Scholarships in Singapore for International Students: Tuition Grant, Government Scholarships, University Scholarships

The exponential growth of various MNCs, start-ups, and international institutions in Singapore has resulted in its popularity among international students. For those planning to study in Singapore, you must be prepared to spend anywhere from 17,000 to 82,000 SGD a year (depending on the course you choose). Additionally the cost of living in Singapore costs around 10,000 SGD a year.

All these expenses can be overwhelming for an international student on a budget. This is where scholarships, grants, and fellowships come into play. To sponsor oneself, international students often seek out scholarships in Singapore, fellowships, grants, and loans. There are 3 main types of scholarships provided to international students to study in Singapore, they are:

• Government scholarships
• University scholarships
• Non-government organization based scholarships

Government Scholarships in Singapore for International Students

The Ministry of Education of the Singapore Government provides several merit based, need based and country specific scholarships in Singapore. Here is some information about the most relevant scholarships to Singapore here.

Tuition Grant Scheme

The Tuition Grant Scheme was introduced by the Ministry of Education of the Government of Singapore to help students excel in their education. The scholarship is provided to the diploma course students, undergraduate students and students of master’s in Singapore.

• Eligibility: The applicant must enroll to a full-time undergraduate, postgraduate or diploma course,
• ?Application Deadline: Not specified
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: Loan for the entire course duration
• Award Amount: Total tuition grant will be provided in the form of a loan, in lieu of which, the international students need to sign a Tuition Grant Agreement stating a contract to work at Singapore for 3 years after graduation

University Scholarships in Singapore for International Students

There are 34 universities present in Singapore. Six of these universities are national. Most of these universities provide funds to their meritorious students applying for admissions to Singapore universities. Details of some supportive scholarships in Singapore are listed below:

Nanyang Scholarship

Nanyang Technological University gives this award to the outstanding undergraduate students not only in academics but also in leadership potentials and extracurricular activities.

• Eligibility: The student should take admission in a full-time undergraduate program in the Nanyang Technological University, the applicant must have excellent Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'A' level, diploma from a recognized institute of Singapore, or class 12 equivalent results from other countries
• Application Deadline: Not specified
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: Entire study period with the maintenance of the minimum CGPA of 3.5 by the student in each semester
• Award Amount: 100% coverage of tuition fees, living cost of SGD 6,500 (equivalent to INR 3,60,000) per year, accommodation cost of SGD 2,000 (equivalent to INR 1,10,000), travel grant of SGD 5,000 (equivalent to INR 2,78,000) and a one time travel grant of SGD 1,750 (equivalent to INR 98,000)

Lee Kong Chian Scholars' Programme

The Lee Foundation offers this scholarship fund to the brilliant students of the Singapore Management University. The students of any nationality can apply for these scholarships in Singapore.

• Eligibility: The applicant must be a full-time undergraduate first-year student, for double degree programs business should be included as a degree and for single degree programs students must opt for a second major offered by an SMU School, the applicant must have good communication skill and leadership ability, the student should have a substantial extracurricular activity or social service involvement
• Application Deadline: Not specified
• Number of Scholarships: Up to 60 scholarships per year
• Duration: Entire course duration
• Award Amount: SGD 16000 (equivalent to INR 8,89,000) of education related grant without ay bond followed by SGD 5000 (equivalent to INR 2,78,000) annual living cost and one time payment of SGD 1800 (equivalent to INR 1,00,000) as computer allowance

SUTD Global Excellence Scholarship

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has implemented this program from 2020 onwards to honor talented international students with scholarships in Singapore. The program funds the cost of living and travel along with the study expenses. The trust focuses on the development of the students with achievements not only in academic degrees but also in extracurricular activities.

• Eligibility: The student should be applying for SUTD’s undergraduate program, the applicant should have excellent Singapore-Cambridge GCE 'A' level, the student should be capable of demonstrating leadership potential, the student must have a good class 12 or equivalent degree, the student should have co-curricular activity record or they should be involved in the improvement of community to avail this scholarship to Singapore
• Application Deadline: not specified
• Number of Scholarships: variable
• Duration: entire course span up to 4 years
• Award Amount: waiving off the tuition fee, upto SGD 15,000 (equivalent to INR 8,34,000) to cover the tuition fees of a postgraduate degree within 3 years of graduating from the Singapore University of Technology and Design, program fees and travel grant for the Global Leadership Program, allowance of SGD 5,000 (equivalent to 2,78,000) for every 2 terms

NUS Research Scholarship

This scholarship is provided by the National University of Singapore to meritorious students of the Ph.D. courses at NUS.

• Eligibility: International graduate students with excellent academic records, rich intellectual capacity, the applicant should apply for graduate School of National University of Singapore
• Application Deadline: Not specified
• Number of Scholarships: Variable
• Duration: Entire Course Span
• Award Amount: Full tuition fees

Non-government Scholarships in Singapore for International Students

Many non-government organizations offer lucrative scholarships in Singapore for international students. These funds aim for the academic development of the candidate along with the preparation for their professional career. The trusts take care of the consecutive performance of the students in their study period and sometimes, the continuation of the grant depends on the student’s performance. The candidates are shortlisted based on their results of the exams to study in Singapore. Below is the information about some of the best scholarships to Singapore.

Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)

This award is a collaboration between the NTU, NUS, the Agency for Science, Technology & Research, and the Singapore Management University for providing scholarships to Singapore. The program is among the best Ph.D. scholarships in Singapore for international students and targets the involvement of the country in research and studies.

• Eligibility: All international graduates can apply for the program, the candidate must have outstanding academic qualifications and desire to research, good English knowledge is preferable, however, the trust might include more eligibility criteria from time to time without any notice
• Application Deadline: June 01, 2021
• Number of Scholarships: Not specified
• Duration: 4 years of support
• Award Amount: Total tuition fees

Natsteel Study Awards

The Natsteel Company offers the Natsteel Study Awards to the undergraduate students of the top universities in Singapore like, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University and Singapore University of Technology and Design. This is one of the top scholarships to Singapore for international students.

• Eligibility: Outstanding GCE ‘A’ level result, international baccalaureate, polytechnic graduates can also apply if they have distinction in diploma of their relevant subjects, leadership potential and outstanding co-curricular activities should be prominent also the student needs to have passion for work and pursuits outside the school
• Application Deadline: The application procedure starts from the release date of the ‘A’ level results date and the deadline is within 2 weeks from that date
• Number of Scholarships: Not specified
• Duration: Entire course span
• Award Amount: Full tuition fees and annual allowance of SGD 11,000 (equivalent to INR 6,12,000) in return of 1 year of bond for each year of studies

Overseas Undergraduate Scholarship

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore offers this scholarship to the young aspirants in the civil aviation industry. Along with outstanding academic scores, the candidates must have strong leadership potentials.

• Eligibility: Exceptional GCE ‘A’ level results or equivalent, excellent co-curricular activities and leadership qualities
• Application Deadline: Application begins in mid-December and closes after 2 weeks of the result declaration of ‘A’ level GCE
• Number of Scholarships: Not specified
• Duration: Total course span
• Award Amount: Tuition fees and other mandatory fees, living allowances, additional funds for summer program and student exchange, compulsory internships, return airfare for interns, full postgraduate sponsorship after the end of program, all in lieu of 6 years of bond

Note: The aforesaid scholarships are a few among many available scholarships to study in Singapore for the international students.

Availing scholarships to study in Singapore is tougher than getting admission in a Singapore university. The applicants need to apply for the Singapore students visa before availing any scholarships to Singapore for a course of their choice. The students need to take good care of their scores in the previous academic courses to get shortlisted for the scholarship programs.

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