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 Gain direct admission to secondary school through the DSAE.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has been giving schools greater flexibility in their admission of students to allow a more diverse range of student achievements and talents to be recognised.The Direct School Admission Exercise (DSAE) enables selected schools to be more flexible in admitting pupils with achievements and talents aside from those assessed in the PSLE. Over 60 schools including Integrated Programme (IP), Independent, Autonomous and Niche Programme Schools can admit students under the DSAE.
Who qualifies for the DSAE?
Primary Six students with talent in areas such as sports, science or the arts may apply for secondary school under this exercise.
How is the DSAE carried out?
The DSAE takes place in three stages beginning from around the middle to the end
of the year. Do take note of these periods:
Selection Stage (June to September)
Exercise School Preference Stage (late October)
Results Release Stage (late November)
Each school has its own merit-based academic and non-academic criteria, based on qualities such as talent in science, music or sports that the schools consider their focus areas. Schools will conduct interviews, trials and tests during the first stage of the DSAE.
Which schools are taking part in the DSAE?
Under the Direct School Admission - Secondary Exercise (DSA-Sec), over 70 secondary schools will select some of their future Sec 1 students earlier using criteria other than the PSLE results. These criteria are schools-based and seek to allow a greater range of student achievements and talents to be recognised. For a list of the schools, click here
How many Sec 1 places will be offered under the DSAE?
As a general guideline, the number of Sec 1 places offered under DSAE are as follows:
| Type of School | Discretionary Places |
| Schools with Integrated Programme (IP) or Specialised Independent Schools (viz. NUSHS, SOTA, SST) |
Up to 100% |
| Independent Schools (without IP) |
20% |
| Autonomous Schools (without IP) |
10% |
| Niche Programme Schools |
5% |
How to prepare for the DSAE?
Participating schools under the DSAE provide information on their areas of selection criteria and how to apply on respective school websites. Encourage your child’s interest or skill. Look for proper coaching or training, practice and if your child is an artist or musician, develop a portfolio of work that your showcase. However, do note that your child still needs to attain a minimum academic standard, so be sure that he or she keeps up with schoolwork too.
What happens if my child not successful?
Your child would still be eligible to apply for another secondary school under the Secondary One Option (S1 Option) Exercise.
For more information on the DSAE, visit http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/admissions/dsa-sec/
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