Singapore is an appealing destination for international students who want an English-medium education in Asia. It offers education in the English language at major universities, and foreign students can apply to selected medical routes. However, admission to medical school in Singapore is highly competitive. Students may need to complete academic screening, admissions assessments, portfolios, standardized tests, interviews, referee reports, or relevant experience, depending on the school and program. Overall, the process is demanding, and becoming a doctor in Singapore requires several years of study and supervised postgraduate training.
Singapore might not be the cheapest option, but higher education from the country’s best universities is highly regarded, and Singapore offers a modern, multicultural, and safe environment. The number of doctors in Singapore has continued to grow in recent years, and the healthcare sector needs doctors with broad-based skills, including family medicine, internal medicine, geriatric medicine, and rehabilitation medicine. In this article, we will look at the top medical schools in Singapore.
Top Medical Schools in Singapore
1. Duke-NUS Medical School
Duke-NUS Medical School was established in 2005 as a collaboration between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Duke University in the United States. It is Singapore’s graduate-entry medical school and follows a Duke-style curriculum adapted to Singapore’s healthcare and research environment.
The medical education at Duke-NUS lasts four years and combines pre-clinical/basic science learning, clinical training, team-based learning, and a dedicated research and scholarship period. Graduates receive a joint Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree awarded by Duke University and the National University of Singapore. Duke-NUS welcomes qualified applicants of any nationality, but applicants must usually have completed, or be in the final year of, a bachelor’s or honors degree and submit MCAT or GAMSAT results and references.
The institution also offers the Master of International Translational Medicine, a part-time stackable program, and Ph.D. programs in Integrated Biology and Medicine, Quantitative Biology and Medicine, and Clinical and Translational Sciences.
2. National University of Singapore
The NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine was established in 1905 and is Singapore’s first and largest medical school. It has a long tradition and heritage, offering medical education and biomedical research training for future healthcare professionals.
This top medical school in Singapore has 18 departments and two centers. Its clinical faculty also staff the National University Hospital (NUH), which is the school’s primary training institution. NUS Medicine is involved in international networks such as the ASEAN Medical Schools Network, the Association of Academic Health Centers International, and the M8 Alliance.
The institution offers the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), with options such as a minor in Biomedical Informatics, and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Master of Science and Ph.D. programs are available under its graduate research programs, while Master of Science, Master of Medicine, and Graduate Diploma programs are offered under graduate coursework programs. Nursing programs also include the Master of Nursing and postgraduate nursing programs.
3. Nanyang Technological University
The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, one of the top medical schools in Singapore, was established in 2010 by Nanyang Technological University in partnership with Imperial College London, and accepted its first cohort in 2013. Its mission is to provide innovative medical education, promote research, and train doctors for Singapore. LKCMedicine has been transitioning to an NTU medical school since 2024, ahead of the planned conclusion of the NTU-Imperial collaboration in 2028.
The curriculum is a five-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program. The current NTU MBBS curriculum includes themes such as precision medicine, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and medical humanities. Students train through clinical attachments across Singapore’s healthcare institutions, and the final year includes a Student Assistantship Programme that helps prepare students for practice as doctors.
For graduate programs, LKCMedicine offers a Ph.D. by Research and a growing range of graduate and professional programs, including the Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine, the Graduate Programme in Holistic Palliative Care, the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, and other short courses. The Graduate Diploma in Sports Medicine is developed with the Singapore Sport & Exercise Medicine Centre at Changi General Hospital and is designed mainly for medical doctors.
To recap, Singapore is a strong study destination for many reasons. The education system is high quality and internationally connected, and the environment is modern, multicultural, and safe. Singapore is also a developed country that continues to invest in healthcare and medical training while preserving its history and heritage. Cooperation with international universities and healthcare partners means students can benefit from globally connected medical education in Asia, although medicine in Singapore is not generally a low-cost option.
We hope that this article on the best medical schools in Singapore was informative. If you are interested in learning more about the country, check out our Guide to Study in Singapore. Additionally, there are more available programs for international students.
