Ultimate guide to NUS and NTU university scholarships in Singapore

 Weird brag: I volunteered at my university programme’s Open House practically all my undergraduate years. No, you don’t get paid to talk to prospective students and/or their parents. Aside from gaining access to an average-at-best lunch buffet, all you get from the experience is a profound awareness of how lost these students and parents are about the university scholarships offered in Singapore. 

 Many parents and students scour university websites for information about the scholarships available, only to leave feeling more muddled than ever. And, much like how people who phone in for banking services eventually just press 9 to speak to an actual human being, these folks eventually journey to the university itself for its Open House—frustrated, confused, and looking for answers.

Answers are exactly what I’m going to give you today. Is the University Scholars Programme a scholarship? What’s the difference between the NUS Global Merit Scholarship and NUS Merit Scholarship? How do NUS scholarships compare with NTU ones? This is your ultimate guide to the freshmen scholarships for full-time undergraduate students at Singapore’s top 2 universities, NUS and NTU.

Note: Scholarships offered by external organisations, scholarships for part-time students, and scholarships for current university students (not freshmen) are not included in this article.

1. NUS freshmen scholarships: An overview

NUS offers 3 main types of undergraduate scholarships:

• NUS scholarships — For freshmen of (almost*) any faculty, funded by NUS. For easy identification, these scholarships are the ones with “NUS” in their names.
• Donated scholarships — For freshmen of (almost*) any faculty, funded by external foundations or institutions. You’ll recognise these scholarships by the names of their donors in the scholarship names.
• Faculty administered scholarships — For freshmen of specific faculties, funded by NUS or external organisations.

* Note: Scholarships for Dentistry, Medicine, Law, and Music are limited.

The exact scholarships you’re eligible for within each category depend on your citizenship/residency status. Here’s a quick look at what NUS has to offer Singapore Citizens, Singapore PRs, and international students:

In this article, we’ll be looking at the NUS scholarships and donated scholarships because these apply to a wider range of degree programmes. Check out the faculty administered scholarships on the NUS website if you’re interested in those.

2. NUS scholarships for Singapore citizens

Singapore Citizens can apply for both NUS scholarships (funded by NUS) and donated scholarships (funded by external organisations). Functionally for you as a student, where the funding comes from doesn’t affect the way the scholarship works; all of the scholarships below are bond-free and apply generally to almost all NUS degree programmes. Here’s a comparison of their benefits, eligibility criteria, and application process.

NUS scholarships for Singapore citizens — NUS-funded scholarships

NUS scholarship	NUS Global Merit Scholarship	NUS Merit Scholarship	NUS Sports Scholarship	NUS Performing & Visual Arts Scholarship
Suitable for those with	Excellent academic results, good CCA records and strong leadership qualities		Outstanding sports records.	Outstanding performing and visual arts records.
Tuition fees	Fully covered (after MOE Tuition Grant subsidy)
Living allowance	$6,000/year
Computer allowance	$2,000 (one-time)		–	–
Accommodation allowance	$4,375 – $6,020/year	–	$4,375/year (on-campus accommodation)
Overseas exchange allowance	$5,000 (Asia) / $7,500 (non-Asia and Japan) per semester, max 2 semesters	–	–	–
Total scholarship value*	$51,000 – $57,580	$26,000	$41,500	$41,500
Other benefits	Guaranteed 1-semester Student Exchange Programme (SEP) Guaranteed on-campus accommodation for first 2 years
Faculty/degree programme	Any degree except Dentistry, Medicine and Music	Limited scholarships available for Dentistry, Medicine and Music	Limited scholarships available for Dentistry and Medicine; Music excluded
Minimum GPA to maintain	4.0	3.5	3.2	3.5
Application period	Feb – Mar
Application process	Apply for all 4 NUS Scholarships by submitting 1 common application.

Note: Total value of the scholarship assumes a 4-year degree programme, 1 semester spent on exchange outside Asia, and excludes university tuition fees.

