Secondary Education (High School)

After completing grade 6 of primary school, students take the national Primary School Leaving Examination, the results of which determine which secondary education track the student then follows: "Special", "Express", "Normal (Academic)", or "Normal (Technical)"

“Special” and “Express” are four-year courses leading to a Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Ordinary-level (O-level) exam. The difference between Special and Express is that the former's native languages — English and the mother tongue — are taught at a higher level as Higher Mother Tongue, and are thus more difficult. “Normal” is a four-year course leading up to a Normal-level (N-level) exam, with the possibility of a fifth year followed by an O-level. “Normal (Technical)” study is more technical, with courses such as Design and Technology, while the “Normal (Academic)” courses prepare students to take the O-level exam and normally include subjects such as Principles of Accounting.

The Integrated Programme or the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has become an increasingly popular alternative to normal secondary education. These programs lead to either an International Baccalaureate Diploma or to the GCE A-level. They are taught at some public and private/international schools.

International students are admitted to public secondary schools based on available vacancies; availability of spaces is more certain at private secondary schools.

Junior Colleges (Pre-University Studies)

Admission to pre-university courses at junior colleges or centralised institutes is determined by the L1R5 (first language + 5 relevant subjects) scoring system, which is based on 'O' Level results. Junior colleges offer two-year university preparatory courses and centralised institutes offer three-year courses.  Pre-university studies include two required subjects, the General Paper and Mother Tongue, and up to four Singapore-Cambridge General Certificate of Education Advanced GCE (A-Level) subjects from the Arts, Science or Commerce Courses.  At the end of the pre-university course, students take the GCE 'A' Level examination, which is a pre-requisite for many universities.

Polytechnics

Polytechnics offer a more industry-oriented education as an alternative to junior colleges for post-secondary studies. They accept students based on their GCE "O" level, GCE "A" level or Institute of Technical Education (ITE) results. There are 5 Polytechnics in Singapore that offer 3-year diploma courses in various fields, such as engineering, business studies, accounting, tourism and hospitality management, mass communications, nursing and others. Graduates of polytechnics with good grades can continue to pursue further tertiary education at the universities.

Institutes of Technical Education

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is an alternative post-secondary institution for students who want to develop their technical skills and knowledge in various industry sectors.  After two years of study, ITE graduates receive a certificate and can either enter the workforce or continue on to polytechnics or universities. In addition, ITEs provide continuing education programs for working adults. There are 10 ITE Colleges in Singapore.

Universities

There are two public and two private universities in Singapore. The public institutions (National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University) have over 20,000 students each and offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in a range of subjects. Both are established research universities with thousands of research staff and graduate students.

Singapore Management University (SMU), a private university funded by the government, specializes in management and business courses. Another private university, SIM University (UniSIM), opened in 2006. In addition, there are more than ten other private tertiary institutions offering undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

An undergraduate (Bachelor’s) degree requires 3 years of study and a postgraduate study require 2 years for a Master’s degree and 3 or more for a Ph.D.

In addition to local universities, many of the world's leading foreign universities have either set up a physical campus in Singapore or have joint programs with local universities. For example, the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Duke University and the University of New South Wales have set up campuses in Singapore. Foreign universities with collaborative programs with Singapore universities include Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, German Institute of Science & Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

Private Schools

There are more than 300 private commercial, IT, fine arts and language schools in Singapore that offer various courses at the certificate, diploma, bachelor and postgraduate levels.