Whether you’re researching the best JCs for your desired programme or planning ahead to maximise your chances of admission, knowing each college’s cut-off points (COPs) helps you make informed application choices.
In this article, we discuss the latest COPs and analyse recent trends, providing students with a general overview of what to expect for next year’s intakes. We also included COP data from the past 7 years, allowing students to track how competitiveness levels for each JC have evolved over time.
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Here is a complete list of junior colleges (JC) in Singapore and their latest cut-off points from 20261. Each JC is ranked from the lowest to the highest cut-off points.
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As of 2026, there have been no new announcements to the JC cut-off point system or the O Level exams as a whole.
However, from 2027 onwards, the GCE O Level and N Level examinations will be replaced by a singular common exam, namely the Singapore‑Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC)2. Three new subject levels, G1, G2, and G3, will be introduced by the Ministry of Education under the new subject banding system, giving students more flexibility to excel in various subjects across streams3.
Students taking the 2027 examinations will also see major changes in the 2028 JC admission process. Instead of six subjects (L1R5), entry will be based on five subjects (L1R4). Applicants are eligible for JC admission if their aggregate score does not exceed 16, with a maximum of 3 bonus points4.
JC cut-off points (COP) refer to the highest Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE) L1R5 score among students who were successfully admitted into a particular junior college. Every year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) publishes each JC’s cut-off points, helping future students gauge the gross aggregate scores they need to gain admission to a junior college of their choice.
By analysing previous years’ cut-off points, here are a few important trends that students taking the GCE O Level exams may need to take note of:
For students looking for a quick overview of each JC’s past cut-off points, we’ve compiled a year-by-year comparison from the Joint Admissions Exercise booklets in the tables below.
Here are the latest cut-off points for each JC’s arts programmes:
In 2026, many JCs’ cut-off points have decreased, signalling heightened competition for admission.
Changes in cut-off points can be attributed to several factors, including the overall performance of the O Level cohort that year, the number of applicants to each programme, and each college’s popularity.
To calculate your O Level grade, you need to add up your grade points for subjects according to the L1R5 formula. The L1R5 is comprised of one Language subject (English or Higher Mother Tongue) and five best-scoring relevant subjects. Depending on your desired programme and college, there may be specific subject requirements, such as including more than one Science subject or at least one Math subject.
Students can use the JAE Internet System to submit their JC choices and check their posting results. You can find a more comprehensive breakdown of the O Level grading system and examples on our website.
1 https://www.moe.gov.sg/schoolfinder/Post%20secondary-JC%20school
4 https://www.moe.gov.sg/post-secondary/admissions/jae/changes-from-2028
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