Scholarships in Singapore for International Students 2026/2027

Singapore offers international students something few destinations can match: universities ranked among the best in the world, teaching in English, a safe and efficient city, and a structured — if highly competitive — system of scholarships and grants. For 2026/2027, the funding landscape has three layers. At the top are full university scholarships such as the NUS ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship, the NUS Science & Technology Undergraduate Scholarship, the NUS International Undergraduate Scholarship and NTU’s Nanyang scholarships, which cover subsidised tuition in full plus living, accommodation and computer allowances. Beneath them sits the single most important funding mechanism for most international students: the Ministry of Education (MOE) Tuition Grant, which subsidises a large share of tuition for students who sign a Tuition Grant Agreement and complete a three-year work bond in Singapore after graduation. And for researchers, Singapore adds fully funded PhD routes, above all the Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA), covered in depth in our dedicated SINGA guide. This article explains each layer honestly — amounts, bonds, eligibility and deadlines — so you can judge what is realistic for your profile.

One warning belongs at the start, because it shapes everything else: in Singapore, “full tuition scholarship” almost always means full coverage of the subsidised tuition fee — the fee after the MOE Tuition Grant. Scholarship recipients are normally required to take up the Tuition Grant, and the Tuition Grant carries the three-year bond. A scholarship described as “bond-free” at NTU or NUS usually means the scholarship itself adds no extra bond beyond that Tuition Grant bond. Reading offers with that distinction in mind will save you from the most common misunderstanding in Singapore admissions. Browse our scholarships directory and rankings explorer alongside this guide, and if research is your goal, go straight to our PhD scholarships in Singapore: SINGA guide.

Scholarships in Singapore at a Glance

Amounts above are those published by NUS, NTU and MOE for recent intakes at the time of writing. Universities revise allowance rates by cohort, so treat the table as the structure of each package and confirm the exact figures for your intake on the official pages linked at the end of this article.

The MOE Tuition Grant: The Foundation of Singapore Funding

The MOE Tuition Grant Scheme, explained on the MOE Tuition Grant Scheme page, subsidises tuition for eligible students at Singapore’s public universities, polytechnics and other institutes. International students who receive the grant pay the subsidised fee rather than the full fee — a difference that can amount to roughly half or more of the sticker price depending on the programme — but they do not study free: you still pay the subsidised fee, which remains higher than what Singapore citizens pay, plus all living costs.

In return, international students and Singapore Permanent Residents who take the grant must sign a Tuition Grant Agreement and serve a three-year bond after graduation, working for a Singapore-based entity. MOE has stated in Parliament that about 80% of international students at the autonomous universities receive tuition grants, which underlines how central this scheme is. The bond is a real legal obligation: leaving Singapore without serving it, or withdrawing in circumstances covered by the agreement, can trigger liquidated damages. Medicine and dentistry follow longer obligations (five to six years) under health-sector arrangements rather than the standard three-year MOE framework. Decide whether you genuinely want to begin your career in Singapore before you sign — for many graduates the bond is actually an advantage, because it comes with the right to build three years of Singapore work experience, but it must be a deliberate choice.

At postgraduate level, a related mechanism is the Service Obligation Scheme. Under the MOE Service Obligation Scheme, eligible international students on selected postgraduate research courses at NUS, NTU and SMU can receive a grant toward fees and, in return, work full-time for three years in a Singapore entity after graduation. The award is competitive and merit-based, it is generally not available if you have already received Singapore government subsidy, sponsorship or a scholarship for a postgraduate degree, and the grant amount depends on your course. This is the honest middle tier of Singapore funding: significant help, with a clear obligation attached.

University Scholarships: NUS, NTU, SMU and SUTD

National University of Singapore (NUS)

NUS considers freshmen for its university-level scholarships through the undergraduate admission application — in most cases there is no separate scholarship application, and shortlisting follows from your admission file. The ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship at NUS supports outstanding freshmen from ASEAN member countries (excluding Singapore) with 100% coverage of subsidised tuition fees (after the Tuition Grant, which recipients must take up), a S$5,800 annual living allowance, a one-time S$1,750 computer allowance and a S$3,000 annual accommodation allowance, tenable for the normal candidature period subject to satisfactory performance. The Science & Technology Undergraduate Scholarship at NUS is for citizens of Asian countries or regions (excluding Singapore) entering full-time Computing, Engineering or Science programmes (excluding Environmental Studies and Pharmacy), and provides 100% of subsidised tuition, S$6,000 a year for living costs, S$1,750 for a computer, a S$200 settling-in allowance, an annual accommodation allowance equivalent to the lowest double-room rate for on-campus housing, and a travel allowance for the incoming journey and the return journey after completion, subject to the scholarship’s conditions. The NUS International Undergraduate Scholarship widens the same style of package to outstanding students of all nationalities. All three demand outstanding high-school results, strong leadership qualities and a good co-curricular record — these are awards for the very top of each national applicant pool, not general financial aid.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

