Over the past few decades, Singapore has been one of the most popular destinations for international students to pursue a degree. There are a couple of reasons behind this, mostly due to its innovative higher education system, diversity in student and academic staff nationality, high living standards, networking opportunities for professional development, and so on.
However, one essential factor to consider when choosing to study in Singapore for a degree program is, without a doubt, the cost of studying and living in the country. From tuition fees to the cost of accommodation, transportation, food, insurance, and many more expenses, it’s necessary for an applicant to have a general knowledge of what to expect from his or her spending while studying in Singapore. In this article, we introduce you to the general cost of studying and living in Singapore as an international student, so keep reading to find out how you can prepare your budget before coming to Singapore.
Is it Expensive to Study in Singapore for International Students?
It’s commonly known that Singapore is an expensive country to live and study in; the average living cost of studying in Singapore is around SGD 1,000 ($750) per month, without accommodation. However, there are many expenses to consider when coming up with an amount, and your preference for housing, transportation, and other living expenses can give you a different cost.
When it comes to studying in Singapore, the first thing to consider is tuition fees. In Singapore, the tuition fees depend on a number of factors such as the type of university, degree or program, student’s nationality of residence, receiving the Ministry of Education (MOE) Subsidy, and more. To give solid examples, the National University of Singapore charges international students an annual tuition fee of SGD 30,000 ($22,000) to 39,000 ($24,000) for undergraduate and graduate programs without MOE Subsidy, yet the annual fees go up to SGD 169,866 ($127,500) for undergraduate and SGD 71,207 ($53,000) graduate programs in medicine and dentistry.
Costs of Studying in Singapore
Below, we covered the academic and living costs of studying in Singapore for international students.
1. Academic Costs / Tuition Fees
Tuition fees for studying in Singapore vary depending on several factors, including the type of degree, discipline, university, or the student. For some universities, undergraduate programs may have lower tuition fees compared to postgraduate programs, and in several cases, doctoral programs have the lowest tuition fees.
Additionally, some disciplines, such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, law, or art, usually have higher tuition fees than other disciplines. Another important factor to keep in mind is the Ministry of Education (MOE) Subsidy; international students meeting certain criteria can benefit from the subsidized tuition fees for certain programs or degrees. Below, we shared the general tuition fee ranges at the top universities in Singapore without the MOE Subsidy for reference.
| UNIVERSITY NAME |
TUITION FEE (For unsubsidized international students) |
| National University of Singapore |
SGD 30,000 ($22,000) to 39,000 ($24,000) for undergraduate and graduate programs |
| Nanyang Technical University |
SGD 35,860 ($27,000) for undergraduate and SGD 21,000 ($15,700) to SGD 46,395 ($35,000) for graduate programs |
| Singapore Management University |
SGD 46,022($34,500) to SGD 50,412 ($37,500) for undergraduate and SGD 36,700 (27,500) for master’s and doctoral programs |
2. Other Academic Costs
Besides tuition fees, there are other expenses to consider when studying in Singapore. These expenses can be university application fees, registration fees, miscellaneous student fees, special term fees, etc.
The type and amount of academic costs depend heavily on the university you enrolled in; for instance, the application fee for the National University of Singapore is SGD 20 ($15), whereas, at Singapore Management University, it is SGD 15 ($11).
Costs of Living in Singapore
Singapore is a city-state, yet below, we shared the best towns or regions in Singapore for international students.
1. Queenstown
Queenstown is the home of the National University of Singapore. The cost of living in Queenstown, Singapore, is neither too cheap nor too expensive by Singaporean standards, depending on where and under which conditions you live. Average rental apartments cost about SGD 3,700 ($2,700), whereas on-campus accommodation options cost about SGD 500 ($375). An average meal at a restaurant is about SGD 15 ($11), and books and other student-related expenses can cost about SGD 100 ($75) in a month.
2. Orchard
Orchard is a busy city center in Singapore with many amenities and universities, such as the London School of Business and Finance and Aventis Graduate School, and therefore, it’s fairly more expensive for international students to live in. The average rental apartments cost about SGD 4,500 ($3,380), the average meal costs about SGD 25 ($18), and books and other student-related expenses can cost about SGD 150 ($112) in a month.
Ways to Minimize Academic and Living Costs in Singapore
1. Scholarships for International Students
Scholarship is one of the best ways to minimize study expenses, and luckily, there are many tuition waivers or fully-funded scholarships available for skillful students.
NUS Research Scholarship, NTU-University Scholars Programme (NTU-USP) Scholarship, and Nanyang Scholarship are only some of the fully-funded scholarship opportunities for international students. For eligibility and application procedures, kindly visit the scholarship page.
2. Part-time Work for International Students
Another popular way to manage your budget as an international student is to look for a part-time job position in Singapore. However, the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore allows international students to work only with certain criteria and requirements.
Popular jobs for international students are language tutors, early childhood teachers, tour guides, and more. The salary depends on the type, duration, and skills of the student employee.
Studying in Singapore is often regarded as costly, and from one perspective, it’s a fact. However, as we discussed in this article, there are many options to prepare and manage your budget while studying in Singapore, and the benefits of studying in this city-state are much more to cover. If you think studying a degree program in Singapore is suitable for you, prepare your application and budget today.
We hope that this article on the cost of studying and living in Singapore for international students was informative. The Singapore Page has more resources to explore your study options in this lovely country. If you’re interested in studying abroad, you can find more information on other countries’ Cost of Living and Studying including several Open Courses for International Students.
