As a student-centered junior college, NYJC is quoted locally as the most flexible college in terms of its availability of subject combinations, and allowing deserving students to undertake elective programmes even without relevant backgrounds. The college consistently performed well above national standards for the GCE A Level examination since the 1980s. The college was consistently ranked as the top-performing mid-tier junior colleges and the seventh in national ranking throughout the 1990s. Starting in the 2000s, under the leadership of the then principal Kwek Hiok Chuang, Nanyang Junior College has ascended to one of the tier 1 JCs in Singapore, being one of the top 3 JCs based on cut-off-points, median A Level rank-point, and the number of students who go on to win prestigious scholarships.