SINGAPORE - The university admissions period is ongoing and applicants from polytechnics and junior colleges (JCs) are awaiting the results of their applications.

The good news for them is that this year, both the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are casting a wider net to consider more applicants through aptitude-based admissions, where achievements and talents outside of academics are considered.

The two universities are increasingly employing a broad set of qualitative assessments, including interviews, aptitude tests and portfolios, to assess an applicant’s potential beyond his or her grades.

They also take into account achievements in sports, arts, entrepreneurship and volunteer work. For students who have experienced setbacks, they ask how they overcame them.

NUS and NTU took in the bulk of the 18,500 students admitted into the six publicly funded universities in 2023, with NUS taking in over 7,400 freshmen and NTU taking in 6,400 students.

NTU said that in 2023, more than half – 57 per cent – of its 6,400 freshmen were offered places based on aptitude-based admissions. This is up from about a third of students, or 38 per cent, in 2019.

NUS declined to provide figures on the proportion of its freshmen in 2023 who been accepted through such aptitude-based schemes. It would only say that the number has increased significantly compared with five years ago.

The university said it has also expanded its holistic admissions process by introducing special schemes aimed at id...