Universities.sg | Glossary
Glossary of Terms
10th Percentile
Bottom 10% of admitted students scored at or below this. 90% scored higher.
90th Percentile
Top 10% of admitted students. Only 10% scored higher than this.
Autonomous University
A university that awards its own degrees. Singapore has six: NUS (National University of Singapore), NTU (Nanyang Technological University), SMU (Singapore Management University), SUTD (Singapore University of Technology and Design), SIT (Singapore Institute of Technology) and SUSS (Singapore University of Social Sciences).
AY (Academic Year)
The school year, e.g. AY2024/2025 runs Aug 2024 to Jul 2025.
Basic Monthly Salary
Fixed monthly pay before bonuses or allowances.
COP (Cut-Off Point)
Usually the 10th percentile IGP. Not a guaranteed minimum for future admissions.
Direct Honours
Four-year programme with automatic honours track (e.g. Law, Medicine).
Full-Time Permanent Employment
Stable, full-time job. Excludes temp, part-time, or freelance work.
GES (Graduate Employment Survey)
Annual survey of employment and salaries 6 months after graduation.
GP (General Paper)
Compulsory H1 subject testing English and critical thinking. Worth up to 10 points.
GPA (Grade Point Average)
Poly score on 4.0 scale. 3.5-4.0 typically competitive for uni.
Gross Monthly Salary
Total monthly pay including basic, allowances, and bonuses.
H1 Subject
Half-unit A-Level subject worth up to 10 rank points.
H2 Subject
Full-unit A-Level subject worth up to 20 rank points.
H3 Subject
Advanced extension subject. Doesn't count for rank points.
IGP (Indicative Grade Profile)
Range of grades/points for admitted students last year (10th-90th percentile).
Median Salary
Middle value. Half earn more, half earn less.
Merit-based Honours
Honours earned through performance, not automatic entry.
MTL (Mother Tongue Language)
Chinese/Malay/Tamil H1. Worth up to 10 points if it helps your score.
Overall Employment Rate
Percentage with any job (FT, PT, temp, freelance) within 6 months.
PW (Project Work)
Pass/fail H1 subject. Required but doesn't count for rank points.
Rank Points
A-Level score for uni admission. Max 70 points (3 H2s + GP).