Citizens who Apply to Read Medicine in Local Universities and Are Rejected

Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Education (a) in the past five years, how many Singapore Citizens applied to study medicine in our local Universities but were rejected due to (i) not meeting the entry requirements (ii) meeting the entry requirements but there were not enough places in the University and (iii) other reasons, and what are these; (b) what are these entry requirements; and (c) how do these requirements compare with those of foreign universities whose qualifications we accept for medical practice in Singapore.

Admission to Medicine programmes in the Autonomous Universities (AUs) is a rigorous process based on merit. Applicants are required to meet minimum academic prerequisites as stated on the AUs’ websites, and present personal portfolios with positive referee reports. Shortlisted candidates are required to undergo interviews, where they are assessed not only on academic ability, but also attributes, such as care for others and good communication skills.

The medical schools at NUS and NTU attract applications from many highly-qualified Singaporean students. Of the Singapore Citizens who applied to Medicine in NUS and NTU in the last five years, about 2,400 applicants per year, on average, were rejected. About two-thirds of those rejected did not meet the admissions criteria as determined by the respective medical schools.

The list of foreign medical schools whose qualifications are accepted for medical practice in Singapore is governed by the Medical Registration Act, which is publicly accessible. We do not track admissions criteria in overseas universities.

To meet manpower needs in the medical sector, the Government has increased the pipeline of locally-trained doctors over the last 10 years by raising the combined intake in the medical schools by about 60% from around 320 in 2010 to 510 in 2019.

We will continue to balance and cater to the manpower needs of the various sectors across the economy. To ensure a fair share of talent to meet the diverse needs of the various sectors, all manpower planning must be considered holistically as a system in totality and not in isolation.