Admissions & Studies

Integrated Programme

The strength of Hwa Chong’s IP is in our ability to combine scholastic excellence with an outstanding range of opportunities beyond the classroom. Every Hwa Chong student receives a rigorous curriculum that emphasises leadership, character building, academic excellence, and creativity.

The Hwa Chong Integrated Programme (IP) is designed by our own teachers who have years of experience teaching high ability students. Preliminary consultative work on our IP was done with help from a 34-member International Advisory Panel comprising 2 Nobel Laureates, distinguished professors from Harvard, Princeton and Cambridge as well as eminent industry captains.

Importantly, the school aims to provide a caring environment that is intellectually stimulating, secure, and joyful.

The seamless and broad-based 6-year IP is organised into 3 stages:

• At Stage 1, students are exposed to a general curriculum that allows them to explore various fields of studies.
• At Stage 2, students embark on a sustained and in-depth study of their chosen area of specialisation. The curriculum for the Sciences and Humanities will be broad-based at this point.
• At Stage 3, students consolidate their knowledge and sit for the Cambridge GCE Advanced-Level Examinations. They are expected to be actively involved in outreach programmes and can initiate major research projects which could form the basis of their undergraduate studies.

Annually, there are over 200 different student-initiated service learning projects school-wide. Selected projects receive financial support from the Citibank Youth for Causes Fund and Campus ChangeMakers by NYC. These include promoting an appreciation of Chinese culture at the Singapore History Museum, conducting web design courses for underprivileged children at community centres, organising rainbow camps for the Salvation Army and creating online learning programmes for primary school students.

In addition, all Hwa Chong students are involved in different Community Involvement Projects conducted by their respective consortia and faculties throughout the year. They include painting one-room flats, fund-raising through collecting old newspapers, tutoring pupils from needy families as well as interacting with the dementia elderly and the intellectually disabled.

Holistic Education Model

The Hwa Chong Holistic Education Model is informed by Harvard Professor Howard Gardner’s 5 Minds for the Future (2008). It outlines the range of specific cognitive abilities that will be cultivated and sought after by the leaders of tomorrow. This provides the guiding principle for the development of Hwa Chong’s curriculum to foster cognitive capacities in three distinct but overlapping domains – Critical, Creative and Caring Thinking.  The Hwa Chong Holistic Education Model also seeks to foster Entrepreneurial Thinking, a quality that is especially crucial in an increasingly uncertain future.

1.Critical Thinking is aligned to Gardner’s Disciplined and Synthesising Minds. To develop the Disciplined Mind, students are given the opportunity to delve in and master major schools of thought in the Sciences, Mathematics, Social Sciences & Languages. This is accomplished through a range of research tasks and projects with internal and external expert mentors. The Synthesising Mind refers to the ability to integrate ideas from different disciplines or spheres into a coherent outcome and to communicate the core essence of that integration well. This is especially important in this era of interdisciplinary integration, where innovative solutions to novel problems are needed. Thus, Hwa Chong aims to nurture a new generation of critical thinkers and effective communicators, factors crucial for success in the 21^st century.

2.Creative Thinking is aligned to Gardner’s Creating Mind. It refers to the capacity to uncover potential issues, clarify questions and identify new phenomena/patterns. It entails going beyond existing paradigms and synthesis to propose innovative solutions or breakthroughs. These are the key building blocks to being innovative and enterprising. This is important as historical trends and past experiences are increasingly inapplicable to novel problems and modern phenomena. These novel ideas and fresh ways of thinking are the launchpad for us to break new grounds.

3.Caring Thinking is aligned to Gardner’s Ethical and Respectful Minds and entails thinking with principles and empathy. These values are aligned with our core values of 己立立人，己达达人，and 饮水思源. The Ethical Mind strives to work and act consistently in accordance to a set of values that are excellent and altruistic. It involves merging one’s multiple roles at work and as a citizen, striving consistently to do good. The Respectful Mind responds empathetically and constructively to differences among different groups and individuals, striving consistently to collaborate for a win-win outcome [己立立人，己达达人]. It extends beyond tolerance and goes into understanding and acceptance. As a result, caring thinkers rely on their personal value systems to make sound and compassionate judgments. They are also clear about their roles in the personal and public spheres, between the wider community and society, with a clear understanding that every Hwa Chongian has the social responsibility and duty to serve the community and nation [饮水思源]. Hwa Chong aims to nurture 21^st century leaders who have the moral courage to stand up for what is right, and are committed to society.

