President's Graduate Fellowship

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The President's Graduate Fellowship (”Fellowship”) is awarded to PhD candidates who show exceptional promise or accomplishment in research. A number of PhD candidates are selected each semester by the University for the award. A number of Fellowships are donor-funded: President’s Graduate Fellowship (funded by Lee Kong Chian Scholarship) and President’s Graduate Fellowship (funded by Jasmine Scholarship)


Eligibility

The Fellowship is open to incoming new PhD candidates who meet the following criteria:

  1. have graduated with an undergraduate degree with at least Second Class Honours (Upper division) / Honours (Distinction) or equivalent;
  2. have been offered admission to a full-time doctoral research (PhD) programme at NUS; and
  3. must be eligible for MOE Subsidy1. 
    1Please click here for Eligibility Guidelines for MOE Subsidy

Current NUS Research Scholars who have passed the PhD Qualifying Examination (QE) are also eligible. NGS students are not eligible for this award.


Award Amount

  1. A monthly stipend as follows:
    Singapore Citizen2 S$3,500
    Singapore Permanent Resident S$3,200
    International Student S$3,000
  2. Tuition fees at the University;
  3. A one-off air travel allowance3 for 1 one-way ticket of up to S$750 on economy class and up to 20 kg baggage per trip (only for newly registered international students’ trip from home country to Singapore to commence study);
  4. A one-off settling allowance of S$1,000 (only for international students)
    2With effect from 1 August 2015, Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions shall be provided at a rate pegged to the prevailing employer's contribution rate set by CPF, on top of the monthly stipend received.
    3All airfare claims must be made within 1 month from date of travel. Please attach original receipt(s) with the relevant completed form and submit it to Registrar's Office.

Award Period

The Fellowship is tenable for one (1) year in the first instance and thereafter may, subject to the awardee's satisfactory progress, be renewed each semester at the University’s discretion. The maximum period of the Fellowship is 4 years. For NUS Research Scholars who are selected for the Fellowship, the maximum period for the NUS Research Scholarship and the Fellowship must not exceed 4 years.


Application Procedure

Incoming new PhD candidates will have to indicate their interest in the Fellowship when they submit their application for admission. Current NUS Research Scholars who have passed the PhD QE and wish to be considered for the award will have to apply through their respective departments. For the President’s Graduate Fellowship (funded by Lee Kong Chian Scholarship), preference is given to candidates who exhibit leadership ability and commitment to community service.


Notification of Award

Successful applicants will be informed of the outcome of their applications sometime in May (for admission in August) or October (for admission in January). Successful applicants are required to sign a letter of undertaking agreeing to observe the terms and conditions for the award of the Fellowship.


Disclaimer ​

The above information is subject to change at any time. For the latest updates on the Fellowship, please contact the graduate division of the relevant faculty or school.