Computer Sciences, IT, and Information Systems are the top courses preferred by JC, IB, and poly students

SINGAPORE: Leading scholarship platform BrightSparks recently released its 16th annual BrightSparks Scholarship & Education Survey, giving everyone a glimpse into what Generation Z wants regarding education and their future.

The survey has a threefold aim: to explore students’ “soaring aspirations, ignite their scholarship dreams,” and “uncover their exciting career preferences.”

BrightSparks considered the views of 4,676 students, including those from Junior College (JC) and the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, polytechnic students and graduates, undergraduates, and others.

The respondents across the board said that friends, seniors, and peers influence most when researching or reading up on higher education.

Interestingly, it also showed the diminishing influence of print media as social media and online networks gain in popularity among the cohort.

As for pursuing further studies, the students surveyed strongly preferred local studies over obtaining their tertiary education overseas.

A very small number— one per cent of JC and IB students and five per cent of polytechnic students and graduates said they would not pursue further education at all.

As for their first choice of what to study, all categories of students selected Computer Sciences/IT/Information Systems, the same result from the last survey in 2022.

The second choice for the top JC and IB students is economics, followed by medicine, banking and finance, and law, respectively. 

The other JC and IB students selected medicine as their second choice, followed by banking and finance, social sciences (psychology and sociology), and economics.

Polytechnic students’ second choice is electrical/electronic engineering, mechanical/mechatronic engineering, health science, and mathematics/statistics.

Polytechnic graduates, meanwhile, selected health science as their second choice, followed by business administration/management, electrical/electronic engineering, and others.

As for financing their education, most students who took part in the survey said they prioritize scholarships as the primary means of funding their studies. Their second choice is to rely on their parents or families to help pay their school fees

“However, a distinctive shift is evident in the third avenue of financial support. Unlike the preceding year, where personal savings and various education loans took precedence, a noteworthy divergence was observed in 2023.

Polytechnic students, in particular, are steering away from traditional funding sources, with an increasing number opting to work part-time to supplement their educational expenses.

This paradigm shift may signify a broader trend where students are diversifying their financial strategies, possibly driven by changing economic conditions or a desire for more hands-on experience alongside their studies,” BrightSparks noted. /TISG

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