The indicative L1R5 net aggregate you need for each junior college, based on the latest Joint Admissions Exercise posting. Lower scores are more competitive. Use it to plan your choices, then read how to make the most of whichever JC you enter.
| Most competitive | Raffles, Hwa Chong (3 to 5) |
| Mid range | ACJC, River Valley, St Andrew's (7 to 10) |
| Eligibility ceiling | L1R5 of 20 or better |
Lower is more competitive.
JC cut-off points are the L1R5 net O Level aggregate of the last student posted to each junior college through the Joint Admissions Exercise. Lower scores mean stronger competition. For 2026, Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution were the most competitive at around 3 to 5 points, while most junior colleges sat between 6 and 19. Cut-offs shift each year with demand, so treat them as a guide.
Key in your net L1R5 aggregate and see the junior colleges you would have qualified for on the 2026 cut-off points, plus the ones you just missed and could still aim for.
Enter your net L1R5 aggregate to see the junior colleges you could reach. Lower is more competitive, and the best possible is 6.
This uses the 2026 cut-off points below as a guide. Cut-offs change a little each year with demand, so treat borderline results as a steer, not a promise. Confirm any course with the school.
Each figure is the net L1R5 of the last student posted to that course in 2026, the standard meaning of a cut-off point. A lower score is more competitive. Schools marked IB offer the International Baccalaureate rather than the A Levels. Figures are from the 2026 Joint Admissions Exercise posting, released 3 February 2026 (see the methodology below).
| Junior College | Science / IB | Arts |
|---|---|---|
| Raffles Institution | 3 | 5 |
| Hwa Chong Institution | 3 | 5 |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) IB | 5 | IB only |
| Eunoia Junior College | 5 | 6 |
| Nanyang Junior College | 5 | 7 |
| National Junior College | 6 | 8 |
| Victoria Junior College | 6 | 8 |
| St Joseph's Institution IB | 6 | IB only |
| Dunman High School | 6 | 8 |
| Temasek Junior College | 7 | 7 |
| Anglo-Chinese Junior College | 7 | 9 |
| River Valley High School | 8 | 9 |
| St Andrew's Junior College | 8 | 10 |
| Anderson Serangoon Junior College | 9 | 10 |
| Catholic Junior College | 11 | 12 |
| Tampines Meridian Junior College | 12 | 12 |
| Jurong Pioneer Junior College | 14 | 14 |
| Yishun Innova Junior College | 18 | 20 |
| Millennia Institute 3 year centralised institute, also offers Commerce (around 20) | 20 | 20 |
Indicative only. Cut-off points are not fixed quotas. They reflect the last score posted in a given year and move with demand, so use them to gauge competitiveness rather than as a guaranteed threshold. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and St Joseph's Institution offer the IB. Millennia Institute is a three year centralised institute and also offers a Commerce stream (around 20).
Cut-off points have been broadly stable. The table shows the Science / IB cut-off, the net L1R5 of the last student posted, for each junior college from 2023 to 2026. Arts cut-offs move within a point or two of these, and are shown for 2026 in the table above.
| Junior College (Science / IB) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raffles Institution | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Hwa Chong Institution | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Eunoia Junior College | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Nanyang Junior College | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| National Junior College | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Victoria Junior College | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| St Joseph's Institution | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Dunman High School | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| Temasek Junior College | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Anglo-Chinese Junior College | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| River Valley High School | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| St Andrew's Junior College | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| Anderson Serangoon Junior College | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Catholic Junior College | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| Tampines Meridian Junior College | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Jurong Pioneer Junior College | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Yishun Innova Junior College | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
Where the number is the same across years, that college held its cut-off steady. Lower is more competitive. Source and method below.
Planning for 2027 entry? The 2027 cut-off points are set when the 2026 GCE O Level results and the 2027 Joint Admissions Exercise are released, around early 2027. This page is updated each February once the posting is out. Until then, use the 2026 figures as your guide, and treat any borderline result in the calculator above as a steer rather than a certainty.
Looking ahead: from the 2028 Joint Admissions Exercise, the Ministry of Education will replace L1R5 with L1R4, counting one language and four relevant subjects rather than five. Students entering JC in 2028 and later will be admitted on the L1R4 aggregate.
