Apart from the regular academic requirements, entry into the diploma programme also requires students to fulfil their artistic and design potential aspect through portfolio submission, admission test or audition. The intakes especially for the furniture design major from the 3D design course are deliberately kept small so that each student gets focused attention. Selection is competitive and is subject to the availability of places too. Diploma students can advance into any Singaporean universities strictly depending on the diploma major the student graduated with, for example the
National University of Singapore (NUS) or the
Singapore Management University. In 2020 with the opening of the new bachelor of landscape architecture course through the
National University of Singapore, prospective students that graduated from NAFA's diploma in design (landscape and architecture) programme will be eligible for up to 28 advanced placement credits without any placement tests, into the bachelor of landscape architecture course. Many students also opted for overseas universities upon graduation with the diploma, mostly in a related areas as their diploma studies such as fine arts, architecture, interior design, landscape, graphic design, fashion, music, and theatre, among others. Other than Singapore's polytechnic-level diploma, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts also collaborates with
University of the Arts London to offer a government subsidised 2-years Bachelor's degree-level education for their diploma graduates, or 3-year bachelor's degrees for Singapore's GCE A level or other non-relevant Singapore's polytechnic diploma graduates. Since 2006, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts students are granted accelerated bachelor's degree programmes with
Nanyang Technological University, meaning that diploma holders will have the option to pursue a direct honours degree over a shorter span of three years or less. Academy students can also apply for places in any faculty freely in the university with advanced placement through the signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding. NAFA's partnership with RCM for the bachelor of music programme was established in 2011 with an initial batch of 20 students. Since then, more than 200 students have graduated from the programme. The key design feature of the programme is the two-year degree top up to the existing NAFA Diploma in Music programme. In the final year of the programme, students in western music studies head to RCM for a 7-week placement in January, while those studying Chinese music attend their 10-week placement in September at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. For students who are looking to pursue postgraduate studies, NAFA - RCM offers performance degree courses at the Master’s level in Singapore. The Master of Performance and Master of Composition route develops Western and Chinese instrumentalists' performance or composition skills to a high professional level through intensive training within 2 years (full time) or 3 years (part time). Apart from regular diplomas, there is also a special 4-year diploma course where students will study for the first 3 years at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the final year at the
National Institute of Education, from which students will graduate with a diploma in art education or a diploma in music education from NAFA and a diploma in art education or diploma in music education from the NIE. Graduates from this scheme will be deployed to teach art or music in primary schools. ==Schools and campus location==