Deferment for studies
Deferment cut-off age for further studies
Pre-enlistees can be granted deferment from full-time National Service (NS) to pursue full-time studies up to GCE ‘A’ Level, polytechnic diploma, or their equivalent pre-university qualification.
If you have already attained a GCE ‘A’ Level, polytechnic diploma or equivalent qualification, be it locally or overseas, you will not be granted deferment to pursue another equivalent qualification. You will also not be granted deferment to pursue studies below GCE ‘A’ Level, polytechnic diploma or their equivalent qualifications.
Deferment will not be granted for degree courses, regardless if your studies have begun.
Please also note that you will have to meet the cut-off age to be eligible for deferment.
If you have just returned from an overseas course of study, please contact us to make arrangements to submit documentation of your overseas education. We will advise you on your eligibility for deferment from full-time NS for further studies.
Type of course you wish to pursue | School | Deferment cut-off age |
---|---|---|
GCE ‘A’ Level, NUS High School Diploma or International Baccalaureate Diploma course |
|
19 years old for Secondary 4 students
20 years old for Secondary 5 students |
Diploma course |
|
19 years old for Secondary 4 students
20 years old for Secondary 5 students
21 years old for Nitec or higher Nitec students2 |
Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP), followed by Diploma course |
|
|
National ITE Certificate (Nitec) course |
|
19 years old for Secondary 4 students
20 years old for Secondary 5 students |
Higher Nitec course |
|
19 years old for Secondary 4 students
20 years old for Secondary 5 or Nitec students |
ITE Traineeship Scheme |
|
19 years old |
GCE ‘N’ or ‘O’ Level course |
|
No deferment cut-off age |
Other courses3 |
|
19 years old for Secondary 4 students
20 years old for Secondary 5, Nitec or higher Nitec students |
1 For Technical Engineer Diploma and Technical Diploma at ITE, deferment will be granted for the academic phase of the courses only.
2 If you are a Nitec or Higher Nitec student but do not meet the deferment cut-off age for diploma courses or PFP, your request for deferment will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
3 Deferment for other courses will be considered on a stage-by-stage basis (e.g. a Certificate course and a diploma course, if packaged together, will be treated as separate courses for the purpose of granting deferment). A new application for deferment must be made to us before the commencement of a new stage of studies.
4 For BCA Academy’s Diploma courses and Pre-Diploma Foundation Programme.
Deferment for overseas studies
You may be granted deferment to pursue full-time overseas studies (up to the GCE 'A’ Level, polytechnic diploma or their equivalent qualifications) if you are younger than 19 years old (for Secondary 4 students) or 20 years old (for Secondary 5 and ITE students) as at 1 January of the year you commence your course.
You may be required to apply for an Exit Permit and furnish a bond. Please refer to our page on Exit Permit and bond for the requirements.
Determine your eligibility for deferment
You can use our deferment calculator to determine if you are eligible for deferment.
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For Technical Engineer Diploma and Technical Diploma at ITE, deferment will be granted for the academic phase of the courses only. ↩
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If you are a Nitec or Higher Nitec student but do not meet the deferment cut-off age for diploma courses or PFP, your request for deferment will be considered on a case-by-case basis. ↩
-
Deferment for other courses will be considered on a stage-by-stage basis (e.g. a Certificate course and a diploma course, if packaged together, will be treated as separate courses for the purpose of granting deferment). A new application for deferment must be made to us before the commencement of a new stage of studies. ↩
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For BCA Academy’s Diploma courses and Pre-Diploma Foundation Programme. ↩