L1R5 is the O Level aggregate used for JC admission. It counts one language (L1, your English or Higher Mother Tongue) plus five relevant subjects (R5): at least one humanities, at least one mathematics or science, and two others, with bonus point deductions for good results in Higher Mother Tongue and CCA. A lower aggregate is better, and the best possible is 6 points.
To be eligible for a JC course through the Joint Admissions Exercise, your gross L1R5 aggregate must be 20 or better. The cut-off point for a college is simply the net L1R5 score of the last student it admitted that year, so it is a measure of demand, not a fixed entry requirement.
It is easy to fixate on cut-off points, but the junior college you enter shapes your A Levels far less than the habits you build in the first few months. Economics in particular rewards an early, consistent approach: students who learn how to answer, not just what to memorise, tend to pull ahead regardless of which college they are in.
If you are starting JC Economics in January, the smartest move is to begin the way strong students do, with the answer techniques and the weekly marked practice that build the grade over two years rather than cramming at the end.
A cut-off point is the net L1R5 aggregate of the last student posted to a course through the Joint Admissions Exercise. It is a measure of demand in a given year, not a fixed entry bar, and it moves as applicant numbers change.
Singapore's Ministry of Education does not publish a single official table of JC cut-off points. After each Joint Admissions Exercise, MOE and the schools release the indicative aggregates of admitted students, which are then compiled by schools, the press and education sites. The figures here are taken from the 2026 JAE posting (released 3 February 2026) and the postings for prior years, and cross-checked across several post results compilations and student reports on r/SGExams. Because the data is compiled rather than issued as one official list, figures can differ by about a point between sources. That is why we show the cut-off (the last student posted), treat every number as indicative, and why the calculator above flags borderline results rather than promising a place.
2026 and historical figures: the 2026 and prior Joint Admissions Exercise postings released by the Ministry of Education and the schools, cross-checked across public post-JAE compilations and r/SGExams. The L1R5 and eligibility rules, and the move to L1R4 from the 2028 JAE, are MOE policy. Confirm a specific college and stream with the school before you rely on it.
Indicative L1R5, verified 21 June 2026
For 2026, the most competitive junior colleges were Raffles Institution and Hwa Chong Institution (around 3 for Science, 5 for Arts). Most junior colleges sat between 6 and 14, with Yishun Innova and Millennia Institute around 18 to 20. These are indicative net L1R5 cut-offs from the 2026 JAE posting; lower is more competitive.
Enter your net L1R5 in the eligibility calculator on this page and it lists the junior colleges you would have qualified for on the 2026 cut-off points, plus the ones you just missed and could still aim for. Because cut-offs shift each year, treat borderline results as a steer rather than a guarantee.
L1R5 is your O Level aggregate for JC admission: one language plus five relevant subjects (at least one humanities and one mathematics or science). Bonus point deductions apply for Higher Mother Tongue and CCA. A lower score is better, and 6 is the best possible. You need an L1R5 of 20 or better to be eligible for a JC.
No. A cut-off point is the net L1R5 of the last student a college admitted in a given year, so it reflects demand and changes year to year. It is a guide to competitiveness, not a guaranteed entry threshold.
The higher cut-off numbers, which are easier to enter, in 2026 were Yishun Innova and Millennia Institute at around 18 to 20, followed by Jurong Pioneer at around 14. Remember a higher number means a less competitive entry score, so these are the most accessible.
Yes. From the 2028 Joint Admissions Exercise, MOE will replace L1R5 with L1R4, counting one language and four relevant subjects instead of five. This affects students entering JC from 2028 onward.
It helps, but far less than students expect. How you study, especially building answer technique and consistent practice early, matters more than the college name. Many students improve significantly regardless of which JC they attend.
The notes are free to read because the concepts should be. Join the mailing list for the 112 page Summary and Diagrams pack, drawn the way ETG teaches them, plus new chapters and worked answers as we publish. You can also follow along on Telegram.
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Whichever junior college you enter, Economics rewards the students who start right. Sit a free trial lesson with a specialist ETG economics tutor and see how the grade is actually built.