NTU’s flagship awards include the Nanyang Scholarship and the Nanyang Global Scholarship, both open to all nationalities for full-time undergraduate study. Per NTU’s official scholarship pages, the Nanyang Global Scholarship at NTU covers full subsidised tuition fees (after the Tuition Grant), a living allowance of S$6,500 per academic year, an accommodation allowance of up to S$2,000 per academic year for students in NTU hostels, a travel grant of up to S$8,000 for an overseas programme (for recent cohorts), and a one-off computer allowance of S$2,000, with enrolment into NTU’s Honours College. NTU states explicitly that no bond is attached to the scholarship apart from the three-year bond applicable to all Singapore PRs and international students under the MOE Tuition Grant Scheme — the clearest official illustration of the distinction explained in the introduction. NTU also offers college and programme scholarships and, for Asian undergraduates in science and technology fields, the Science & Technology Undergraduate Scholarship with a similar structure.

SMU, SUTD and other institutions

Singapore Management University (SMU) runs merit scholarships such as the Lee Kong Chian Scholars’ Programme for undergraduates in business, law, computing, economics and social sciences, typically covering tuition with additional allowances, and it funds PhD students through university scholarships and stipends in its research programmes. The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) offers undergraduate scholarships for outstanding freshmen and participates, with NUS, NTU and SMU, as a SINGA partner university for PhD research. The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) also administer ASEAN and donor scholarships on their own terms. In every case, the pattern is the same: check the university’s own scholarship page for the current cohort, note whether the award sits on top of the Tuition Grant, and note the bond position in writing before you accept.

Eligibility: Who Wins Singapore Scholarships?

Eligibility is nationality-specific in a way applicants often miss. ASEAN awards require citizenship of an ASEAN member country excluding Singapore — so a student from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei or Timor-Leste can compete, while a student from India or Bangladesh cannot, however strong their grades. The Science & Technology scholarships widen the pool to Asian countries and regions, which brings in applicants from India, China, Bangladesh and other Asian origins for computing, engineering and science programmes. The NUS International Undergraduate Scholarship and NTU’s Nanyang awards are the genuinely global routes, open to all nationalities. At PhD level, SINGA is open to international graduates of all nationalities who have not previously studied in Singapore at the relevant level, per A*STAR’s criteria.

Academically, Singapore’s autonomous universities admit on national qualifications — A-Levels, the IB Diploma, and recognised national boards such as Indian CBSE/ISC, Bangladeshi HSC pathways via recognised qualifications, and others listed by each university. Scholarship shortlisting then looks for outstanding results in that qualification, leadership and co-curricular achievement, and for some awards an interview. There is no published minimum grade that guarantees a scholarship, and this guide will not invent one: the honest summary is that successful international scholars are typically at or near the top of their national cohort, often with competition, olympiad, research or significant leadership records to match.

Benefits, Costs and the Bond: Budgeting Honestly

A full NUS or NTU undergraduate scholarship removes the subsidised tuition bill and contributes roughly S$5,800–S$6,500 a year toward living costs, plus accommodation and computer allowances as listed. That is generous, but Singapore is an expensive city. Even with on-campus housing, most students should expect total annual living costs — accommodation, food, transport, phone, study materials and personal spending — to exceed the living allowance alone, which is why the accommodation allowance and any family support or savings still matter. Students without a scholarship who take the Tuition Grant must fund the full subsidised fee plus living costs themselves; students who decline or do not receive the grant pay non-subsidised fees, which are substantially higher. Use our cost and budgeting tools to model all three scenarios — scholarship, grant-only, and full-fee — before you commit, and read the study abroad guidance on comparing total cost rather than headline tuition.

