Quick answer
Madrasah P1 applications come first: for P1 in 2027, 2 to 6 March 2026, with results on 9 June 2026. MOE’s P1 Registration Exercise ran June to August 2026. A madrasah pupil needs an exemption from compulsory education, and sits the PSLE.
The key point: If your child is not offered a madrasah place, MUIS asks you to make sure they are registered in a national school.
Who is this for?
Muslim parents weighing a full-time madrasah or an MOE primary school for P1. It sets out the facts from MUIS and MOE side by side. We do not compare or rank madrasahs or schools.
MUIS lists 4 madrasahs with primary levels, A to Z: Madrasah Al-Ma'arif Al-Islamiah, Madrasah Alsagoff Al-Arabiah, Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah, Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiah.
How do they compare, fact by fact?
| Full-time madrasah | MOE primary school | |
|---|---|---|
| How you apply | Primary 1 Joint Madrasah Admission Exercise (JMAE): apply online on each madrasah’s own website. | MOE P1 Registration Exercise, phase by phase. |
| For P1 in 2027 |
| June to August 2026, online. |
| Who can apply | Children born 2 January 2020 to 1 January 2021. | Singapore Citizen and PR children born 2 January 2020 to 1 January 2021. |
| Monthly fees | S$120 to S$180 for Singapore Citizens, MUIS’s booklet range. | No school fees for Singapore Citizens; miscellaneous fee S$13. |
| Subjects | English Language, Malay Language, Mathematics, Science, Arabic Language, Al-Quran, Islamic studies such as Fiqh, Hadith, Tauhid and Akhlaq. MUIS says madrasah pupils have longer curriculum hours than pupils in national schools. | In P5 and P6, pupils take English Language, a Mother Tongue Language, Mathematics and Science. Each is at Foundation or Standard level, from their P4 results. |
| PSLE | Pupils sit the PSLE. Each madrasah must meet MOE’s PSLE benchmark. | Pupils sit the PSLE. |
| Compulsory education | Your child needs an MOE exemption, applied for through the madrasah. | A national primary school is what compulsory education asks for: no exemption needed. |
How do the two timelines fit together?
- 2 to 6 March 2026: apply to madrasahs. Each child may sit one entrance test only.
- 25 April 2026: Madrasah Entrance Test.
- 9 June 2026, 12pm to 4pm: madrasah results. Appeals 9 to 12 June 2026; registration 9 to 23 June 2026.
- June to August 2026: MOE’s P1 Registration Exercise, phase by phase.
MUIS says the dates are for reference: each madrasah tells parents its own dates, such as parent interviews where they apply. MUIS has not published the dates for the P1 2028 intake yet.
What if no madrasah place is offered?
Not offered a place? MUIS asks you to make sure your child is registered in a national school, as the Compulsory Education Act requires. After an appeal, a madrasah contacts you only if your child is on its waiting list.
The P1 registration guide explains each MOE phase and who it is for.
How does the PSLE work for madrasah pupils?
Madrasah pupils sit the PSLE. MOE sets each madrasah a minimum PSLE benchmark. It is the average PSLE Score of Malay pupils taking four Standard-level subjects in the six lowest-performing national primary schools. From 2021 to 2024, MOE says that average was steady at a PSLE Score of 22.
Each madrasah must meet the benchmark at least twice in each three-year period. MOE says the four madrasahs have met this since 2011. MUIS says all madrasahs met the PSLE benchmark in 2025.
What about compulsory education?
All Singapore Citizens born after 1 January 1996 and living in Singapore must attend a national primary school unless an exemption is granted. To attend a designated school such as a full-time madrasah, your child needs an exemption from compulsory education. You apply to MOE's Compulsory Education Unit through the madrasah. Your child is exempted once MOE's Compulsory Education Unit issues a certificate of exemption.
The designated schools are San Yu Adventist School and the four madrasahs that offer primary.
What help is there with madrasah fees?
MUIS's booklet gives primary tuition fees of S$120 to S$180 a month for Singapore Citizens, and says fees may be revised. Each madrasah pupil gets the yearly Edusave contribution of S$230 at primary level. Pupils can apply for MUIS Zakat financial help, and schemes from each madrasah, MSF or LBKM.
The MUIS-Madrasah Bursary is run by LBKM. It is for a Zakat recipient doing well in Arabic and Islamic Studies. It is also for a Singapore Citizen household earning S$1,400 a person a month or less. Each madrasah’s own page has its fees.
What does this guide not tell you?
It does not say which is better for your child, and it does not compare madrasahs. Each madrasah sets its own dates, interviews and fees. Check MUIS and the madrasah before you apply.
Printables for this guide
P1 registration document checklist
Get Singpass, the address MOE uses, the other parent's consent and supporting documents ready before you register. Plus a page for school choices and dates.
Plan both routes
See MOE’s P1 phases, then list the schools near you with the school finder.
Read how P1 registration works → Find primary schools near you →Frequently asked questions
When do madrasah P1 applications open?
For P1 in 2027, MUIS gave 2 to 6 March 2026. MUIS has not published the dates for the P1 2028 intake yet.
Do madrasah pupils sit the PSLE?
Yes. Each madrasah must also meet a PSLE benchmark that MOE sets.
Does my child need an exemption to attend a madrasah?
Yes. A Singapore Citizen child needs an exemption from compulsory education. You apply to MOE’s Compulsory Education Unit through the madrasah.
What if my child does not get a madrasah place?
MUIS asks you to make sure your child is registered in a national school, as the Compulsory Education Act requires.
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
Build your own reading list and pick up where you left off with a free RaisingAngels account.
Free account · Tools stay free without an account.
Sources & assumptions
- MUIS madrasah admission ↗
- MOE P1 registration ↗
- MUIS full-time madrasahs ↗
- MOE primary syllabuses ↗
- MOE parliamentary reply on madrasah PSLE benchmark ↗
- MOE parliamentary reply on the madrasah P1 intake rule ↗
- MUIS 2025 PSLE results for madrasah students ↗
- MOE compulsory education ↗
- MOE compulsory education exemptions ↗
- MUIS Madrasah Education Booklet 2025 ↗
- MUIS madrasah financial assistance ↗
- MOE school fees, 2024 to 2026 ↗