4.Entrepreneurial Thinking involves getting students to adopt a positive and open mindset as they overcome challenges, consider possibilities, take decisive action and accept responsibility for outcomes. This is in line with the resilience and enterprising spirit of our Founding Fathers, Mr Tan Kah Kee and Dr Lee Kong Chian who made numerous selfless and significant contributions in the areas of entrepreneurship, philanthropy, social reform and education. Hence, the Hwa Chong student should possess an innate drive to improve, learn and take continuous action based on concrete data and outcomes. In keeping with the institution motto of 自强不息, Hwa Chongians should be unwavering and purposeful in their pursuit of excellence, be resilient in the face of adversity and be bold in the face of uncertainty. It is hoped that future generations of Hwa Chongians will lead in taking calculated risks while embracing the humility needed to learn from their mistakes. This will be source of novel insights, breakthroughs and innovations for Singapore in the years to come.

5.Sports and Arts programmes are core components for the holistic development of the students. The Physical Education and Co-Curricular Activities programme provide students with the opportunities to participate in Sports, Uniformed Groups and a range of Clubs & Societies. These are vital in building character. Through this range of passion-driven and targeted activities beyond the classroom, students from different backgrounds interact and socialise in a multitude of meaningful ways. More importantly, they also learn to put the Institution’s values such as teamwork, excellence and resilience in practice. Exposure to the Arts enables students to develop their appreciation for the aesthetics, facilitating their understanding of the human condition across cultures, contexts and modes. This further facilitates the development of empathy, compassion and an appreciation of the human condition in every Hwa Chongian.

Gifted Education Programme

The Hwa Chong school-based Gifted Education programme, hosted by the iSpark Consortium, emphasises the student’s total development, which spans the moral, intellectual, physical, social and aesthetic realms. A varied curriculum and enrichment programme has been designed in accordance with a constructivitist and investigative approach.

In-class enrichment and curriculum differentiation, including interdisciplinary studies, leadership development and individualised research projects, are key features of this programme.

The iSpark Consortium also hosts talent development programmes within the Centre for Scholastic Excellence, so that each student is academically stretched to his fullest potential. In addition he receives an equally enriching and meaningful character education which encourages him to work with the community through the global community outreach and the service-learning initiative.

Sabbatical Programme

A unique feature of the Hwa Chong Integrated Programme, Hwa Chong Sabbatical Programme allows students from Sec. 1 to Sec. 4 to go on sabbatical courses for one week, from Term 1 to Term 2. The school organizes Sabbaticals with the aim of creating space for students to develop passion for what they do. During Sabbaticals, formal lessons are replaced by enrichment programmes.

There are various areas of programmes for students to select from each term, namely, Arts & Aesthetics, Chinese Studies, Humanities, English & Literature, Leadership, Technology, Science and Math, Camps and Student Exchange. All students are engaged in activities outside the classroom during term time to further broaden their educational experience. This allows them to explore their diverse interests and have fun all at once.

Assessment and Promotion Criteria 

ASSESSMENT & PROMOTION CRITERIA
Updated 15 Jan 2022

At Hwa Chong, students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. This is reflected in our comprehensive assessment modes designed to promote independent and inter-dependent learning. Hwa Chong students would thus be better equipped to become leaders and lifelong learners.

The Sec 1-4 curricula include our unique Oral Communication (OC) and Project Work (PW) components. Oral Communication encourages students to participate actively in discussions during lessons and evaluates students’ ability to do so. Project Work assess students on the quality of their project work which encourages active inquiry and intellectual rigour. It also directs students towards independent learning and purposeful reading and reasoning. These alternative/authentic modes of assessment make up our scholastic assessments, and are complemented by academic assessments, which prepare students for the requirements of the GCE Advanced Level Examinations in College 2 (i.e. JC2).

There are two types of academic assessments in HCI: formative and summative. Students are engaged in active learning through the use of learning tasks that include pop quizzes, diagnostic tests, authentic tasks etc. Feedback from these formative assessments provide teachers with an indicator of the students’ ability so that teaching and learning activities can be designed according to students’ needs. Summative assessments take the form of common tests, class tests and examination. These summative assessments consolidate students’ learning and indicate their mastery of various subjects. Scores from the summative assessments contribute to the students grades.

