Students with better grades applying to Singapore Institute of Technology

First-year SIT students Toh Ke Han (left) and Irvin Yeon Jun Fu. SIT received nearly 13,000 admission applications in the 2022 academic year. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

SINGAPORE - More students who have scored better grades than previous cohorts are applying to take up courses at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). 

The institution, which became Singapore’s fifth autonomous university in 2014, recorded a greater than 20 per cent increase in the number of applicants who scored a grade point average (GPA) of between 3.6 and 4 in 2022, compared with 2021. 

The highest possible GPA is 4. 

In the 2022 academic year (AY), SIT received nearly 13,000 applications for admissions, up from about 7,000 in 2014. 

It took in more than 3,100 new students in AY2022, and aims to admit more than 3,200 in 2023. 

Speaking to The Straits Times earlier this month, SIT president Chua Kee Chaing said that the university has seen a gradual improvement in the academic quality of applicants over the years, especially in the more competitive programmes.

These include courses in computing science, physiotherapy, accountancy, and dietetics and nutrition, which are typically more than five times oversubscribed. 

New programmes such as applied artificial intelligence and digital supply chain have also received similar levels of interest from applicants, said Professor Chua. 

Similar to the figures for previous years, more than eight in 10 students were admitted to their first choice of study in 2022. 

Interest in SIT has picked up significantly over the years, and its graduates are becoming more well received by industry as a result of the university’s strong emphasis on applied learning based on real-world problems, said Prof Chua. 

“Despite being a younger university, SIT graduates enjoy comparable employment and starting salaries with the other autonomous universities, even during the pandemic years, when a number of industries were quite badly affected,” he added. 

In 2022, SIT increased the amount of time its students spend at the workplace through a new Term-In-Term-Out pathway where they alternate between campus and companies every year.

By the end of their undergraduate studies, they would have spent nearly half of their time learning at the workplace, without extending the duration of their degree programme. 

Fifteen companies participate in this across three degree programmes – applied computing (with fintech specialisation), digital supply chain and robotics systems.

SIT is reviewing whether more courses can adopt the same model based on industry demand, said Prof Chua. He added that this approach works well for the university as most of its students are polytechnic graduates who are work-ready. 

“(Hence) their time-out in industry does plug some gaps in the demand for polytechnic graduates by industry,” he said. 

First-year SIT applied computing (fintech) student Toh Ke Han, 22, who studied digital forensics at Temasek Polytechnic, said: “I haven’t made up my mind about which area to work in, so I want to experience different types of work in an IT department, like cloud computing and cyber security.” 

First-year SIT digital supply chain student Irvin Yeon, 22, said: “Early exposure to industry is very valuable… I want to see how companies apply digital solutions in supply chain operations.” 

The business management graduate from Nanyang Polytechnic said that there is more awareness about SIT and its offerings among his peers.

“What’s unique about SIT is its focus on technology. No matter what cluster you’re from, you still have to pick up some information technology modules,” he said. “I think that’s important in today’s world of emerging technologies.”

Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.