Singapore FAQ's

How do I apply to study in Singapore?

Application procedures are dependent on the type of institutions the students are applying to. In general, you need to check the application procedures with the educational institution of your choice.

Click here for the general application procedures for application to the following institutions:

Government, Government-Aided or Independent Schools

Local Universities
Private Schools
Foreign System / International Schools

What are the entry requirements to study at educational institutions in Singapore?

Entry requirements vary from institution to institution. As English is the common language of instruction, most institutions require students to meet a minimum standard of English. Generally, certification of competence in English is in the form of:

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE)
Test of English As a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

Besides English, different institutions and courses have different minimum requirements. Generally, for government, government-aided and independent schools, the general application procedures will be as follows:

Step 1: Apply at school of choice1
The parent/guardian submits the completed application form for school admission together with all the necessary original documents directly to a school of choice.

Step 2a: School conducts placement test and issues Letter of Acceptance
School will conduct placement test for the applicant if there is a vacancy.

If applicant passes the placement test and the school accepts him/her, the school will issue a Letter of Acceptance. The Letter of Acceptance will indicate in-principle acceptance of the applicant to the school. The applicant can proceed to ICA to apply for a student's pass with this letter (see Step 3).
Acceptance to the school is subject to the applicant obtaining and returning with a student's pass from Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) within 2 weeks from date of issue of the Letter of Acceptance.

Applicants who are holding a Dependant's Pass (DP) or an Immigration Exemption Order (IEO) are not required to apply for a student's pass from ICA. He/She can be admitted by the school immediately upon passing the placement test (go to Step 5).

Step 2b: School issues Letter of Referral to ICA for clearance
Applicants with parents working in Singapore but not eligible for DP need to be referred to ICA before the school can conduct the placement test. School will fax a Letter of Referral to ICA.

ICA will follow up with the applicant directly on matters regarding immigration clearance and issue a letter of clearance to the applicant. The applicant can then approach the school for a placement test with this letter (refer to Step 2a).

Step 3: Apply student's pass at ICA
The Letter of Acceptance is valid for 2 weeks from date of issue. Upon receiving the Letter of Acceptance, the applicant should proceed to ICA immediately to apply for a student's pass. Applicant must produce the original Letter of Acceptance endorsed by the School to ICA.

Step 4: Return to school within 2 weeks with student's pass
The applicant must return to school with a valid student's pass within 2 weeks from the date of the Letter of Acceptance. The applicant will forfeit his/her admission to the school if he/she does not return within 2 weeks.

Step 5: Donation to the Education Fund
After the applicant has been successfully admitted to the school, the Ministry of Education will send a letter to him/her requesting for the biennial donation to the Education Fund, i.e $1,000 for every 2 years.

For more information, please visit http://www.moe.gov.sg/esp/foreign/

For other private, foreign system, international schools and universities, polytechnics or institute of technical education:

1. Apply directly to the educational institutions accompanied by the relevant certification and documentation.
2. Some institutions or courses may require you to undergo an interview or placement test. Some schools may also require work experience.

These requirements are usually stated in the course prospectus, brochures or websites of the institutions.

How do I find out which institution offers courses I am interested in?

For a list of educational institutions in Singapore, please go to the pages on Education Programmes. You may also surf the institution's website for a complete listing of courses available.

What is the difference between private and public institutions?

Public Schools are government schools. They are registered and managed by the Ministry of Education, Singapore.

In Singapore, there are 11 gazetted public holidays and three scheduled school holidays in a calendar year.

Private Schools - There are various types of private schools in Singapore. Private schools are generally run by private companies or non-profit organisations. There are also some private institutions that receive public funds, eg. NAFA (The Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts), SMU (Singapore Management University) and LASALLE-SIA college of the Arts.

Do I need a Visa and Student's Pass to study in Singapore?

Any international student wishing to study full-time in Singapore is required to apply for a Student's Pass and visa (if applicable) from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA). For applicants who require a visa to enter Singapore, please ensure that your application for the Student Pass is submitted to the ICA at least 2 months before the commencement date of the course.

Basic requirement:

1. Applicant must first be accepted by an approved Singapore institution to pursue an approved full-time course.
2. A local sponsor is required for the application for a Student's Pass. Local sponsor must be a Singapore Citizen/Singapore PR above age of 21 or the educational institution where applicant intends to study. (Exception: A local sponsor is not needed for students applying to the polytechnics and universities - 5 local polytechnics, NUS, NTU, SMU, INSEAD & University of Chicago)
3. Student's Pass application must be submitted at least 2 months in advance and not more than six months from the course commencement date.
4. The normal processing time is about 4 weeks, though some applications may take a longer time to process.

Note: For PRC national who wishes to pursue a language, commercial, vocational or fine arts course at private schools in Singapore (with the exception of students taking a degree or postgraduate degree course and students studying at SQC for PEOs schools), applicant is required to submit Student's Pass application through the Singapore Embassy in Beijing.

With the launch of CaseTrust for Education under the Education Excellence Framework, all private education organisations will need to have the CaseTrust-endorsed Student Protection Scheme to offer school placement for international students. This is effective from December 1 2004.

For more information, please refer to www.ica.gov.sg.

How much security deposit is required from the local sponsor upon approval of student pass application?

A security deposit may be required from local sponsor upon approval of student pass application.

Exemption from the security deposit requirement may be granted to:
-Malaysians / Brunei nationals
-Holders of valid Dependent's Pass, long term social visit pass and work pass
-Children of Singapore Citizens / Permanent Residents
-Foreign students who study in kindergartens registered with Ministry of Education / Childcare centres licensed by MCYS
-Foreign students who attend a full-time course at an approved private education organization that is awarded Singapore Quality Class for Private Education Organisation, or SQC(PEO), by SPRING, Singapore
-Foreign students who pursue a full-time university degree (Graduate / Post-Graduate) programme at an approved private education organization.

