What IB score do I need for NUS?

NUS does not publish a single minimum competitive IB score or an official IB cut-off for every programme. Applicants must earn the full IB Diploma, satisfy the relevant subject prerequisites, and compete against the other eligible applicants in that cycle. More selective programmes generally require stronger academic evidence, but an unofficial score quoted online is not a guarantee of admission or rejection. NUS also considers achievements, aptitude, short responses, and any required interviews or tests. Your best benchmark is therefore the strength of your complete profile rather than an invented universal number.

Can I apply to NUS with predicted IB grades?

Yes, students sitting the May IB examination may apply with predicted results attested by their high school. The school prediction is official evidence and should not be replaced by a student's own estimate. Applicants must subsequently authorise the IB to send their final electronic transcript and meet the published result deadline. For Academic Year 2026/2027, the final transcript deadline was 7 July 2026, while the Personal Code update deadline was 17 June 2026. Future applicants should verify the equivalent dates for their own admission cycle.

Does NUS require SAT or ACT scores from IB students?

Most IB Diploma applicants do not need SAT or ACT scores merely because they are applying to NUS. Additional tests may, however, be required for particular programmes or applicant circumstances. For the 2026/2027 cycle, Medicine and Dentistry applicants using predicted IB results faced specific combinations of admissions tests and supporting results. Law also published an SAT-based alternative for applicants who did not meet its standard English prerequisite route. Always follow the current programme-specific instructions rather than submitting tests on the assumption that they are universally compulsory.

Are extracurricular activities important for an NUS IB application?

Yes, because NUS uses a holistic assessment that includes interest, aptitude, achievements, and prior preparation alongside grades. Applicants are asked to answer five short-response questions and may list up to four achievements under the current published process. Strong entries explain the applicant's contribution and learning rather than merely naming an organisation or activity. Relevant evidence may come from CAS, service, leadership, research, internships, competitions, employment, or independent projects. Activities do not erase weak academic preparation, but they can demonstrate genuine suitability for a chosen programme.

How does the NUS first-choice bonus work for IB applicants?

For Academic Year 2026/2027, eligible IB Diploma applicants could receive up to one bonus point when an eligible non-interview single-degree programme was ranked first. The scheme does not operate in the same way for programmes requiring interviews, tests, portfolios, or other additional selection. Medicine, Dentistry, and Law have special ranking conditions, while several design and healthcare programmes must appear within the first three choices. Applicants are considered down their ranked list if they are unsuccessful for an earlier choice. You should therefore place programmes in a genuinely considered order and check the scheme again for your own admission year.

How is the official IB transcript sent to NUS?

You must ask your school's IB coordinator to authorise the International Baccalaureate to release your electronic transcript directly to NUS. The receiving institution is the National University of Singapore, with institute code 000690. NUS also uses your alphanumeric IB Personal Code to verify the transcript, and its guide instructs applicants to enter the code in lowercase. May-session applicants who do not yet have the code may be permitted to update it later by a stated deadline. A screenshot, candidate result page, or self-uploaded score report does not replace the required official electronic release.

Back to all posts

NUS Application With IB: Requirements and Strategy

• 5 Aug 2026•12

Join 650k+ students breezing through the IBReady to breeze through the IB?

NUS Application With IB: Requirements and Strategy | RevisionDojo

Back to all posts

NUS Application With IB: Requirements and Strategy

• 5 Aug 2026•12

An NUS application with IB results is submitted directly through the National University of Singapore Applicant Portal. IB Diploma students may apply using actual results or, if taking the May examination session, school-attested predicted results followed by their final transcript. Admission is competitive and holistic, so earning the IB Diploma makes you eligible but does not guarantee a place.

This guide explains the current requirements, application process, programme prerequisites, choice strategy, supporting documents, and common mistakes. Dates below refer to Academic Year 2026/2027, the latest published cycle, which is now closed. Future applicants must check the official NUS pages because requirements and deadlines can change annually.

NUS application with IB: essential requirements

NUS accepts the IB Diploma Programme from applicants of any nationality. English must be one of the subjects taken, and applicants must eventually be awarded the full IB Diploma. Students who are currently or were previously enrolled as undergraduates at another university generally need to apply as transfer applicants instead.

NUS assesses applicants through open competition using:

Academic performance, including overall and subject-level IB results
Fulfilment of programme-specific subject prerequisites
Interest, aptitude, achievements, and prior preparation
Interviews, tests, portfolios, or other assessments where required

NUS does not publish a universal minimum competitive IB score for each programme. Its Indicative Grade Profile primarily reports Singapore-Cambridge A-Level and polytechnic outcomes; NUS states that the IB sample is too small to produce an accurate programme-level profile. Consequently, claims that a particular IB total automatically guarantees admission should not be treated as official cut-offs.

Predicted results and actual results

Your procedure depends on your IB examination session.

Applicant type	Results used initially	Required follow-up	AY2026/2027 outcome timing
November 2025 or earlier session	Actual IB results	Authorise the IB transcript and enter the IB Personal Code	Progressively by May 2026 for most applicants
May 2026 session	School-attested predicted results	Final transcript by 7 July 2026 and Personal Code by 17 June 2026	By the third week of July 2026

For the 2026/2027 cycle, the IB application window ran from 17 December 2025 to 23 February 2026. A May-session applicant could leave the Personal Code field blank initially if it was unavailable, but had to update it later through the Applicant Portal.

Predicted grades must be attested by the school rather than prepared or uploaded as an unofficial student estimate. RevisionDojo's guide to how IB predicted grades work explains how teachers typically form these judgments, while the IB Grade Calculator can help students set revision targets. Neither replaces the official prediction submitted by your school.

