Direct School Admission (DSA)
What is DSA - Sec?
The Direct School Admission - Secondary (DSA-Sec) Exercise allows students to seek admission to Secondary 1 based on their talents and achievements. The DSA-Sec Exercise was introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2004. It seeks to promote holistic education and provide students an opportunity to demonstrate a more diverse range of achievements and talents in seeking admission to a secondary school. The selection will be based on their achievements and talents before the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) results are released.
Application for 2025 DSA-Sec can be submitted through the online DSA-Sec Portal. The application is free-of-charge and will be opened from 7th May 2025, 11am to 3rd Jun 2025, 3pm. For more details, please refer to MOE website – www.moe.gov.sg/dsa-sec.
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. Students who are successfully admitted to the school via DSA are required to honour their commitment to the school and participate in the activities related to the talent they are selected for from year 1-4.
Applicants who do not have prior experience may also apply. The school will assess applicants based on the selection criteria, which may include assessing the potential of the applicants.
DSA @ Woodlands Secondary School
In line with the school mission to nurture enduring hearts and creative minds ready to serve society, WDL is looking for promising students who have the aptitude in and attitude towards one of these 2 areas, CCA and Learning for Life Programme (LLP).
More specifically they are Football (Boys and Girls), Basketball (Boys) and Sepak Takraw (Boys) for CCA, and Community Youth Leadership for LLP.
Do refer to the respective pages for more info on each programme.
Shortlisted Applicants
Shortlisted applicants will be notified between 30th Jun 2025 and 25th Jul 2025 of the trial and interview dates which the applicants must attend.
Please note that meeting all the criteria does not guarantee the student will be shortlisted/given an offer.
Offer of Places
All applicants will receive their application outcomes between 25 Aug 2025 and 4 Sep 2025.
Successful applicants will be offered a place in Woodlands Secondary School for the academic year 2026.
| Criteria and selection process for each of the talent area: | ||||
| DSA Domain | Talent Area | Criteria** | Selection Process | Programmes and Opportunities that the students can expect to participate in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports and Games | Football (Boys and Girls) (Visit CCA webpage) |
1. Has achieved at least a "Very Good" conduct rating for Primary 5 and Primary 6 semesters. 2. Applicants who do not have prior experience may also apply. The school will assess applicants based on the selection criteria, which may include assessing the potential of the applicants. |
1. Trials* for shortlisted applicants (30 Jun – 4 Sept) 2. Interview* for shortlisted applicants (30 Jun – 4 Sept) 3. Shortlisted applicants may also submit a video snippet of them playing in a relevant game (football, sepak takraw or basketball) (optional) |
1. Represent the school in the National School Games/external tournaments. 2. Contribute to the community through CCA-based VIA programmes. 3. Leadership trainings and opportunities within and beyond CCA |
| Sepak Takraw (Boys) (Visit CCA webpage) | ||||
| Basketball (Boys) (Visit CCA webpage) | ||||
| Leadership | Community Youth Leadership (Boys and Girls) (Visit LLP page) |
1. Has achieved at least a "Very Good" conduct rating for Primary 5 and Primary 6 semesters. 2. Leadership position in class/CCA/school, such as Prefectorial Board, Captain or President. 3. Has the passion to help those who are less fortunate and able to empathise and take care of others. 4. Applicants who do not have prior experience may also apply. The school will assess applicants based on the selection criteria, which may include assessing the potential of the applicants. |
1. Interview* for shortlisted applicants (30 Jun – 4 Sept) 2. Presentation of portfolio from shortlisted applicants on their community involvement within and beyond school during interview (30 Jun – 4 Sept) |
1. Training opportunities to be Youth Ambassadors where they would mentor and facilitate school events such as Values-in-Action and be a guide for the Woodlands Heritage Trail. 2. Opportunities to lead in school-wide events. 3. Student Leadership Camps. 4. Opportunities to participate in external conferences and leadership program opportunities, e.g., North West CDC Youth Assembly etc. |
*Information on the interview will be provided to the shortlisted applicants.
**Please note that meeting all the criteria does not guarantee that the student will be shortlisted/given an offer.