NUS scholarships for Singapore citizens — Donated scholarships

NUS donated scholarship	Stephen Riady Young Entrepreneur Scholarship	Wee Cho Yaw Future Leaders Award	Temasek Foundation – Union Scholarship
Suitable for	Aspiring entrepreneurs	All-rounded students from lower income backgrounds
Tuition fees	Fully covered (after MOE Tuition Grant subsidy)
Living allowance	$6,000/year		$5,000/year to scholarship recipient; $2,000/year to a nominated family member/guardian
Computer allowance	$2,000 (one-time)		–
Accommodation allowance	–
Overseas exchange allowance	–
Additional grants	Up to $50,000 seed funding to start a business venture within 6 months of graduation	–	–
Total scholarship value	$76,000	$26,000	$28,000
Other benefits	Guaranteed 1-semester Student Exchange Programme (SEP) Guaranteed on-campus accommodation for first 2 years		–
	Guaranteed NUS Overseas Colleges internship programme	–
Faculty/degree programme	Any degree except Dentistry, Medicine and Music	Limited scholarships available for Dentistry and Medicine	Any full-time degree programme at NUS
Minimum GPA to maintain	3.5	3.5	3.5
Funded by	Philanthropist Stephen Riady	UOB	Temasek Foundation
Application period	Feb – March
Application process	Apply via this common application — the same one as for the 4 NUS Scholarships.	No direct application; apply for both the NUS Scholarships and NUS Financial Aid in matriculation year to be considered.

3. NUS scholarships for Singapore PRs and international students

Singapore PRs and international students have two main NUS-administered scholarships they are eligible for. The biggest difference is that the Science & Technology (S&T) Undergraduate Scholarship is only for selected science, engineering and computing degrees, while the Asean Undergraduate Scholarship is open to a wider range of programmes. 

NUS scholarship	Asean Undergraduate Scholarship (AUS)	Science & Technology (S&T) Undergraduate Scholarship
Suitable for	Students from Asean member countries (excluding Singapore)	Students from an Asian country or region (excluding Singapore)
Tuition fees	Fully covered (after MOE Tuition Grant subsidy)
Living allowance	$5,800/year	$6,000/year + $200 one-time settling-in allowance
Computer allowance	$1,750 (one-time)
Accommodation allowance	$3,000/year	Annual accommodation allowance equivalent to lowest on-campus double room rate
Overseas exchange allowance	–
Additional grants	–	One-way flight from home country to Singapore at beginning of course + return flight from Singapore to home country at end of course
Total scholarship value	$36,950	$25,950 + 2 flights to/from home country
Faculty/degree programme	Limited scholarships available for Dentistry, Law, and Medicine	– School of Computing: Information Systems, Computer Science, Information Security, Business Analytics – College of Design and Engineering: Engineering majors only – School of Computing and College of Design and Engineering: Computer Engineering – College of Humanities and Sciences: Science majors only (excluding Environmental Studies and Pharmacy)
Minimum GPA to maintain	3.5	3.5
Bond	No bond*	6-year bond with a Singapore-registered company immediately upon graduation
Application process	No direct application. NUS will assess you for these scholarships when you apply for admission to NUS, and invite you to submit an application if you’re shortlisted.

* There’s no bond attached to the Asean Undergraduate Scholarship itself, but you must take up the MOE Tuition Grant to take up the scholarship. The grant bonds Singapore PRs and international students to work for a Singapore-registered company for three years after graduation. Those who study Dentistry and Medicine will be bonded to the Ministry of Health for five and six years respectively.   

ALSO READ: Scholarships you should know about before applying for university

4. NTU bond-free freshmen scholarships for all nationalities

NTU offers 4 bond-free scholarships: the Nanyang Scholarship, College Scholarship, School Scholarship, and NTU Talent Scholarship. Not only are they bond-free, but they’re also open to all nationalities, unlike the NUS-funded freshmen scholarships. 

Generally, the Nanyang Scholarship, College Scholarship, and School Scholarship (arranged here in order of decreasing scholarships benefits) have a similar target group of academically strong students.

Comparatively, the NTU Talent Scholarship is meant for artsy students, sporty students, or students with strong leadership/interpersonal qualities, including public speakers, entrepreneurs, and even eco champions. In terms of its benefits, it’s basically equivalent to the Nanyang Scholarship.

NTU scholarship	NTU Talent Scholarship	Nanyang Scholarship	College Scholarship	School Scholarship
Citizenship	Open to all nationalities
Suitable for those with	Artistic, sporting or leadership/ interpersonal talents	Excellent academic results, good CCA records and strong leadership qualities
Tuition fees	Fully covered (after MOE Tuition Grant)
Living allowance	$6,500/year		$5,000/year	–
Computer allowance	$1,750 (one-off)		–	–
Accommodation allowance	$2,000/year		–	–
Travel grant for overseas programme	$5,000		–	–
Total scholarship value*	$40,750		$20,000	Tuition fee coverage only
Faculty/degree programme	Any full-time undergraduate degree programme at NTU
Minimum GPA to maintain	Not stated	3.5	3.5	3.5
Application period	Follows the same application period and deadline as for admission to NTU
Application process	Apply via the NTU scholarship application form with your NTU application number. Prepare a 300-word Personal Essay, recent photo, and a referee’s appraisal.