How much are the school or tuition fees?What is MOE Tuition Grant? Is there a bond to the grant?

School or Tuition Fees may vary according to type of course and type of school (private or public). For course fees of private schools, please check directly with the institutions. Typical fees for public schools are:

MOE Tuition Grant

MOE Tuition Grant is applicable to undergraduate students at universities and diploma students at polytechnics.

The cost of University education is highly subsidised by the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE). The high subsidy is provided in the form of a Tuition Grant (TG). The TG is the difference between the full fees (cost of training at the University) and the tuition fees payable by the student (i.e. direct payment). The TG is offered to all admitted full-time undergraduate and polytechnic students. Students who accept the TG need only pay the portion of the fees not covered by the TG. The TG is very substantial and works out to be about 65% - 80% of the full tuition fees. E.g. (Business Bachelors course in NUS without TG is S$19,350/annum, with TG is S$6,220/annum).

Note1 Alternatively, the parent/guardian can enroll the child to take a Certification Test conducted by PAI. For parents who are prepared to have their children placed in schools other than the top schools requiring a CQT (as in 2.7) should consider having their children taking the Certification Test. Organised by the Principals Academy Inc, the Certification Test open doors for international students who wish to study in Singapore. It is a test that help schools administer the testing of foreign students and to assess the educational levels of these students for admission purposes.

The Certification Test aims to provide these students with the ease and convenience of applying into local schools, whilst saving them the trouble of having to take multiple entry tests at different schools. PAI does not, however, place students into schools.

Only Mathematics and English will be tested. Both subjects will be tested on the same day. Please note that PAI do not provide study and reference materials to the applicants.

Test fee is charged at S$200.00 for primary school applicants and S$250.00 for secondary school applicants. Payment made through cheque, bank draft or cashier's order. Test fees are non-refundable.

The Certification Test results will be released within 1 month after the test date and posted to the applicant. The test result will be valid for 12 months.

The process is attached in the following page in the form of a flowchart.

For more information, including list of participating schools and test dates -

How much does it cost an international student to live in Singapore?

Below is a guide on the cost of living in Singapore. Some typical fees are:

What are the accommodation options available for international students and how much do they cost?

Below is a guide on types of accommodation available to international students:

-Please note that the estimates were derived based on prices as at April 2003. Rental varies depending on geographical area, demand, facilities provided and the number of people sharing.

-Boarding fees cover lodging, meals, laundry, tutorials, pastoral guidance, 24-hour security, recreational facilities, orientation & development programmes.

-Public housing refers to government-subsidised flats developed by the Housing and Development Board, commonly called the HDB flats.

The classified advertisements in the local newspapers are a good source of listing of rooms and apartments for rent.

Students are strongly advised to refer to websites of the following organisations for the latest updates pertaining to the scholarships offered -

Ministry of Education, Singapore                                                       www.moe.gov.sg

Agency for Science, Technology and Research                              www.a-star.edu.sg

National University of Singapore                                                        www.nus.edu.sg

Nanyang Technological University                                                     www.ntu.edu.sg

Singapore Management University                                                    www.smu.edu.sg

In addition, other private educational institutions may also offer scholarships. Please refer to their individual websites for more information

As a foreign student at the local universities or polytechnics with a student pass, can I do part-time work during term time?
Full-time undergraduates of Polytechnics and Universities are allowed to work part-time of up to 16 hours per week during school term. However, they need to obtain permission from the Student's Liaison/Affairs Office of their respective Polytechnics and Universities. During their vacations, they are allowed to work full-time as the Ministry of Manpower has exempted them from applying for work permits.

Please note that other international students are generally not allowed to engage in any form of employment, whether paid or unpaid, or in any business, profession or occupation in Singapore during the validity of their Student's Pass, unless they have the consent in writing from the Controller of Immigration. Violators will be prosecuted by law.

Are there any special support services for international students?
Educational institutions generally provide special support services for international students. Some even have an International Students Office to cater to your specific needs. Assistance rendered range from helping you look for accommodation to advice on financial, social and other matters. Please approach your school's Student Services or International Students Office for more information.

The Singapore Tourism Board also has a dedicated Student Services Department who will provide information and advice to all international students, regardless of the school they are from. Students may call (+65) 6831 3764, Mondays to Fridays, during usual working hours.

International students are advised to seek resolution to any disputes within the school first. If the dispute cannot be resolved, the student may approach alternative redress avenues such as:

For schools with the CaseTrust for Education trustmark:

Consumers Association of Singapore
170 Ghim Moh Road
#05-01 Ulu Pandan Community Building
Singapore 279621
Tel: (65) 6461 1800
Email: casetrust@case.org.sg
Website: www.case.org.sg

For General Enquiries:

Singapore Education
Tourism Court
1 Orchard Spring Lane
Singapore 247729
Tel: (65) 6831 3764
Email: STB_Education_Services@stb.gov.sg
Website: www.singaporeedu.gov.sg

What are Research Institutes (RIs) in Singapore? Do they offer education programmes?

RIs in Singapore:
Bioinformatics Institute (BII)*
Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) *
Data Storage Institute (DSI)
Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) *
Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R)
Institute of Bioengineering & Nanotechnology (IBN)*
Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC)
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE)
Institute of Microelectronics (IME)
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB)*
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech)
* Housed in Biopolis at One North, Singapore

The Research Institutes in Singapore offer postgraduate research programmes in collaboration with Singapore's local universities (NUS and NTU). Students can go to the website of the RIs to learn more about these education programmes.

Are Orientation Programmes available to help students familiarize themselves to living and studying in Singapore?