The bond deserves its own paragraph in your budget and career plan. Three years of work in Singapore after graduation means your first job search happens in Singapore’s market, on an appropriate work pass arranged by your employer. Graduates generally welcome this — Singapore salaries and experience are valuable — but you cannot treat the grant as a discount and plan to leave immediately. If you are sponsored by your home government, an employer or another scholarship with its own return obligation, check for conflicts before signing the Tuition Grant Agreement, because two bonds pointing in different directions are a genuine problem that must be resolved in advance, not after graduation.

Programmes and Fields of Study

Undergraduate scholarships follow the degree you are admitted to. NUS offers programmes across computing, engineering, science, business, humanities and social sciences, law, medicine, dentistry, nursing, design and environment and more, though scholarship transferability across programmes has limits — NUS notes its ASEAN scholarship can be transferred across programmes excluding Dentistry, Law, Medicine and Music, with only limited awards available for those highly competitive programmes. NTU’s strengths span engineering, science, business, humanities, arts and social sciences, education and medicine. SMU concentrates on business, accountancy, law, computing and information systems, economics and social sciences. SUTD organises study around technology and design pillars in engineering, architecture, computer science and humanities and social sciences. At postgraduate level, taught Master’s programmes are mostly self-funded or employer-funded; the funded postgraduate routes are research-based — PhD and research Master’s programmes with university research scholarships, the Service Obligation Scheme, and SINGA for PhD study in biomedical sciences, computing and information sciences, engineering and technology, and physical sciences.

How to Apply Step by Step

1. Choose your universities and programmes first. Singapore scholarship consideration flows from admission. Shortlist programmes at NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT or SUSS that fit your qualifications and subjects.
2. Check your qualification’s admission window. Each university publishes application periods by qualification type (A-Level, IB, international boards). Missing your qualification’s window means waiting a full year — scholarships cannot rescue a late admission application.
3. Apply for admission online. Complete the university’s application fully, including co-curricular records and achievements. For NUS and NTU freshman scholarships, eligible applicants are considered and shortlisted through this admission application; follow any scholarship-specific instructions or interview invitations the university sends.
4. Decide on the Tuition Grant with open eyes. Indicate and, if offered, accept the MOE Tuition Grant understanding the three-year bond, and sign the Tuition Grant Agreement with the required surety formalities as MOE directs. Scholarship recipients at NUS and NTU are required to take up the grant as part of their package.
5. For PhD applicants, apply through the research route. Apply to the university’s graduate school and, for SINGA, through the A*STAR SINGA portal, indicating supervisors and projects. See our SINGA guide for the full step-by-step.
6. Apply for the Student’s Pass after acceptance. Your university will guide the immigration process. Scholarship status does not replace immigration approval, and this article does not promise any visa outcome.

Required Documents

For undergraduate admission and scholarship consideration, expect to provide: passport or national identity details; final or predicted school results and certificates for your qualification (with English translations where the originals are not in English); evidence of co-curricular activities, leadership and awards; a personal statement or essays where the university requires them; referee or school counsellor input where requested; and English proficiency evidence if your qualification requires it. Postgraduate research applicants add degree certificates and full transcripts, a research proposal or statement of research interest, a CV with publications where applicable, and two academic recommendation reports submitted by referees through the university or SINGA portal. Keep certified true copies available — Singapore institutions verify documents, and discrepancies between your application and your certificates are a serious problem.

Deadlines and Timeline

Because windows are qualification-specific, the single most useful habit is to work from the admissions calendar of the exact university and qualification you hold. A date copied from a forum for a different board or a different year is how strong applicants miss Singapore entirely.

