FAQs

It depends. 

In the US, most universities do not expect students to officially declare their major until the end of your second year at university. However, in the Common Application and university-specific supplements, students are asked to highlight their interest areas. Students applying to specialized courses like Engineering, Business, Architecture, and Art/Design will have to apply specifically to those programs.

Universities in the UK expect students to apply to a specific course. So Yes. for the UK, you need to know what you want to study.

Australian University expects students to know what course they are applying for. Students apply to a specific course or range of courses (i.e., social sciences). Broadly speaking, you will need to have a good idea of what you’d like to study before you apply for Australia.

In Canada, you apply to a Faculty. Generally, most students know what they want to major in, but rest assured that if you change your mind while at university, you will be able to pursue your “new” passion. Faculties fall into broad categories: Arts, Science, Engineering, Management, Nursing, Architecture, Education, Social Work.

Please contact the UAC with more specific questions.

They do matter. In some countries, universities have specific IB course prerequisites required to apply to particular courses. For example, to study Medicine in the UK, Higher Level Chemistry is required. To study Engineering in Canada, two Science subjects and Standard or Higher Level Mathematics are required. Students who do not meet the prerequisites are not qualified to apply to those courses. Grade 10 students will have a chance to discuss their university plans and career goals before making their final decision on subjects. The UAC has created a set of general guidelines. This is not definitive and should only be used as a starting point. View the matrix of country-specific prerequisites for courses here.

Like many other components in your college search, the answer really depends on an individual’s preferences. We have students who only submit one application (for five places) in the UK;  others apply to eight places in the US and two in Canada.

Please note that if you are only applying to the US, it is typical to apply to anywhere from three-ten universities. Usually, students apply to six to eight universities.

Given UWCSEA’s limit of ten university applications per student, it is not a good idea to apply indiscriminately. In consultation with his/her university advisor, a student will develop a balanced list of universities.

This is a tricky one and also difficult to really answer effectively. However, if you are qualified, the answer to all university destinations is, no. Your residency fee status should not affect your chances of admission. Here’s what else we can state on the subject: 

• In the UK, students are assessed on two broad categories - Home and International. We have also noticed that some universities have marginally lower IB entry requirements for International students than for Home.

• In Australia – Australian and NZ citizens and residents apply through each state’s centralised system, whereas International students apply directly through the university.

• For Canadian and US universities all students follow the same application process. 

US universities may have institutional priorities, and they are looking for diversity.

This is a difficult question to answer with a one-word response. Various universities deal with this issue in several ways. Here are some of the pathways that prove that you are proficient in English and do not need to take TOEFL/IELTS:

1. You have studied in English your whole life 2. The last four years of your education were in a school where the instruction medium was in English 3. You take English Language and Literature or English Literature in IBDP 4. You have more than 650 in the critical reading section of the SAT

We recommend that you take the IELTS/TOEFL if:

1. You have only studied in English for less than four years in a row

2. You are in English B in the IBDP

Despite our best efforts, even if you have studied English your entire life, some UK universities will require you to submit IELTS for visa purposes. Some Australian, Canadian, Korean, Japanese, and US universities will also ask for test scores for TOEFL/IELTS. Many US and Canadian universities are also accepting the Duolingo English test to prove language proficiency  

Our recommendation? Look at the universities’ websites as this is where you will find the most up to date testing requirements.

For the UK, yes. Students have to inform universities if they would like to be considered for the coming admission cycle or the next one. There is a little tick/check box on the UCAS form that requires students to state whether they are applying for deferred entry. 

If students are applying to the US or Canada it is OK to wait for outcomes and let the university admissions officer know that you intend to take a gap year. Most universities will ask why you are intending on taking the gap year. Some universities may ask you to apply to be approved for the gap year. Families will still have to pay a deposit to the university to indicate that the student will enrol on completion of the gap year. 

For Australia, as students generally apply after their IB results are declared, students automatically have a nine-month “gap year.”

The Personal Statement is required for applications to the UK and often for course-specific programs in Singapore, Europe, and elsewhere. It is an opportunity for you to inform post-secondary places of learning why and how you are suitable for your intended course of study. More detailed information about UK Personal Statements can be found on UCAS. We will meet with students and offer feedback on Personal Statements and college applications in due course. A good article listing what UK university admissions tutors are looking for in a Personal Statement is available here. 

A transcript is an official record of classes taken and grades received in high school. North American universities and increasingly more in Asia and Europe require applicants to provide a transcript as part of their application. For students who have attended UWCSEA since Grade 9, the University Advising Centre will provide this document to universities, usually electronically. For those who joined UWCSEA for FIB or in Grade 11, you will need to obtain an official transcript from your previous high school and deliver a paper copy to the UAC. A copy of your school reports is not sufficient. We will scan your previous school transcript and return it to you. 

It is your responsibility to obtain an official transcript from your previous high school. You can do this by requesting the Registrar or High School office of your previous school in writing. Transcripts come in different formats but are usually one page containing the name and address (and logo) of the school, and a list of courses taken, dates and grades in class, and any external or national exams, if taken.

Most students apply to universities during the first term of Grade 12. To answer this question, we thought it best to give you some country-specific deadlines. 

Please note that there will be internal deadlines. These deadlines are to ensure that all application material is complete. These internal deadlines 

will be shared with Grade 12 students and parents.