* Total value of the scholarship assumes a 4-year degree programme and excludes tuition fees.

Note: For the five-year Biomedical Sciences & Chinese Medicine Programme, the scholarships above will cover only the first three years.

5. NTU scholarships for Singapore citizens and PRs

Unlike NUS, which sorted its scholarships into NUS scholarships, donated scholarships and faculty scholarships, NTU’s freshmen scholarships page for Singapore Citizens and PRs is just one long laundry list.

To help us out, I’ve taken the liberty of splitting these 19 scholarships into 3 broad groups:

1. General, university-level scholarships that apply to all degree programmes
2. Scholarships specific to certain programmes
3. Scholarships specific to certain faculties and degrees

Here’s the SparkNotes version of the screenshot above:

NTU freshmen scholarships for Singapore Citizens and PRs
Scholarships for practically all NTU degrees		Scholarships for specific Premier Scholars Programmes	Scholarships for specific degrees
Funded by NTU	Funded by external organisations
1. Nanyang Scholarship 2. College Scholarship 3. School Scholarship 4. NTU Talent Scholarship	1. Temasek Foundation Scholarships 2. LKY-STEP Award* 3. Wee Cho Yaw Future Leaders Award	1. Renaissance Engineering Programme Scholarship (REPS) 2. NTU-University Scholars Programme (NTU-​USP) Scholarship 3. Nanyang Scholarship (CN Yang Scholars Programme)	1. NTU Science Scholarship (Degrees within the College of Science) 2. Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Scholarship ​(Degrees within the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences) 3. E. W. Barker Scholarship (Sport Science & Management degree) 4. Irene Tan Liang Kheng Scholarship (Medicine) 5. LKCMedicine Scholarship (Medicine) 6. Sim Yung Chong Medical Scholarship (Medicine) 7. Toh Kian Chui Scholarship (Medicine) 8. Wee Kim Wee Legacy Fund Undergraduate Scholarship (Communication Studies degree) 9. University Engineering Scholarship*

* We talk more about the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to Encourage Upgrading (LKY-STEP) Award and the University Engineering Scholarship in the section below on scholarships for polytechnic graduates.

6. NTU scholarships for international students

For international students, these are the 9 NTU scholarships you’re eligible for:

NTU freshmen scholarships for international students
Scholarships for practically all NTU degrees (Funded by NTU)	Scholarships for specific Premier Scholars Programmes	Scholarships for specific degrees
1. Nanyang Scholarship 2. College Scholarship 3. School Scholarship 4. NTU Talent Scholarship* 5. ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship	1. NTU-University Scholars Programme (NTU-​USP) Scholarship 2. Nanyang Scholarship (CN Yang Scholars Programme)	1. Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Scholarship ​(Degrees within the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences) 2. NTU Science and Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship (Engineering or Science degrees except Biomedical Sciences & Chinese Medicine Programme, Renaissance Engineering Programme and Medicine)

* Although NTU’s page on freshmen scholarships for non-Singapore citizens doesn’t list it (see screenshot below), the NTU Talent Scholarship page states that it’s open to all nationalities. So we’re including it as an option for international students.

You’ll also notice that we bolded two of the scholarships in the table above — the Asean Undergraduate Scholarship and the NTU Science and Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship. These are the only two scholarships not also open to Singapore Citizens and PRs. Not only does this parallel the NUS scholarships open to international students only, but their benefits are the same.

7. What’s the difference between NTU’s Premier Scholars Programmes and NTU’s scholarships?

In NTU, a Premier Scholars Programme (PSP) is a special academic programme. PSPs are NOT NTU scholarships, but most of them can be paired with an equivalent NTU scholarship of the same name. For example, the NTU-USP programme may be offered with the NTU-USP Scholarship. 

One key difference between the PSPs and NTU scholarships is that the PSPs come with guaranteed hall stay for all your years of study, while the NTU scholarships do not come with any guaranteed hall stay. This is unlike the NUS-funded scholarships, such as the NUS Global Merit Scholarship, which come with guaranteed accommodation for the first two years.

How do PSPs work?

You take a PSP on top of your normal degree programme, i.e. your major. Broadly speaking, your normal degree programme is going to comprise 30-40 per cent general courses (think “Writing and Reasoning”) and 60-70 per cent courses specific to your major. Generally, PSPs replace most or all of that 30-40 per cent of general education stuff, such as the General Education Requirement (GER) Core Courses, with their own “general” core courses tailored to suit the programme focus.

For example, the Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP)’s core courses focus on broad areas of Mathematics, Sciences, Engineering, and Business. Aside from these general courses, you’ll also take more specialised courses in the engineering specialisation you choose.

