PFP Joint Admissions Exercise - FAQs (2024)

6. Are Normal (Technical) students able to apply for the PFP?

ANS: No. Secondary 4 Normal (Technical) students will continue to benefit from other available progression pathways such as the two- or three-year Nitec courses, or the three-year Higher Nitec courses at ITE that provide a strong skills-based foundation in preparation for employment.

7. Are Secondary 4 Express and Secondary 5 students able to apply for the PFP?

ANS: No. These students should use their GCE O-Level results to apply directly to polytechnic diploma courses at the Year 1 level via the Joint Admission Exercise (JAE) or Direct Admissions Exercise (DAE) in January 2024.

8. Are current Secondary 5 students able to apply for the PFP using their results in their Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) year?

ANS: No. Students who are currently in Secondary 5 are encouraged to complete their secondary education and sit for the GCE O-Level examinations. They may subsequently apply to courses in the polytechnics and ITE upon completion of their GCE O-Level examinations at the end of their Secondary 5 year.

9. If a student does not do well for his / her GCE O-Level examination upon completion of Secondary 4 Express or Secondary 5, can he / she still apply for the PFP?

ANS: No. The PFP is designed to provide one year of foundational learning to prepare well-performing Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students for entry into polytechnic diploma courses, in lieu of Secondary 5. Secondary 4 Express and Secondary 5 students who do not qualify for entry to the polytechnics can explore other options, such as retaking their GCE O-Level examinations, applying for admission to a relevant ITE course, etc. Apart from preparing them for a career relevant to their training, students may also use their ITE certification to apply for admission to polytechnic if they subsequently meet the eligibility requirements.

10. Are candidates from non-MOE schools able to apply for the PFP?

ANS: The PFP is designed primarily for eligible Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students from MOE secondary schools. However, well-performing students from Pathlight School, Prison School, and the Singapore Sports School who meet the eligibility criteria may apply for the PFP to continue with their education journey in our polytechnics.

11. How may a student apply for the PFP?

ANS: The PFP admissions exercise will commence in January 2024 following the release of the GCE O-Level examination results. Eligible Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students will receive a copy of 'Form P' which includes:

i. Students' computed raw ELMAB3 aggregate scores (excluding CCA points);
ii. The list of PFP courses that students are eligible to apply for; and
iii. A unique PIN code, which students should use to create their application accounts on the PFP Portal at https://pfp.polytechnic.edu.sg/PFP/pfp_application.html.

All Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who intend to apply for the PFP should report for Secondary 5 on 2 January 2024, even if they have met the PFP eligibility criteria based on their GCE N-Level results received in December 2023. Eligible students will subsequently be able to submit their applications for the PFP upon release of the GCE O-Level results. If their applications are successful, they will be required to attend classes up till the last Friday of January. The polytechnics will contact PFP-bound students regarding enrolment and matriculation in February / March 2024.

12.How many course choices do students have?

ANS: Eligible Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students are allowed to submit up to five PFP course choices in their application. Students are strongly encouraged to consider their course choices carefully together with their parents and teachers and make decisions according to their interests and aptitudes. As admission to PFP courses may be highly competitive, there is no guarantee that students will be offered a place in a course within their five choices. Students may then be offered a place in another PFP course with remaining vacancies.

13.Does a student who is confident of getting into the PFP with his / her ELMAB3 aggregate still have to report for Secondary 5 in January?

ANS: Being eligible to apply for the PFP does not guarantee placement into a PFP course. As PFP application results are only released in late January, it is important for Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students to continue with Secondary 5 and not miss the first month of the Secondary 5 curriculum, which prepares students for the GCE O-Level examination.

14.Can students leave school immediately after accepting a PFP offer?

ANS: No. All PFP-bound students will be required to attend classes up till the last Friday of January (i.e. 26 January 2024).

15. Will students be required to pay school fees for January?

ANS: Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who accept a PFP offer and eventually enrol in the PFP will not be required to pay school fees for January.

16.Will students have to buy Secondary 5 textbooks and other materials?

ANS: Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who meet the PFP eligibility criteria and intend to apply for the PFP should consult their schools directly on the textbooks and materials they need to purchase.

17. What should students who are interested in both PFP and the Direct-Entry-Scheme to Polytechnic Programme (DPP) do, given that DPP application is in December and PFP application is in January?

ANS: Before applying for the PFP and/or the DPP, students are encouraged to consider carefully their interests and strengths, as well as the courses offered under both programmes.

For more information on the PFP and DPP, as well as the courses offered, students may refer to the PFP website (https://pfp.polytechnic.edu.sg/PFP/index.html) or the DPP website (https://www.ite.edu.sg/admissions/full-time-courses/higher-nitec/direct-entry-scheme-to-polytechnic-programme). One option for Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who are interested in both the PFP and DPP is to first progress to Secondary 5 and then apply for both the PFP and DPP upon release of the GCE O-Level examination results in January.

18.Can students apply for both the PFP and DPP at the same time?

ANS: Yes. However, if the student is offered a place in both the PFP and DPP, he/she may only accept one course offer. Students who accept both offers will have both offers voided.

If the student has already accepted his/her DPP offer, his/her secondary school will contact him/her if he/she is eligible for PFP and collect the PFP eligibility form (Form P), after the release of the GCE O-Level results. If the student decides to apply for and accepts his/her PFP offer in January, he/she will need to apply for withdrawal from the DPP course. Applicant can apply for refund of his/her DPP enrolment fees, subject to ITE’s approval.

