MBBS in Singapore: Top Universities, Admission Process, Cost of Studying, Scholarships and Scope

MBBS in Singapore is a 5 year degree offered by only two universities. The program is offered by National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University with both ranked among the top 5 universities in Asia by Qs Rankings 2023. For medicine, NUS is placed in the #21st position while NTU ranks #93 by QS. The cost of pursuing MBBS in Singapore is 66,000 - 75,550 SGD (39.26 lakhs - 44.94 lakhs INR) per year which is considered cheaper than the UK or the USA.

Government scholarships for international students in Singapore like the Ministry of Education tuition grant scheme cover a portion of the living costs also. There is a lot of scope after completing MBBS in Singapore universities with an average salary of doctors being 110,000 SGD (65.43 lakhs INR) per annum.

Highlights

Universities for MBBS in Singapore

Only two universities, namely National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University offer MBBS in Singapore. A brief summary of them is provided below:

Why Study MBBS in Singapore?

Following are some other reasons for pursuing MBBS in Singapore:

• Singapore has a high rate of employment, accounting to nearly 88%. It has an unemployment rate as low as 2.2%.
• The Ministry of Education in Singapore offers tuition grants to international students. As per the scholarship deed, a student has to stay back after the course completion and work to pay off the loan amount.
• About 82% of the candidates get successful Permanent Residency in Singapore out of all the applied.
• Singapore had topped the Law and Order Index for 5 consecutive years as per a global study published in 2018. The environment is favourable and conducive. According to Gallup, 94% of adults in Singapore feel comfortable while travelling at night which is much higher than the global average. Also, the Global Smart City Performance Index had named it as the safest city in 2017.
• As per the ranking of the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, the healthcare facilities in Singapore is placed at number 3 in the world. Medical Practitioners are rated highly in Singapore. Doctors can work in two types of healthcare facilities broadly divided into Private and Public Healthcare.

MBBS in Singapore: Admission Process

MBBS in Singapore is considered a first degree. Hence, students completing a high school diploma can directly apply to this program.

Where to Apply: Students can apply for admission in Singapore universities directly via the official website.

Eligibility Requirements:

Also Check: Statement of Purpose for Singapore

Visa Requirements for International Students

After receiving the letter of offer from the particular Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) student has to register for a Student Pass in Singapore. The application has to be made via SOLAR , that requires the applicant to fill eForm 16. The applicant must pay a fee of 21.74 SGD (1,293 INR) while registering and 43.48 SGD (2,586 INR) after successful acceptance.

Students must have the following documents to apply for student pass:

• A valid travel document
• Offer Letter from the college
• Notification from the applied institute
• 4 passport size photograph
• Permanent address and contact information in Singapore
• Personal Email ID
• A compilation of residential, academic, employment and financial records Information on parents (if needed).

After arrival, a student is required to submit three things namely Passport, Original copy of IPA and the D/E card.

MBBS in Singapore: Cost of Studying

Studying abroad has basically three types of expenses associated with it: Pre-arrival Cost, Tuition Fees and Cost of Living.

Pre-arrival Cost

Following are the one-time expenses that you might have to pay before arrival to the country:

Tuition Fees

The annual tuition fees for the MBBS program at National University of Singapore is 66,000 (39.26 lakhs INR). The program costs a little higher at Nanyang Technological University with a tuition fee of 75,550 SGD (44.94 lakhs INR) per year.

Cost of Living in Singapore

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s worldwide cost of living report, Singapore has been placed above all other countries. It is considered to be the most expensive city in the world. However, a student can make choices accordingly to save more, like one can opt for a renter shared apartment or an on-campus residency over a furnished fully-owned flat or choose public transport over a personal car.

Following table provides an average cost of living in Singapore for students:

MBBS in Singapore: Scholarships

As per Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, out of 70,000 international students in Singapore 3000 are Indians. Also, 52% of international students in Singapore are eligible to borrow from their top banks.

Some of the grants and scholarships for international students in Singapore are provided below:

MOE Tuition Grant Scheme: As per the grant an international student is eligible to borrow a loan amount after the letter of invitation from his/her host college.

• There is no stipulated loan amount mentioned.
• The borrower must sign the 3-year bond, and stay back after course completion to pay off the grant money.
• The deadline for the application depends upon the host college.
• For NUS the special term 1 is between 25-29th May 2020, and special term 2 is between 6-10th July 2020.

ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship: The ASEAN scholarship is meant for undergraduate students studying in Singapore. The scholarship aims to pay off the remaining tuition fee after sanctioning of the MOE scheme.

• The living allowance offered is around 4206.42 SGD per/year. T
• Three major institutions that accept the grant are National University of Singapore(NUS), National Technical University(NTU) and Singapore Management University(SMU).
• The deadline for the scholarship is 14-15th October.

Dr Goh Keng Swee Scholarship: Dr GKS Scholarship is accessible to students from Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, PRC, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

• The scholarship is for colleges like NUS, NTU, SMU or SUTD.
• The applicant must reflect leadership qualities and with a fairly good record of co-curricular activities.
• The scholarship covers tuition fees, airfare, an annual allowance of 6500 SGD, hostel allowance as per chosen college and an additional allowance of 200 SGD after arrival. The official deadline for the scholarship is 15th March.

There are other scholarships offered by host colleges like Undergraduate Scholarships at NUS, and the SMART Scholarship Program.

For the scholarships awarded by host colleges, the eligibility criteria is quite high as most of them are merit-based. The applicants must have a GPA of 3.8 or above with an ACT score of 31 or SAT score of 1430. The applicant must also hold a place within the top 5% of his/her class.

For more scholarships, click here.

MBBS in Singapore: Scope and Job Opportunities

INSEAD placed Singapore on the 7th position in its Global Innovation Index for the year 2015. The World Economic Forum in its Global Competitiveness Report has placed Singapore in the 2nd position.

• As per payscale.com, General Practice Physicians in Singapore are paid an average salary of 110,000 SGD (65.43 lakhs INR) per annum. The salary can be as low as 9,000 SGD (5.35 lakhs INR) per annum for new graduates and may go up to 204,000 SGD (1.21 Crores INR) per annum for those with experience.

• Private Healthcare facilities offer better services and the waiting hours is also minimum but the price is slightly higher than public facilities.
• Public Healthcare facilities are usually divided into 6 clusters. They set high standards for hi-tech equipment, cost efficiency and more hospital beds.

Medical tourism is also something that is widely explored by people visiting Singapore for treatment.

Course Curriculum of MBBS in Singapore

The curriculum of MBBS in Singapore is divided into 5 phases. Phase 1 and 2 consists of general subjects related to medicine and human anatomy. They build a foundational knowledge of students. Phase 3, 4 and 5 delves deeper into the field and teaches specifics of medicine and surgery. Students are given options to choose electives in these last three phases.

Some of the courses taught in various phases are:

• Foundations of Human Biology: The Cell
• Musculoskeletal System
• Endocrine & Reproductive Systems
• Cancer Biology
• Principles of Pharmacology and Systemic Pharmacology
• Neuroscience & Musculoskeletal
• Medicine
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Forensic Medicine
• Dermatology
• Acute Care comprising Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine
• Immunology
• Clinical Skills Foundation Programme

MBBS in Singapore: University Comparison

The below table shows a comparison of the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University for the MBBS program on the basis of program duration, total cost, score required, etc.

FAQs

Ques. How much does it cost to study MBBS in Singapore?

Ques. What is the minimum duration of studying MBBS in Singapore?

Ques. What is the basic cost of living in Singapore?

Ques. Name some of the colleges that offer MBBS in Singapore

Ques. How much do Doctors in Singapore earn ?