Raffles Institution

Focus

Hope for the future

Day fees 2024/25

$3,000–$26,500

Boarding fees 2024/25

$6,700–$30,900

Pupils

4,000

Ages

13–18

Spear’s Review

Raffles Institution (RI) is one of the oldest schools in Singapore, founded in 1823 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, whose vision lives on in the school’s motto: auspicium melioris aevi, meaning ‘hope of a better age’.    

The school provides secondary education for boys only in a Year 1 to Year 4 programme, and pre-university education for both boys and girls aged 17 and 18. Since 2007, RI and its affiliated school, Raffles Girls’ School, have offered the Raffles Programme. This allows students to bypass the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level examinations and go straight to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level examinations at the end of Year 6. 

Academics

While specific average scores for the class of 2024 have not been publicly disclosed, RI has consistently demonstrated strong academic performance in previous years. For instance, the class of 2023 achieved a median score of 88 and a mean score of 85, with 33% of students attaining a score of 90 or higher.

University and college destinations

Raffles Institution graduates consistently gain admission to top universities both in Singapore and abroad.

Locally, many students secure places at prestigious institutions such as the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

Internationally, Raffles Institution students are accepted into world-renowned universities, including the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

Head teacher

Aaron Loh has been principal of the Raffles Institution since late 2023. He previously held roles at Singapore’s Ministry of Education and Commonwealth Secondary School in Singapore.

Admissions

The admissions process at Raffles Institution is highly competitive, designed to identify students with strong academic potential and a passion for learning.

For entry into the Junior College (ages 17–18), applicants must sit for the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O-Level examinations.

Successful candidates are selected based on their academic results, as well as their performance in an interview and other assessments.

Accessibility

Singapore Changi Airport: 30 minutes

Location

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