Here’s an analogy: Everyone doing a degree at NTU chooses a main course, i.e. their major. At the same time, they’ll be served a set of side dishes (the general education courses) that they have to finish. Some people don’t get a choice and get served the standard set of side dishes — this is a regular NTU undergraduate who is not in a PSP.

Others get offered the option to switch out some of their side dishes to a different set, perhaps to dishes of a certain cuisine such that they better complement the main course — this is an undergraduate who gets offered a spot in a PSP. 

NTU has 4 PSPs, the first 3 of which have a scholarship counterpart they may be offered with:

1. University Scholars Programme (NTU-USP) — The most broad PSP with a liberal arts slant, NTU-USP features a multi-disciplinary curriculum with both the sciences and the arts. It accepts students from all 4 NTU colleges (College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering, College of Science), excluding the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The NTU-USP programme may be offered with the NTU-USP Scholarship, which is equivalent in benefits to the Nanyang Scholarship, but with some extra overseas grants and opportunities. 
2. Renaissance Engineering Programme (REP) — A premier engineering programme that takes 4.5 years instead of the usual 4 for most NTU degrees. Students graduate with a dual degree — a Bachelor of Engineering Science and a Master of Science in Technology Management. The REP programme may be offered with the REP Scholarship, which is also comparable in value to the Nanyang Scholarship.
3. CN Yang Scholars Programme (CNYSP) — A programme that focuses on science and engineering. That sounds a bit like REP, but while REP has a business slant, CNYSP has a bias towards technological innovation — ”making and tinkering”, in their own words. CNYSP accepts students who take up Science and Engineering degrees. If you are accepted into the CNYSP programme, you’re eligible for the CNYSP edition of the Nanyang Scholarship, Nanyang Scholarship (CN Yang Scholars Programme), which comes with the same benefits.
4. NTU-NIE Teaching Scholars Programme (TSP) — Specially for aspiring educators, the TSP is for those who are sure teaching is their calling. While there is no “TSP Scholarship”, TSP students will be fully funded by MOE. They’ll graduate with either a Bachelor of Arts (Major of choice and Education Major), or a Bachelor of Science (Major of choice and Education Major).

8. NUS USP vs NTU-USP — Which is better?

Oops! Error 404: NUS USP is no more. As of 2022, NUS USP has combined with Yale-NUS College to form a brand new college with, admittedly, a wholly unoriginal name: NUS College.

NUS College is now branded as the honours college of NUS. It aims to combine the best of both the worlds it came from — the interdisciplinary tradition of NUS USP, as well as the liberal arts approach of Yale-NUS. 

This means that NTU-USP is now the only USP left, and in this sense wins the old NUS USP vs NTU-USP battle by default. But in case you were actually wondering what scholarship benefits these USPs come/came with, here’s reminding you that NTU-USP is not a scholarship in and of itself. We’ll explain.

ALSO READ: NUS, NTU, SMU & other Singapore university degrees - how much do they cost in 2021?

Is NTU-USP a scholarship?

NTU-USP is a type of scholars programme that can come with a scholarship (namely, the NTU-University Scholars Programme (NTU-​USP) Scholarship), but this is not guaranteed due to the competitive nature of the programme.

You can still take up NTU-USP the programme without NTU-USP the scholarship, but you cannot hold the NTU-USP Scholarship without also being admitted to NTU-USP the programme. If you’re offered the NTU-USP programme without the NTU-USP scholarship, you can be funded by another scholarship, be it an NTU scholarship or an external one. In summary, there are 3 possible scenarios for an NTU-USP student:

1. Get into the NTU-USP programme with the NTU-USP scholarship
2. Get into the NTU-USP programme with another scholarship, NTU or external
3. Get into the NTU-USP programme with no scholarship

9. NUS Global Merit Scholarship vs NTU Nanyang Scholarship — Which is better?

To us, the best scholarships come with many benefits and no bond. Both “flagship” scholarships from NUS and NTU fit the bill. But between the NUS Global Merit Scholarship and NTU Nanyang Scholarship, does one come out on top? Here’s a comparison:

