Applying from Singapore (Expert Oxford & Cambridge Application Advice)
Entrance requirements & international qualifications
Oxford and Cambridge both accept the two main school leaving qualifications taken by students in Singapore – the GCE ‘A’ levels and the International Baccalaureate. In general, applicants will need a minimum of 3 A grades at the H2 level for the GCE ‘A’ levels, or 38 points on the IB to be invited for an interview, though these requirements may be higher for some subjects (especially in the sciences). In addition, grade requirements have been known to vary across colleges at Cambridge even for the same course.
Because there is no A* grade for the Singapore GCE ‘A’ level, courses that usually require A* grades for admission will waive this requirement for Singaporean applicants and will treat an A grade at the H2 level as an equivalent to an A* grade. However, some colleges at Cambridge have been known to require a distinction grade at the H3 level as part of their offers in lieu of an A* grade. Grades at the H1 level will almost always never matter for Oxbridge.
For the IB, the standard offer is 776 for the HL subjects with an overall minimum of 38 – 40 depending on the course. Some courses may require the 7 grades to be in specific HL subjects.
GCE ‘O’ level grades are required as part of the application process, but students in the Integrated Programme who have not taken the ‘O’ level examinations may submit their internal school results as a substitute.
Applicants from polytechnics or other nontraditional institutions who have taken neither the GCE ‘A’ levels nor the IB will be at a distinct disadvantage when applying to Oxbridge since the polytechnic diploma is not generally recognized as a school leaving qualification. However, all hope is not lost, for a savvy applicant can still be successful at gaining admission to Oxbridge even with a nontraditional background. Oxford and Cambridge accept a wide variety of qualifications as equivalent, and applicants from Singapore are not bound to use Singaporean qualifications when applying to Oxbridge. One way to meet the entrance requirements of Oxford (but not Cambridge) is to take the SAT and 3 SAT subject tests. The SAT and SAT subject tests are available to be taken four times a year and require far less preparation than do the ‘A’ level examinations, which will allow nontraditional applicants to quickly obtain the necessary minimum qualification to apply for a place at Oxford. A minimum score of 1400 out of 1600 is required for the reasoning test, and a minimum score of 700 is required for each of the three subject tests.
Language requirements
In general, successful Singaporean applicants who have completed their secondary education in Singapore will not be asked for proof of English proficiency as part of the offer conditions for admission. However, this rule does not seem to be uniformly applied across colleges and some offer holders have been asked to sit for and achieve certain scores on the IELTS or the TOEFL as part of their offer conditions. A score of 7.5 on the IELTS and a score of 110 on the TOEFL are required at the higher level (though this requirement is lowered for computer science, mathematics and statistics).
Interview and test arrangements
If invited for an interview, applicants will have the choice of either attending the interview in person or doing a remote interview (via Skype) at a designated location (usually at the Raffles Institution campus). Applicants who can spare the time and money are encouraged to attend the interview on-site at the universities. While the mode in which the interview is conducted is (in principle) not supposed to affect the outcome, some of the nonverbal communication between interviewer and interviewee may be lost in transmission in the videoconference medium, and with competition as stiff as it is applicants should not lose out on any advantage they can get.
Some courses will require special tests as part of the interview process. The tests required for the subjects most popular among Singaporeans are:
The Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT) is required for law at Oxford (as well as for most popular law schools in the UK);
The Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is required for medicine at both Oxford and Cambridge;
The Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) is required for Economics and Management, Experimental Psychology, Human Sciences, Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), Psychology and Linguistics, Psychology and Philosophy at Oxford;
The Economics Admissions Assessment (ECAA) for economics at Cambridge;
The Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) for mathematics and some other maths-based subjects at Cambridge, and the Mathematics Aptitude Test (MAT) for mathematics at Oxford;
The Natural Sciences Admissions Assessment (NSAA) for natural sciences at Cambridge;
The Physics Aptitude Test (PAT) for physics at Oxford;
The History Aptitude Test (HAT) for history and related courses at Oxford
The list above is not exhaustive; please refer to the individual course pages for more specific course requirements. Most of these tests will be held either in a school or in a designated testing center (e.g. the Pearson testing centre). Note that some tests (such as the LNAT) require an examination fee.
Please register for these tests before the registration deadlines! Missing a deadline for an entrance test is a surprisingly common and costly mistake and may preclude an applicant from being considered for an interview altogether since the testing requirement is almost never waived.
Fees and funding
Singaporeans are charged international fees at Oxbridge, which usually consists of a base tuition fee and a separate college fee. The tuition for Oxford is between £16,230 and £23,885 for most courses, with an additional £7,570 in college fees. The tuition for Cambridge is between £20,157 and £30,678 for most courses with additional college fees of between £6,850 and £12,700. Note that the tuition increases every year.
There is virtually no funding from the universities for undergraduate studies, so students will have to either pay the fees out of their own pockets or obtain an external scholarship/grant to fund their studies. Many Singaporean students at Oxbridge fund their studies with scholarships offered by the Public Service Commission (PSC) and by the various branches of the Singapore government (including the military). Scholarships are also available from private companies such as the Singapore Press Holdings, the Changi Airport Group, Singapore Airlines, and JTC.
While most of the abovementioned scholarships require the scholars to work for the sponsoring organization for some minimum period (usually 6 years) upon graduation, there are two scholarships which are notable for being bond-free: the Jardine Scholarship and the Loke Cheng-Kim Foundation scholarship. The Jardine Scholarship is offered by the Jardine Foundation and is available for applicants to specific colleges at Oxford and Cambridge; the Loke Cheng-Kim Foundation scholarship aims to fund studies in areas which are under-represented in other scholarship awards, such as Natural Sciences, Environment, Horticulture, Humanities and the Performing Arts. Both these scholarships cover full tuition fees and living expenses for the entire duration of the undergraduate degree.
Visas and immigration information
Singaporean students will be on the Tier 4 student visa for the duration of their studies in the UK. After being accepted into Oxford or Cambridge, the relevant college administrator will usually send a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) letter to the admitted student after verifying the admitted student’s educational credentials. The actual application process comprises of dropping off one’s passport at the VFS Global Centre and collecting it 2-3 weeks later with the physical visa attached. This process is usually uneventful and expeditious for Singaporean applicants.
While the Tier 4 visa allows its holders to complete internships during university vacations, it does not allow for full time employment in permanent positions. Students who wish to remain in the UK after graduation for permanent jobs will have to switch to a separate work visa.
Life at Oxford
Singaporeans are among the largest groups of international students at both Oxford and Cambridge, which is remarkable given the small population of the city state. The Singaporean communities in Oxford and Cambridge are both tight-knit and supportive, and there are numerous opportunities to network and socialise with other Singaporeans at the regular events organised by the Oxford University Malaysian and Singaporean Students’ Association (OUMSSA) and Cambridge University Malaysian and Singaporean Students’ Association (CUMSSA) at Oxford and Cambridge respectively.
Let us know if you have any questions about this article or anything related to applying from Singapore.
