Will there be any fee increase for AY2009/2010?

Recognising the impact of the current economic downturn, NUS has decided to defer the planned graduate tuition fee adjustments for AY2009/2010 by one year. This means that all students will pay the existing AY2008/09 fees for their course in AY2009/10. 

Q02.

How much can we expect the fee increment to be without the deferment?

Without the deferred implementation of fee increase to AY2010/2011, students admitted in AY2009/2010 can expect the fees to be raised by 8%. As for students admitted in AY2008/09 and before, the fee increase will be 3%.

What are the reasons for the proposed fee adjustments?

NUS has been very successful in providing a very affordable and internationally recognised education that gives our students the competitive edge needed to succeed in the globalised world. This requires hiring and retaining top academic manpower and supporting staff, as well as investing in and maintaining quality teaching facilities and student amenities.  As such, a modest tuition fee increase is necessary to help preserve and improve the quality of teaching. These adjustments are necessary to allow NUS and its Faculties to cope with a higher cost of operations arising from higher prices of supplies and services. However, being mindful of the current economic situation, NUS has decided to defer the tuition fee increase for AY2009/2010.

Have cost cutting measures been considered?

Keeping costs under control is always a top priority for the University.  Through streamlining of administrative processes, competitive tendering for goods and services, and outsourcing of non-core activities, cost increases have been kept low.  In addition, the University has taken steps to further reduce costs and expenditure so that more resources can be channeled to priority areas such as increasing financial aid for students and enriching their learning experience; to recruiting, developing and retraining strong academics who are key to high-quality education and research; and to training to further enhance the quality of our administrative, professional and support staff.

Which set of fees would be applicable if I have accepted NUS’ offer of admission earlier and been granted deferment of my actual admission to August 2009 (AY2009/2010)?

You will be considered a new student of the AY2009/2010 intake. As such, the fees for "new students admitted in AY2009/2010", as published on the graduate fee webpage, will apply to you.

Will these changes affect fees charged to international students?

For continuing students (i.e. those admitted before AY2008/2009), the fees charged to international students are 10% higher than the fees charged to local students (i.e. Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents). This will continue to apply.

In line with the announcement made by the Government in December 2006, beginning with the student intake of AY2008/2009, the differential fee framework tabulated below applies. This differentiation in favour of Singaporean students is in line with the prevailing national policy.

Like the Singaporean students, non-Singaporean students admitted to the University in AY2009/2010 will also benefit from the deferment of the planned adjustments to their tuition fees for one year.

* In some programmes, the University may deem it feasible, based on industry demand, to implement a service obligation scheme. The determination of this feasibility is at the sole discretion of the University. In such programmes, the IS may be offered the option of signing the service obligation agreement in exchange for reduced tuition fees. The IS is required to work in Singapore-based companies for 3 years upon graduation. Singapore-based companies refer to local and international companies that have a base in Singapore that is registered with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) as well as companies of such local and international companies registered with ACRA that are based overseas. 

With no fee increase for AY2009/2010, will the programmes in NUS be in any way compromised?

With increasing costs over the years and no fee increase, the University has spared no efforts in improving the quality of education by optimizing the efficiency of its operations and making the best use of available funds.  The implementation of a range of cost-cutting measures has allowed the University to reallocate funds to high priority areas.

Can we expect more financial assistance or scholarships to help students in the current economic downturn?

The University has stepped up its efforts to assist students in areas of scholarship and financial aid. Students can apply for a range of scholarships and financial aid from the University and the Ministry of Education. These options include Lee Kong Chian Graduate Scholarship, President’s Graduate Fellowship, SMA Graduate Fellowship at SMART, NUS Research Scholarship, NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences & Engineering Scholarship (NGSS), Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA), ASEAN Foundation Research Scholarship and NUS Graduate Scholarship for ASEAN Nationals (GSA), Tuition Fee Allowance, Tuition Fee Loan. For more information on graduate scholarships and financial aid, please click here. The University will continue to expend every effort to source for more scholarship funds to award deserving students.

Would NUS provide more on-campus job opportunities for students, including international students, to cope with the economic downturn?

Besides the Part Time Appointment Scheme, the NUS Career Centre in the Office of Student Affairs provides services to help students find part-time jobs on and outside campus. Students who are interested are invited to check with the NUS Career Centre, or directly with the Faculties, and Departments for such part-time job opportunities.

With the increased pressures in workload and expectations from graduate students, would NUS consider scholarship extensions for graduate students exceeding their academic term?

The Faculties already do consider such requests on a case-by-case basis. Factors that are taken into consideration include the reason(s) for extension, and the performance of the student. Nonetheless, upon extension of candidature, there is no guarantee of similar extension of scholarship and government subsidy. 

For those who are staying for extra months not amounting to a complete semester, are there any considerations for lowered / discounted fees?

Currently, graduate research students are given a full waiver of their tuition fees if they submit their thesis within the first 2 instructional weeks of the start of a semester and a 50% discount if their thesis are submitted by 30 September in Semester 1 or 31 March in Semester 2. 

If I already have a graduate degree, will I still be able to enjoy the government subsidy if I wish to pursue a second graduate programme?

Students who have previously enjoyed government subsidy in a graduate programme will not be eligible for government subsidy in another graduate programme at the same or lower level. For example, a student with a Master’s degree who wishes to upgrade in another discipline area where the programme has a combination of Master’s and PhD studies, s/he will not be eligible to enjoy government subsidies during the Master’s candidature.