We believe the above assessment protocol measures students’ general ability, depth and range of thinking, communication skills and level of passion for a particular discipline.

Secondary 1 – 4 Assessment Structure

Note: The above academic assessment structure applies to all academic subjects except the Sciences, Sec 1 History, Sec 2 Geography and S3 & 4 Social Studies.

Sec 1-2 Science Assessment Structure

Sec 3 Science Assessment Structure 

Sec 4 Science Assessment Structure

Sec 1 History and Sec 2 Geography Assessment Structure

Sec 3 & 4 Social Studies Assessment Structure

Promotion Criteria

Secondary 1 to 4

Legend: IP – Integrated Programme, *Ave. of all subjects and Project Work, **Ave. of L2R5 (see below for L2R5)

L2R5:

L2 = English & Higher Chinese

R1 = Humanities /Higher Art /Higher Music /Malay Special Programme/ Bahasa Indonesia

R2 = Mathematics/Science

R3 = Humanities /Science/Mathematics/Higher Art /Higher Music /Malay Special Programme / Bahasa Indonesia

R4 = Any other remaining subject, including Project Work

R5 = Any other remaining subject, including Project Work

#Every Hwa Chong student is important. The school provides a caring environment that is intellectually stimulating and secure. Students who require more support may be placed in a structured learning environment, under the care of highly experienced teachers. Where it is in the best interest of the students, these individuals may embark on the academic route and take the Singapore–Cambridge GCE O-Level Examinations. This is to broaden their academic options beyond secondary school.

%Sec 4 students who obtain MSG < 2.5 are eligible to take the expanded curriculum (i.e. 4 H2 subjects) at College 1.

S1- 4 ORAL PARTICIPATION RUBRICS 

Oral Participation (OP) Marks Computation

• Computation of Termly OP Marks (100 marks):

OP Marks of Higher Chinese (25%) + OP Marks of best 3 subjects (3 X25%) = 100%

• Computation of Final OP Marks:

Final OP Marks = Average of OP marks obtained in Terms 1-3

HWA CHONG INSTITUTION(HIGH SCHOOL) ENTRANCE EXAMINATION: ADMISSION YEAR 2023

Our entrance examination is only open to candidates who are interested to be admitted into Secondary Three in Academic Year 2023. There are no vacancies for the other levels in High School.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates must meet either of the two criteria listed below.

1) Students who are currently studying in a local mainstream secondary school. Please note that students who have been admitted to their current school via DSA-Sec or AEIS exercise are NOT eligible for school transfer. Transferring out of the IP is strongly discouraged, as it could disrupt the quality of the student’s educational experience.

Closing Date for Application

The closing date for application is Sunday, 23 October 2022. The examination will be held at the High School Section on Tuesday, 8 November 2022.

Candidates will have to sit for three tests:

Important notes

• Hwa Chong Institution is a Special Assistance Plan school (SAP). All students must study English and Higher Chinese at first language level.
• Hwa Chong Institution (High School) is an All-Boys school.
• School fee rates are available on our website https://www.hci.edu.sg/admissions/admissions-and-studies-high-school/financial-information under ‘School Fee Structure‘.

Applicants must complete and submit an online application by Sunday, 23 October 2022. Please click here (https://go.gov.sg/hci-entrance-exam) for the e-application. Incomplete and late applications will not rendered as void.

Shortlisted candidate will receive notification on the exam details through email by Friday, 28 Oct 2022. Please ensure that the email address provided in the application form is correct.

Shortlisted candidates may be invited for an interview in the last week of November 2022.

All candidates will receive notification on the outcome of the application on Friday, 2 December 2022 through email and post. Details of the results will NOT be disclosed. The school’s decision on the outcome of the entrance examination is final.

DIRECT SCHOOL ADMISSION EXERCISE 2022

Interested students may apply to join HCI via the Direct School Admission Exercise.

