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SINGAPORE – In an attempt to broaden the diversity of its student body, the National University of Singapore (NUS) law school will select more students for the admissions test and interview for its LLB program.
Under a pilot initiative starting this year, students in the top 5 percent of the cohort at any of the colleges or the Millennia Institute will be eligible to be shortlisted to take the exam and attend the interview, NUS said in a statement. on Monday (February 8).
This will be determined by your results on A-level exams, International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma exams or equivalents. To be eligible, they must also select the law as their first choice in their applications to NUS.
Currently, about 2,000 students apply for the LLB program each year. About 800 of them are shortlisted for the written test and interview, and 240 are finally admitted to the course.
The pilot program is expected to add about 50 students to the short list, targeting those from underrepresented schools in the law school.
These candidates will be in addition to those shortlisted through the regular process based on academic scores and discretionary admissions that recognize excellence in non-academic areas.
All candidates go through the same rigorous selection process, NUS said.
The faculty dean, Professor Simon Chesterman, told The Straits Times in an interview on Monday: “We are looking to improve diversity in two ways, first in terms of skills and knowledge, and second in terms of the background of Our students”.
Professor Chesterman said well-represented JC students will not be passed over in favor of shortlisted as part of this pilot program. “It means that we will do more interviews to see these students,” he said.
In 2012, the law school stated that it would review its admission criteria to attract more diverse applicants, including analyzing the types of students it would admit under the discretionary admission scheme.
The faculty is also looking to smooth the transition for students transferring from other degree courses at NUS by allowing their first-year modules in a different subject to count toward their four years in law school.
Currently, most transferring students are not counted for first-year academic credits, causing them to take five years to graduate instead of the usual four.
“These students, like our exchange students from abroad, will bring with them an injection of talent and perspective from other disciplines,” said Professor Chesterman.
He added that the rise in technological and business knowledge is becoming increasingly relevant in the legal profession and that diversity in the student body is one way to fill this knowledge gap.
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