context of your school, alongside your essays, activities, teacher and counselor letters, and test scores where they ask for them. You apply to each college separately, often through the Common App.
Letrado’s adviceMake sure your school profile and counselor letter explain your curriculum. Then use your essays for what only you can say.
UNITED KINGDOM
You apply through UCAS to up to five courses, with one personal statement for all of them. Universities look closely at your subjects and predicted grades, and some courses add an admissions test or interview.
Letrado’s adviceChoose a subject you’d enjoy studying for three years, then check each course’s subject requirements before anything else.
SINGAPORE
NUS, NTU, SMU, and Singapore’s other universities set their own windows for each qualification and look closely at your results. NTU’s aptitude-based admissions also consider your interests and strengths, through short written answers, appraisals, and sometimes an interview.
Letrado’s adviceKeep a local option you’d be glad to take, and put its dates on the same calendar as your overseas applications.
EducationUSA Singapore, run by the U.S. Embassy, offers free advising sessions on studying in the U.S., which you can request through its website. It also runs webinars with schools, college fairs, and alumni events.
PLAN YOUR YEAR
U.S., UK, and Singapore deadlines, results, and replies fall at different times. Seeing them together shows where you may need to decide before every answer is in.
UK Oct 15
18:00 UK time.
Singapore From Oct 15
Closing dates vary, up to March 19, 2027.
U.S. Often Nov 1
Harvard’s and Yale’s are both November 1.
Singapore From Dec 16
They close between January 4 and February 17, 2027.
Exam results Mid-December
U.S. Often Jan 1 or 2
Harvard’s is January 1, and Yale’s is January 2.
UK Jan 13
18:00 UK time.
Exam results Feb 19–23
The tentative window for the exams you sit at the end of 2026.
Singapore Feb 1–21
Singapore Feb 18 to Mar 19
NUS opens late on February 18, and NTU from results day. Both close March 19.
U.S. Late March
Harvard’s come by the end of March, and Yale’s in late March.
Singapore Mar 15
Already open. You can apply before your results.
U.S. May 1
The usual U.S. reply date.
Singapore By the third week of May
After the usual U.S. reply date.
Exam results Early July
In 2026 they came out on July 6.
Singapore By the third week of July
U.S. dates vary by college, so check each college’s own page. SMU and Singapore’s other universities publish their own windows, so check them as the year goes on.
TRY THIS WITH EACH UNIVERSITY ON YOUR LIST
Open each university’s own pages and note an answer for every row. Bring the gaps and questions to our conversation, or work through them with your counselor.
| What to check | What to note for each university |
|---|---|
| Your qualification | Does it list your Singapore qualification, and what grades does it ask for? |
| Subjects and tests | Which subjects, grades, English tests, or admissions tests does the course need? |
| Dates | When is the deadline, when will you hear back, and when must you reply? |
| National Service | If you’ll serve NS first, will the university hold your place until you finish? |
| Full cost in Singapore dollars | Tuition, housing, flights, insurance, and visas for the whole degree, and again with a weaker Singapore dollar. |
| Would you go? | If this were your only offer, would you be glad to go? |
PLAN THE COST
A U.S. bachelor’s degree usually takes four years, and many UK degrees take three. Exchange rates add up over that time, so plan for the full degree, not just the first year.
YOUR YEARLY BUDGET
Letrado’s adviceRun your budget twice: once at today’s exchange rate and once with the Singapore dollar 10% weaker. Keep at least one option that still works.
UK Student visa: You can apply up to six months before your course starts, and a decision usually takes about three weeks. You pay the health surcharge for every year of your visa when you apply.
U.S. student (F-1) visa: You apply once your college has sent your I-20 form.
Registration and service: You register at 16½, and full-time NS lasts two years. A Level holders usually enlist between January and April, and diploma holders between May and October.
Deferment: CMPB defers NS while you finish A Levels, a diploma, or similar pre-university study, at home or overseas within age limits, but not for degree courses.
Starting a degree with your cohort: CMPB may let you pause NS to start a degree with your school cohort (it calls this disruption). You need an unconditional offer from an eligible university and must apply through OneNS three months ahead, then finish your NS later in one continuous period.
Singapore’s universities: If you apply in your final school year and are admitted, NTU reserves your place until you finish NS. NUS reserves a place for you while you serve full-time NS, and you enroll once you’ve finished or been granted disruption.
Universities abroad: Harvard considers two-year deferrals for military service, subject to approval. Most Cambridge colleges will consider a place deferred for two years if you ask in your My Cambridge Application.
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