Scholarship	NUS Global Merit Scholarship	NTU Nanyang Scholarship
Eligibility	Singapore Citizens	All nationalities
Tuition fees	Fully covered (after MOE Tuition Grant subsidy)
Living allowance	$6,000/year	$6,500/year
Computer allowance	$2,000 (one-time)	$1,750 (one-time)
Accommodation allowance	$4,375 – $6,020/year	$2,000/year
Overseas programme allowance	$5,000 (Asia) / $7,500 (non-Asia and Japan) per semester on exchange, max 2 semesters	$5,000
Total scholarship value	$51,000 – $57,580	$40,750
Other benefits	Guaranteed 1-semester Student Exchange Programme (SEP) Guaranteed on-campus accommodation for first 2 years	Accommodation is not guaranteed (only NTU’s PSPs guarantee hall stay for all your years of study)
Faculty/degree programme	Any undergraduate degree except Dentistry, Medicine and Music	Apparently any undergraduate degree, but we suspect Medicine might have limited/no spots especially since NTU has many scholarships for Medicine
Minimum GPA to maintain	4.0	3.5

The NUS Global Merit Scholarship is certainly meatier than the NTU Nanyang Scholarship in many respects, and from a purely financial perspective is certainly worth more. However, while the Nanyang Scholarship gives less, it also asks for less, with a lower minimum GPA to maintain of 3.5 compared to 4.0 for the NUS Global Merit Scholarship.

The Nanyang Scholarship is also open to all nationalities, while the NUS Global Merit Scholarship is only offered to Singapore Citizens. If you aren’t a Singapore Citizen, NTU’s Nanyang Scholarship is still a generous scholarship option.

10. What’s the difference between the NUS College Scholarships and the NTU College Scholarship?

The trick to understanding the difference between the NUS College Scholarships and the NTU College Scholarship is in how you process the words. The former is the, the group of scholarships that NUS College offers its students. These include the Temasek Foundation – NUS College Sunburst Scholarship and the NUS College International Scholarship.

Comparatively, the latter is the, a single scholarship that NTU offers all freshmen of any nationality. It plays second fiddle to the Nanyang Scholarship, NTU’s most generous scholarship for freshmen, but still comes with more benefits than NTU’s School Scholarship, which only covers tuition fees.

11. University scholarships for polytechnic diploma holders

Both NUS and NTU (and indeed, several other Singapore universities) offer 2 scholarships specially for polytechnic graduates: the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to Encourage Upgrading (LKY-STEP) Award and the University Engineering Scholarship (UES).

LKY-STEP Award	University Engineering Scholarship (UES)
Eligibility	Singapore Citizens or Singapore PRs, have outstanding local polytechnic diploma results (preferably Diploma with Merit)
Applicable degrees	Any full-time undergraduate degree, including Dentistry, Law and Medicine	Full-time Engineering or Technology-related undergraduate degrees
Universities that offer it	NUS, NTU, SUTD, SIT	NUS, NTU, SUTD, SIT
Benefits	$3,500 one-time cash award and waiver of tuition fees	$5,800/year living allowance, $2,000 one-time computer allowance, coverage of tuition fees
Minimum GPA to maintain	3.5 / Stay within top 80per cent of cohort for Dentistry, Law and Medicine scholars	3.5
Bond	None	4-year bond in an Engineering/Technology-related field in Singapore immediately upon graduation

12. How do I choose the best university scholarship for me?

Just when you thought the stress of  ‘A’ levels/polytechnic/IB was over, you’re now faced with an overwhelming number of universities, degrees, scholarships and academic programmes to consider. That’s a lot to chew on. What we can help you with is the choice of scholarship to apply for or to accept. Here are some factors to consider:

1. Bond — Most scholarships offered by local universities are bond-free for Singapore Citizens. Some scholarships for Singapore PRs and international students do come with a bond, so read the T&Cs carefully before you accept a scholarship. Furthermore, if you’re a Singapore PR or international student, remember that the MOE Tuition Grant used to subsidise your course of study comes with a 3-year bond to work for a Singapore-registered company right after graduation. If you study Dentistry or Medicine, you’ll be bonded to the Ministry of Health for five and six years respectively.
2. Monetary benefits — We needn’t say more, because I’m sure you’d have seen the dollar signs already as far as scholarships are concerned. However, do take note of which payouts are one-off, and which are annual allowances that recur. Plus, remember that some allowances work more like subsidies. For example, hall “allowances” are only given if you actually stay in a university hall, and not just doled out freely like your one-time computer allowance whether or not you buy a computer with the money.
3. Non-monetary benefits — These include things like whether hall stay is guaranteed, and the opportunity to go on overseas exchange programmes. Don’t underestimate these privileges; some students fight tooth and nail to get hall stay!
4. Eligible degrees and programmes — The last thing you want to do is pick a degree because that’s the degree that the scholarship you just got offered applies to. As much as we look at and talk about the monetary value of a scholarship, you should be picking your university and degree before you pick the scholarship, and not letting your scholarship pick your course of study. 

This article was first published in MoneySmart.