Parents and students are encouraged to choose schools wisely based on the student’s aptitudes and strengths, bearing in mind the schools’ academic and non-academic requirements, and the programmes available to develop the area of talent

No Singaporean student will be denied a place in Hwa Chong Institution because of financial reasons. Click here to access the financial information and the range of financial assistance schemes, scholarships and awards available to support our students.

For FAQs on DSA admissions at HCI, please access the following link. 

Direct School Admissions Schedule

Application for DSA-Sec can be submitted through the online DSA-Sec Portal. The application is free-of-charge and will be open from 5 May 2022, 11 am to 1 June 2022, 3 pm. 

For more details, please refer to MOE website.

DSA Categories

Students may apply to HCI through the following DSA categories:

Academic

We welcome students who demonstrate deep interest and outstanding talents in the following domains:

Language and Humanities

• Chinese Language
• English Language

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

• Infocomm (Programming and/ or Robotics)
• Mathematics
• Science

Bilingualism

We welcome Bilingual Talents who demonstrate any or all of the following:

• Passion and Creativity in learning both the Chinese and English language, as well as appreciation for the cultures of the East and the West
• Written and spoken proficiency in both languages

Leadership

We welcome Leadership Talents who possess any or all of the following:

• Resilience in improving oneself
• Passion for serving the community
• Experience in leading student organisations (e.g. school body, CCA, etc).

Sports and Games

We welcome students with an outstanding record of achievement at zonal, national, or international level OR a strong passion and strengths, in any of these sports:

• Badminton
• Basketball
• Canoeing
• Chinese Weiqi
• Cross Country
• Fencing
• Judo
• Shooting
• Table Tennis
• Track and Field
• Volleyball
• Water Polo
• Wushu

For more information about the different DSA categories, please click here

Direct School Admissions Selection Process

Applicants will be shortlisted based on available information from MOE and from applicant submitted information via the application process.

HCI will be conducting in-person selection for all DSA talent areas for 2022 DSA-Sec, with the prevailing safe management measures (SMMs) in place to ensure the safety of students and staff.

Sports Trials will be held between 27th June and 1st July, from 4pm to 6.30pm, according to the schedule tabled below.

Applicants who are successfully shortlisted will be informed between 1 July to 5 July and they will be required to attend an interview and/or selection tests on 16 July 2022. Due to the large number of applicants and the limited number of DSA places, not all students who meet the criteria will be shortlisted for an interview.

Please note that applicants should attend the in-person selection only if they are well. For students who are unwell (e.g. tested COVID-19 positive) during the selection period, re-scheduling the in-person selection will be done where possible.

Students who are successfully admitted to the school via DSA are expected to honour their commitment to the school for the duration of the 6-year Integrated Programme, and participate in the activities related to the talent area they are selected for from year 1-4.

Please direct any queries about DSA to Hwa Chong Institution to dsa@hci.edu.sg.

School Fees Structure

School fee rates

Note:
1)  School fees will be adjusted accordingly for pupils under Scholarships or Special Programmes.
2)  School fees may be subject to review and revision by the school.

School fees payable by Singaporean students on MOE Scholarship

Please note that the annual award quantum cap of $2,400 for all MOE scholarships will apply to all students.

The Edusave or any other MOE Scholarships will cover the school fees of $200 per month and the student needs to pay the balance of the monthly school fees to HCI unless the student is also a recipient of MOE Independent School Bursary (ISB).

School fees payable by Singaporean students on MOE Independent School Bursary (ISB)

Please refer to below for more details on ISB scheme and school fee rates.

School fees payment

The school fees payable is structured by spreading an annual fee over 12 months of the academic year.  As such, students who join in February have to pay fees for January; and those who leave after 5^th October will have to pay fees for November and December.

School fees will be deducted through Interbank Giro on 15^th of each month; or the next working day if the 15th day of the month falls on a weekend or Public Holiday, unless otherwise advised.

Giro Collection Dates For Sec 1 school fees

Giro Collection Dates For Sec 2 to 4 school fees

Interbank Giro Application Form

It is compulsory for all students to take part in the Inter-bank Giro scheme. Parents / guardians are to submit the Interbank Giro application form for the scheme upon admission of their child/ward to HCI.This is to facilitate the school to collect school fees and any other fees as may be required from time to time.

The application form is available here for download.

Financial Assistance / Awards

No Singaporean student will be denied a place in Hwa Chong Institution because of financial reasons. A range of financial assistance schemes, scholarships and awards are available to support our students.