UK

If you’re interested in Oxford or Cambridge and medicine, the UCAS deadline is October 15. All other applications for UCAS are January 15.

If you are applying to Cambridge, you must apply earlier to ensure an interview in Singapore. The deadline to submit your UCAS application is September 20.

USA

If you are applying Early Action/Early Decision, the deadline is generally November 1/November 15. Regular application deadlines are January 1.

Canada

Most deadlines are in February.

Australia 

You apply after you have completed Grade 12 with your IB Diploma results.

The purpose of internal deadlines is to provide a structure to help students manage their time, ensuring that students submit the best possible application. Students in the Diploma programme are very busy. The first semester of Grade 12 is especially crucial for university application, Internal Assessments, the Extended Essay, and Theory of Knowledge. The responsibility of the advisor is to help students manage their time. 

We also want to ensure that Grade 12 students receive all the help they need with their applications. We are student-focused. Internal deadlines are a crucial tool to help students manage stress and wellbeing and complete stellar applications.  Most applications are before the December break. Many students would have applied before this deadline.

As university advisors, we work with your Mentors to write letters of recommendation, and we manage and process hundreds of applications. We read all letters of recommendation written by your teachers. To ensure all required school documents are prepared and ready to be sent out, we have earlier deadlines than universities' external deadlines. 

Here is what one student from Class of 2015 had to say: 

"The main reason why I took a gap year is pretty simple: I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to study, and where. During high school, my university course preferences varied wildly from Physics to PPE, and somehow settled with law sometime in G12. Even so, I wasn’t sure that it was the best idea for me to apply then and there, since I felt that I didn’t put enough time into firmly deciding that Law was for me. Since I considered Law relatively late on in HS, I was left to do much of the research on applying for it on my gap year. In this regard, the UAC was just as supportive and helpful as they were while I was still at UWCSEA. Skype meetings weren’t much different to in-person meetings, and my advisor always found the time to speak whenever I had new developments in my research. 

My gap year meant that I had more time to not only prepare for and write my applications, but also find constructive things to supplement my experiences in HS which I could include in my applications. The extra time (outside of the pressures of the IB) allowed me to read up on the Law and take up a couple of internships at law firms, which undoubtedly put me in a better position to write an effective Personal Statement. It made me more confident on applying for a subject I would be solely studying for the next three years, which is currently providing both me and my parents peace of mind.

I only applied to the UK, which made the application essay writing process quite straightforward. I wrote a couple of drafts, and my advisor was able to give me comprehensive feedback from each. The distance was no issue whatsoever. Post-application, my advisor was incredibly helpful in informing me of the next steps to take in relation to accepting or rejecting offers (which were all unconditional, since I applied with my final IB grades), and how to submit my official IB transcript to my firmed school."

US and UK university systems are very different, and we encourage students at the end of Grade 11 to determine which country system best suits them. However, when students are in the situation that they have deposited at a US university and are holding out for their Diploma results to see if they have made their conditional offer in the UK, we do not encourage it but will allow students to wait until July 8th to decide where they will attend. 

If a student makes their conditional offer in the UK, they must have their final IB Diploma scores sent to that university. Students must also then write to their US University and withdraw their application and forfeit the deposit.

Applying Early Decision is an important decision and commitment. It should be undertaken only if the student is certain they want to attend the university. If students are accepted in Early Decision, they are expected to enroll in that university. Students should contact their advisor immediately after the outcome. After notifying their advisor, students must:

1. Accept the offer - each university has specific information on how to do this. Follow the instructions and pay the deposit.

2. Write to all other universities you have submitted applications to and withdraw their application.

3. Continue to focus on their academics. Admission to the university (whether it is Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision) is hinged on the Diploma Programme's successful completion. Your final IBDP grades and final transcript will be submitted to your university.

4. Wait for the 1-20.

5. Apply for the US student F1 visa.

 Students should contact their university advisor. UAC believes students should treat a waitlist like a denial. We recommend that students move on and deposit at a university where they are admitted to. However, if one chooses to remain on the waitlist, how long a student has to wait depends on the university. 

Students usually hear by the end of May or June. There are several cases when students have been informed a week before classes begin. 

If students are applying for a US student visa, waiting for a waitlist response can cause delays

Students should start the process simultaneously as their peers, even if they don’t submit their applications until a later date. Students should participate in the university advising programme precisely as if they were going to university at the end of Grade 12. Meet with your Advisor at crucial times in Grades 11 and 12, go to all the information sessions, attend the essay writing workshops, and take full advantage of university visits and interview opportunities while you are still here. Write preliminary drafts of application essays and get feedback on them. Attend our special sessions for prospective National Servicemen. If students are planning US applications, students will need to get two subject teacher references while they are in school. Attend the subject reference talk in Grade 11 and complete the paperwork, indicating that you will be liable for NS. Your university advisor will ensure that your references are completed before you graduate so that if your teachers leave, you would not suddenly find yourself without references two years later.

This will ensure that students will develop the skills and competencies need to continue working on their university applications during national service if needed. While serving national service, students can email their university advisors for feedback on university choices, and the UAC can help send process any school documentation need for university applications 

If students need to take ACTs or SATs, do so while still enrolled in school, or immediately after your IBDP exams. Standardised Test Scores are valid for five years.