Check programme prerequisites before applying

A strong total score cannot compensate for a missing compulsory subject. NUS publishes an IB-specific prerequisite table, and students should check the version for their admission year before finalising their choices.

Examples for Academic Year 2026/2027 include:

Medicine: a pass in HL Chemistry and either HL Biology or HL Physics
Dentistry: a pass in HL Chemistry and either HL Biology or HL Physics
Law: normally at least grade 5 in an accepted SL or HL English subject, with an alternative SAT-based route specified by NUS
Numerous computing, business, engineering, and quantitative programmes: specified mathematics preparation, often involving HL Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (MAA)

These examples are not a complete substitute for the official table. Requirements differ across single, double, and concurrent degree programmes, and NUS warns that they may change annually.

Medicine and Dentistry applicants presenting predicted IB results also face additional testing requirements. For the 2026/2027 cycle, Medicine required predicted results plus either UCAT or the stated SAT/ACT with Writing and AP combination; Dentistry required predicted results plus the specified SAT/ACT with Writing and AP examinations. Medicine applicants also had to complete the separate NUS Medicine admissions process.

How to complete the application

1. Research and rank programmes

Shortlist programmes for which you satisfy every prerequisite, then rank them honestly. NUS considers choices in order, so an unsuccessful first choice can lead to consideration for later choices.

For Academic Year 2026/2027, IB applicants could receive up to one first-choice bonus point for an eligible non-interview single-degree programme. Medicine, Dentistry, and Law follow special ranking rules, while Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Industrial Design, and Nursing must be placed within the first three choices for consideration. Read the current rules rather than trying to manipulate the order based on unofficial admission-score rumours.

2. Prepare the required information

Typical materials include:

Passport or Singapore identification documents, as applicable
Official IB electronic transcript
School-attested predicted results for May-session candidates
IB Personal Code, entered in lowercase as instructed
Mother Tongue Language evidence or an MOE exemption, if applicable
English-language test results where required
Relevant National Service or medical documentation, if applicable
Additional programme-specific tests, portfolios, or records

All IB applicants must ask their coordinator to authorise the IB to send the electronic transcript to National University of Singapore, institute code 000690. Uploading a student result screenshot does not replace this mandatory release.

3. Complete the holistic assessment section

NUS requires applicants to answer five short-response questions and list up to four achievements, although applicants without relevant achievements may select the stated alternative. Useful evidence can include sustained service, leadership, research, internships, competitive activities, entrepreneurship, creative work, or programme-related projects.

Quality matters more than collecting disconnected certificates. Describe what you did, the scale of your contribution, what changed, and how the experience demonstrates preparation for your chosen field. The RevisionDojo personal-statement planning guide can help you reflect on experiences, but NUS explicitly instructs applicants to answer in their own words without AI or ghostwriting. Do not ask Jojo AI or any other tool to draft or rewrite these admissions responses.

4. Submit and confirm completion

For the 2026/2027 IB cycle, the application was complete only after the online form, supporting documents, and S$10 non-refundable fee were submitted by the deadline. Applicants should retain the acknowledgement email and monitor the Applicant Portal, including spam folders and the email address used to register.

Do not use a school email account likely to be deactivated after graduation. Check the portal regularly for requests, assessment invitations, Personal Code updates, and the final decision.

English and Mother Tongue Language requirements

If three or more IB subjects are taught in a non-English language, NUS requires an approved English test score. This is different from merely taking a language subject and should be checked against the current application guide.

The Ministry of Education Mother Tongue Language requirement applies only to specified applicant groups. At IB level, it may be fulfilled by a pass at SL or HL in an applicable MTL A or Language B subject. Language ab initio at SL does not fulfil this requirement, although an official MOE exemption or another recognised qualification may apply.

How to strengthen the academic side

Because NUS does not publish a reliable IB cut-off table, focus on controllable evidence:

Raise the total score without neglecting prerequisite HL subjects
Use timed examination practice rather than passive rereading
Review errors by concept, command term, and time-management problem
Protect TOK and Extended Essay performance because they can contribute up to three core points
Maintain evidence of sustained, relevant activity outside lessons

RevisionDojo's IB Questionbank guide explains how targeted practice can expose recurring weaknesses. The broader IB exam-preparation workflow combines Study Notes, Flashcards, Questionbank practice, Mock Exams, and Jojo AI explanations. These tools are best used to improve your academic readiness, not to manufacture admissions content.

Common application mistakes

The most damaging errors are procedural rather than dramatic:

Assuming that passing the IB is enough for a competitive programme
Applying without checking the exact mathematics, science, or language prerequisite
Failing to authorise the official IB transcript
Missing the separate final-result or Personal Code deadline
Ranking interview programmes outside the positions permitted by NUS
Writing vague activity descriptions that do not identify personal contribution
Treating an unofficial IB score mentioned online as a guaranteed threshold
Submitting the form but not the documents or fee

Build a checklist with separate columns for general admission, transcript release, programme assessments, scholarships, and financial aid. These can have different portals and deadlines.

Conclusion

A successful NUS application with IB results requires more than a high total. You must hold the full diploma, meet every programme prerequisite, submit the correct predicted or actual results, authorise the official transcript, rank programmes strategically, and complete the holistic questions honestly.

Start with the official NUS requirements for your application year, then work backwards from the deadline. RevisionDojo's Grade Calculator, Questionbank, Study Notes, and Mock Exams can support the academic preparation needed to make your predicted and final results more competitive.

Sources and referenced URLs

Add as a preferred source on Google

Continue studying with RevisionDojo