Application Procedure
Application For a Course in Private Education Institutions : In Singapore , Schools and Universities are highly selective in the enrolment of students. Students may be required to attain certain proficiency in English language to qualify for courses in Singapore schools. Each application may takes about 2-4 weeks, depending on individual schools. Therefore, it is advisable for foreign students to apply for admission within about 2 months before the start of each program/intake if the Private Education Organizations (PEO) School is awarded the Service Quality Class (SQC) . Registration may take longer for schools which are not awarded with Service Quality Class (SQC) . Schools may take up to 2 weeks to process and evaluate your course applications. If you qualify for a course, the school may offer you a placement for your desired course.
Offer Of Placement :
¶ If your application is successful, your school will issue you a Letter of Offer for the course you applied for in 2-3 days
¶ If you do not have a passport, you may use the Letter of Offer to apply for a Passport You are required to accept the school offer and make payment for course fees or any fees required for the course.
Acceptance Of School Offer :
¶ Tuition fees or any fees required are to be paid to the School (initial or full payment) by mail to accept the offer of placement. Payment can be by bank draft/cheque.
¶ Upon arrival in Singapore , official receipt will be issued to student by the school.
Confirmation of Enrolment :
¶ Student will receive a letter of confirmation of his/her enrollment for the chosen course. They will also be covered under the Student Insurance Scheme or Student Tuition Fee Account (ESCROW)
¶ Your school may require you to pay for Insurance Premium or ESCROW Bank Charges before or after your arrival in Singapore (some schools may waive the fee.
¶ You may use your letter of confirmation to apply for a student pass (See Student Pass Application)
Application for Entry Visa :
¶ If required, students who have collected their new passports are required to send a photocopy of their passport to the school via mail, fax or email.
¶ The School will issue a Single Journey Visa and Letter of Payment (upon request) to the student (Time required: 2-4 business days).
Student Pass Application – Below are Documents Required for Course and Student Pass Application
¶ Birth Certificate photocopy (certified/notarized for VISA required countries)
¶ All Educational Certificates and transcripts (certified/notarized copy)
¶ Five (5) recent passport-sized photographs of applicant
¶ Personal particular pages of applicant’s travel document (photocopy)
¶ For VISA required countries: Bank statement / fixed deposit account / saving account . (certified/notarized copy). Bank statement is for documentary proof of financial ability to study & stay in Singapore . It can be from the applicant or applicant’s parents, and the applicant’s parents’ income slip.
¶ For Master Programmes only: Applicant’s resume. Additional employer’s letter certifying Applicant’s occupation and salary or testimonial will be an advantage.
All documents have to be certified and translated to English if the originals are not in English
Eligilibility Criteria
Reference from Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA)
Any foreigner wishing to pursue full-time studies in Singapore need to apply to an institution that :
¶ registered with the Ministry of Education (MOE); or
¶ is not required to register by MOE and has obtained permission from the Commissioner, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to accept foreign students; or
¶ is licensed by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) to operate as a Childcare centre.
A foreigner is exempted from applying for a Student’s Pass if he/ she is a :
¶ Dependant’s Pass holder studying in a Government/ Government-Aided/ Independent school/ Foreign System School / Kindergarten registered with MOE or Childcare centre licensed by MCYS;
¶ Immigration Exemption Order holder; and
¶ Visitor who has been granted a short term Social Visit Pass at the Singapore Checkpoint and wish to attend a short course that can be completed within the validity of the initial Social Visit Pass granted to him/her at the Singapore Checkpoint or 30 days, whichever is shorter. It must satisfy two other criteria, that are, the course :
1. Must be a complete module and stand-alone module of its own. Courses with multiple programme modules are excluded from this Student’s Pass exemption scheme; and
2. Must not involve hands-on practical occupational training and/or industrial attachment which have interaction with walk-in customers or be conducted at premises that are also places of business, e.g. hair salons and beauty salons.
Procedure
To apply for a Student’s Pass, applicant must first be accepted by an approved Private Education Organization, a Kindergartens registered with Ministry of Education or a Childcare centre licensed by Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to pursue an approved full-time course.
With EDB’s launch of the new initiatives under the Education Excellence Framework from 1 Dec 2004 , all private education organizations will need to have the CaseTrust-endorsed Student Protection Scheme to offer school placement for international students. With effect from 1 Dec 2004 , Student’s Pass applications will be accepted only if there is an accompanying “Acknowledgement for Student Escrow” or “Confirmation of Student Insurance”