(A)   Awards and scholarships offered by MOE:

1. MOE Edusave Scholarships for Students of Independent Schools (ESIS)

2. MOE Edusave Awards

• Edusave Merit Bursary (EMB)
• Good Progress Awards (GPA)
• Edusave Awards for Achievement, Good Leadership and Service (EAGLES)
• Edusave Character Awards (ECHA)

3. MOE Special Programme Scholarships 

• Art Elective Programme (AEP)
• Programme-Based Scholarships
• Bicultural Studies Programme (BSP) Scholarships
• Language Elective Scholarships

(B)  Financial Assistance Schemes:

1. Independent Schools Bursary Scheme (ISB)

      – For Singaporean Citizens only (details please refer to ISB Section)

2. Hwa Chong Institution Needy Pupils Fund

      – For all students

3. Opportunity Fund (OF) / MOE Discretionary School-Based FAS

      – For Singapore Citizen, to fund overseas study trips, enrichment programme

Students who require financial assistance at any point of time can approach either their Form teachers or Education Consultant of their Consortium for advice on the application for the above.

4. Trip for Internationalization Experience (TIE)

– For Singapore Citizens, provides subsidy for overseas learning journeys to Asia with a focus on ASEAN countries, school immersion programmes and student exchange programmes with a cultural focus. TIE fund needs no application and is granted to all Singaporean students who are going on eligible overseas trips.

(C)  Other Bursary and Scholarship schemes:

1. Singapore Buddhist Lodge Bursary
2. CDAC-SFCCA Bursary
3. The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund
4. Koh Brothers Scholarship
5. Koh Choon Joo Scholarship
6. Tan Sri Dr Tan Chin Tuan Scholarship
7. Irene Tan Liang Kheng Scholarship (from Yr 2020)
8. Hwa Chong Institution Motivation Award
9. Popular Bookshop Text Books Vouchers
10. Singapore Buddhist Youth Mission Bursary Award

Students and parents will be notified of application times on IEMB, ISP and other communication channels used by the School.

(D)  HCI Awards (through nomination by school):

1. Annie Tan (Mrs Wan Boo Sow) Bilingual Award
2. Trilingual Award
3. Hwang Fu Award
4. Chew Hean Swee Award
5. Xue Yong Shu Model Student Award
6. Zheng An Lun Model Student Award
7. Tooh Fee San All-Round Excellence Award
8. Leong Heng Keng Venture Scouts Award
9. Leong Heng Keng Boy Scouts Award
10. Lee Tai Hui Boy Scouts Award
11. Lee Tai Huo Venture Scouts Award
12. Top Students Award
13. HCI EAGLE Award
14. HCI ECHA Award

MOE Independent Schools Bursary (ISB) Scheme

Eligibility Criteria

Student is a Singapore Citizen, and meets one of the income criteria shown in the table below.

Tenure of Bursary

All IS Bursary cases approved will be valid till Dec of the year. Fresh applications will have to be submitted for each academic year.

Effective Month

Student can apply for MOE ISB at any time of the year. It will take effect in the month the application is approved. There will be no backdating of the effective month.

Newly admitted students are to submit their ISB application latest by end Feb 2023 for ISB subsidy to take effect from Jan 2023.

Income Criteria and Benefits

The income limits and benefits for Year 2023 are as shown in the tables below:

^ No separate application is required; please refer to MOE’s website for more details.

Click to download the 2023 ISB Application Form Here

Students need only satisfy either the monthly Gross Household Income (GHI) or the PCI criterion to qualify for ISB. More information can be found in the Annex I of the ISB Application Form.

Completed ISB Application Form, together with required supporting documents are to be submitted to High School or College Reception Office.

Student Insurance Matters

All students are automatically covered under the school’s Students’ Accident Protection (PA) Insurance Scheme and Group Overseas Travel Insurance Plan.

The policies offer basic coverage to help defray partially the costs incurred by the students due to accidents and claimable events in the case of overseas travel insurance.

While students need not pay for PA policy; the premium for Travel Insurance is chargeable on a per trip basis and included in the overseas trip cost.

(I) Students’ Accident Protection Scheme

(II) Group Overseas Travel Insurance