Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme

The value of the loan should not exceed the tuition fee payable and the CPF member may only use up to 40% of accumulated savings in the ordinary account, excluding amounts withdrawn for housing.

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme is for the payment of tuition fees for full-time Singapore Citizen and Singapore Permanent Resident undergraduate students. It cannot be used to pay for the compulsory miscellaneous fees and hostel fee. You can use your own, your spouse’s or your parents' CPF savings to pay for your tuition fees. The CPF Board will consider the use of sibling's or relative's CPF savings only on a case-by-case basis.

Note: Full fee paying undergraduates students and students who exceed their normal candidature will not be eligible for the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme. Appeals for the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme application beyond normal candidature will not be considered. However, students may apply for the Tuition Fee Loan or Post-Secondary Education Account to cover up to 90% of the pro-rated full fee/full fee or pro-rated full fees payable beyond their normal candidature, respectively. Undergraduates who are reading the Concurrent Degree Programmes are not eligible for the scheme once they are charged graduate tuition fee. Undergraduates who are reading the Joint-Degree Programmes (JDP) will not be eligible for the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme and these students may apply for the Tuition Fee Loan or Post-Secondary Education Account to cover their tuition fees during the JDP.

Repayment starts one year after graduation or on leaving the course, whichever is earlier. The student has to repay the full amount of CPF savings withdrawn and the interest from the time the savings are withdrawn. The interest, which is based on the prevailing CPF interest rate, will be credited into the CPF account of the member whose savings had been used. The repayment can be made in one lump sum or by monthly installments over a maximum period of 12 years. For outstanding amounts of up to $10,000, the minimum repayment per month is $100.

Students may use their PSEA balance for the repayment of their loan after they have graduated. To apply and find out more about the scheme, please click here. Please note that the application form should be submitted to MOE directly.

From 1 April 2005, CPF Board has waived the need for students to furnish a guarantor for applications to use CPF savings for education. Existing guarantors under the scheme will continue to be liable. However, a replacement guarantor is not required in the event the existing guarantor becomes ineligible, such as in the event of death or bankruptcy.

The application procedures for the CPF Education Loan Scheme can be found here. The CPF Education Loan Scheme online application period for each semester is shown in the table below. Exact application dates can be found in the CPF Board Website.

A SingPass must be obtained before applying.

Please note that if the application period for the CPF Education Loan Scheme is closed for the semester, you may consider applying for the Tuition Fee Loan or Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) scheme to cover your tuition fees for that semester.

More Information

For more information on the CPF Education Loan Scheme, please refer to the CPF Education Loan Scheme Information (FAQs).