By Amelia Tan

TO TAKE the angst out of applying for university, the three universities have made the indicative grades required for admission to their courses available online.

The National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University, and the Singapore Management University (SMU) have revealed the qualifying grade profiles for their different degree programmes on their websites.

'This will serve as a guide for students who want to apply to universities this year,' said Senior Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew in Parliament on Tuesday. He added that the move will 'allay some of the anxieties in the application process'.

Previously, studentshad to depend on information from others who had already been admitted to weigh their chances of securing a place on their favoured course.

This led to frustration and confusion among students and their parents. Each year, parents would write to newspaper forums questioning why their child had been denied a place on a university course while another peer with nearly the same grades had been given a place.

While the release of the indicative grades will help students make informed choices, students and university administrators point out that getting a place also depends on factors beyond grades, such as interviews and written tests.

SMU's director of undergraduate admissions Alan Goh said: 'SMU has always practised a holistic admissions approach in recruiting students with diverse talents. Therefore, meeting the grade profiles does not guarantee admission.'

But, Mr Nicholas Toh, 20, who is hoping for a place at the NUS law faculty this year, says more information should be made available. 'How about what kind of people they're looking for? It would be more helpful,' he said.

Additional reporting by Goh Yi Han

This article was first published in The Straits Times.