Selection Tips: How to Improve Your Chances

Singapore scholarships reward a complete file, not a single trick. Maximise your final or predicted grades first — no essay compensates for results below the admission standard of these universities. Present co-curricular achievement with evidence and impact: roles held, competitions won, projects built, community work sustained over time. Where a personal statement is required, connect your subject choice to real preparation — books, courses, research, work or competitions — rather than generic ambition. Prepare for scholarship interviews by being able to discuss your subject, your achievements and why Singapore, and this university, specifically. For research applicants, supervisor fit and a focused proposal outweigh a long publication list from an unrelated field. Finally, apply to more than one Singapore university and keep a funded or affordable plan in another country in parallel; Singapore’s top scholarships are among the most contested in Asia, and a parallel plan is strategy, not pessimism. If Singapore does not work out, compare it with the fully funded government routes in our Malaysia guide: fully funded scholarships in Malaysia.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Thinking “full tuition” means zero fees and no bond. NUS and NTU scholarships cover subsidised tuition after the Tuition Grant — and the grant brings the three-year bond. Read the terms, not the headline.
• Assuming ASEAN awards are open to everyone in Asia. They are for ASEAN citizens only. South Asian applicants should target the Science & Technology and International scholarships and NTU’s global awards instead.
• Missing your qualification’s application window. Windows close on different dates for different boards. One missed date costs a full year.
• Declining the Tuition Grant while holding a scholarship that requires it. NUS states recipients must take up the Tuition Grant. Declining it can void the scholarship structure.
• Ignoring living costs beyond the allowance. A S$5,800–S$6,500 annual living allowance helps significantly but does not make Singapore free. Budget accommodation, food and transport fully.
• Signing the Tuition Grant while holding a conflicting home-country bond. Resolve overlapping obligations with both parties in writing before signing.
• Applying only to NUS. NTU, SMU, SUTD, SIT and SUSS run their own awards with different strengths and competition pools. A one-university strategy is an unnecessary risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can international students get full scholarships in Singapore?

Yes, but they are highly competitive. NUS (ASEAN, Science & Technology and International undergraduate scholarships), NTU (Nanyang and Nanyang Global scholarships) and SINGA for PhD students provide full coverage of subsidised tuition plus allowances. Recipients are drawn from the strongest applicants in each pool, with outstanding grades and leadership or research records.

What is the MOE Tuition Grant and what is the bond?

The Tuition Grant is an MOE subsidy that reduces the tuition fee an international student pays at a public institution. In return, international students and Permanent Residents sign a Tuition Grant Agreement and work for a Singapore-based entity for three years after graduation (longer for medicine and dentistry under health-sector terms). Breaching the agreement can lead to liquidated damages.

Are NUS and NTU scholarships bond-free?

The scholarships themselves add no separate bond, but they cover tuition after the Tuition Grant, and recipients must take up that grant — which carries the three-year bond for international students. NTU states this explicitly on its scholarship pages. So the accurate description is “no bond beyond the Tuition Grant bond.”

How much is the NUS ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship worth?

Per NUS’s official page: 100% coverage of subsidised undergraduate tuition fees (after the Tuition Grant), S$5,800 annual living allowance, a one-time S$1,750 computer allowance and S$3,000 annual accommodation allowance, for the normal candidature period subject to satisfactory performance.

I am from India or Bangladesh. Which Singapore scholarships can I apply for?

Not the ASEAN awards, which require ASEAN citizenship. Your routes are the NUS Science & Technology Undergraduate Scholarship (Asian citizens, for Computing, Engineering and Science), the NUS International Undergraduate Scholarship (all nationalities), NTU’s Nanyang awards (all nationalities), the MOE Tuition Grant itself, and at PhD level, SINGA and university research scholarships.

Does Singapore fund Master’s degrees?

Taught Master’s programmes are generally self-funded. Funding exists mainly for research programmes: university research scholarships for PhD and research Master’s students, the MOE Service Obligation Scheme for selected postgraduate research courses (with a three-year work obligation), and SINGA for PhDs. Check each university’s graduate school pages for the current offer.

When should I apply for Singapore scholarships for the 2027 intake?

Undergraduate admission windows generally open in the last quarter of the year and close between December and March depending on your qualification, with scholarship consideration following admission. SINGA runs 1 June and 1 December deadlines in recent cycles. Confirm the exact dates for your qualification and intake on the official university and A*STAR pages.

Sources & Verification

Facts in this article were checked against official sources at the time of writing: the MOE Tuition Grant Scheme and MOE Service Obligation Scheme pages on moe.gov.sg for grant and bond terms, including the three-year obligation for international students; NUS’s official scholarship pages for the ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship and the Science & Technology Undergraduate Scholarship for coverage and allowance amounts; and NTU’s official Nanyang scholarship pages for NTU award values and the statement that no bond applies beyond the Tuition Grant bond. SINGA figures are summarised here and verified in detail in our dedicated SINGA article from A*STAR sources.

Disclaimer: Scholarship amounts, allowance rates, application windows and bond terms change by cohort and are set by MOE and the universities. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, university or government body. Nothing in this article guarantees or promises scholarship selection, university admission, a work pass or visa approval. Always confirm deadlines, amounts and obligations on the official MOE and university websites before applying or signing any agreement.