19. Can students appeal for a different course in the PFP if they do not like the one offered to them?

ANS: Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who have been offered a place in the PFP may submit an appeal for a change of course through the PFP portal upon the release of the PFP posting results. Alternatively, they may reject their PFP offers and continue with Secondary 5/DPP.

Students who have submitted their appeals through the PFP portal will be able to check their results on the same portal. Students who are successful in their appeal will have up to three working days to accept or reject their new PFP offer, following which the offer will be voided. The original PFP offer will be voided, regardless of whether the student accepts the new PFP offer. If the appeal is unsuccessful, he / she has the option of accepting the original PFP offer or rejecting the offer and continuing with Secondary 5/DPP.

20. Why can't all PFP-eligible students be offered a course of their choice?

ANS: Admissions to PFP courses are highly competitive and based on merit. Students may speak to the course counsellors at the respective polytechnics during the PFP application and acceptance period in January to learn more about the various PFP courses. Students can also choose not to accept PFP offers that were not among their choices. These students can instead continue with Secondary 5, which allows them the option of re-applying for polytechnic admission for a course of their choice upon completion of their GCE O-Level examinations.

21. Are CCA grades considered for admission to the PFP?

ANS: Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students are only eligible for the PFP if their raw ELMAB3 aggregates (excluding CCA Bonus Points) are less than or equal to 12 points.

After determining students' eligibility for the PFP based on their raw ELMAB3 aggregates, CCA bonus points are taken into consideration for posting to a PFP course, which is carried out by merit in open competition against other applicants. CCA bonus points for the PFP are computed as follows:

CCA attainment Excellent: 2 bonus points
CCA attainment Good: 1 bonus point
Example:

Raw ELMAB3 = 10
Net ELMAB3 = 10 - 2 (CCA bonus points) = 8

22. Can students combine their GCE N-Level results from different years for ELMAB3 aggregate computation?

ANS: No. The computation of ELMAB3 aggregate will only include the results from the GCE N-Level or GCE O-Level examinations in the academic year that immediately precedes the students' applications. The only exception is for Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students who have sat for their GCE O-Level Mother Tongue (MT) examinations in the immediate preceding year i.e. during their Secondary 3 Normal (Academic) year. These students are allowed to use the better of their GCE N-Level or GCE O-Level MT results (including their O-Level MT results in Secondary 3 in the preceding year) in the computation of their ELMAB3 aggregates.

23.Are there courses that are suitable for students with specific learning needs?

ANS: Secondary 4 Normal (Academic) students with special educational needs are advised to consult the polytechnics' Special Educational Needs (SEN) Support Offices to discuss the range of PFP courses available, requirements for each course, and support available for students with SEN, before submitting their PFP application. More details on the SEN Support Offices can be found on the websites of the respective polytechnics.

24. Are students allowed to transfer to a different PFP course or polytechnic from what they have enrolled in?

ANS: Students who have enrolled in a PFP course are strongly encouraged to complete the PFP course that they are enrolled in, and are not allowed to transfer to a different polytechnic once they have accepted their PFP offer.

25. Are students allowed to transfer to a different diploma course in the same polytechnic after completing the PFP?

ANS: Students are strongly encouraged to continue to their pre-selected polytechnic diplomas after completing the PFP. Students are therefore advised to carefully consider their PFP course choices at the point of application and acceptance. Requests for transfers will only be considered on a case-by-case basis, and the polytechnics’ rules regarding course transfers apply to all students, including PFP students. Students should contact the individual polytechnics for more information.

26.What happens if students discontinue or fail the PFP?

ANS: Students who discontinue or fail the PFP may apply for admission to ITE's Nitec or 3-year Higher Nitec programmes via the Joint Intake Exercise 'N'. Students who wish to pursue their GCE O-Level examinations may register as private candidates, or approach their secondary schools for re-admission in January the following year, subject to availability of vacancies.

Students are not allowed to repeat the PFP. They are encouraged to remain committed to the PFP, and progress to their pre-selected polytechnic diploma courses upon successful completion of the PFP by passing all PFP modules.

27.Are Financial Assistance schemes available to PFP students?

ANS: There are PFP Bursary schemes disbursed by the polytechnics that help students cope with the cost of polytechnic education. Please contact the polytechnics for more information.

28. How are students assessed during the PFP? Upon completion of the PFP, will students be admitted into the first or second year of polytechnic courses?

ANS: The assessment structure for the PFP foundational year comprises a mix of coursework assignments, projects, class tests and/or end-of-semester examinations to ensure that students will be able to cope with the rigour of the diploma course. Upon passing all their PFP modules, students will progress to the first year of their pre-selected polytechnic diploma courses.

29. Are PFP students able to apply to local universities without GCE O-Level qualifications?

ANS: All polytechnic diploma graduates, including PFP students, may apply to local universities upon completion of their polytechnic diploma courses. Applicants will be assessed based on their polytechnic academic results, as well as any other academic and non-academic achievements presented for admission. Interviews and aptitude tests may also be administered. Diploma graduates with PFP qualifications will not be disadvantaged even though they do not have GCE O-Level qualifications.

30.Is the PFP recognised at the workplace?

ANS: The PFP is not a work-ready qualification on its own. Upon successful completion of the PFP, students are expected to matriculate into their pre-selected polytechnic diploma courses to obtain a diploma qualification.