How I Secured a Fully Funded Bachelor's at Singapore Management University, Singapore Through the ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship

Hi! I’m Taya, and I’m from Thailand; however, I’ve been studying in Singapore for about a decade, so I grew up within Singapore’s education system. I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Management at Singapore Management University, although I initially joined SMU through the Deferred Declaration of Degree programme under the College of Integrative Studies.

ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship Details

I’m a scholar under the ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship, which is awarded by Singapore’s Ministry Of Education through SMU. More details about the benefits as well as eligibility criteria can be found at this link: https://admissions.smu.edu.sg/financial-aid/asean-undergraduate-scholarship

Were You Offered Any Other Scholarships?

But there are definitely other scholarships available in the university. How it works for NUS, NTU and SMU for international students applying for scholarships is that you fill up a centralized form, ticking which scholarship you’re interested in, and then the university will decide for you which scholarship you will receive. This helps to lessen the load for applicants as well, so they don’t have to do multiple forms.

For SMU specifically, more details about the scholarships available can be found here

Educational Background

I applied for universities in Singapore just like any other Singaporean, which is through Singapore GCE A levels. I scored quite well (87.5/90RP), which is higher than the “cut-off point”. I would say that scoring well in the national exam (A levels) definitely played a huge role in my application. However, I also highlighted my experience and takeaways from being in leadership positions (club president, student council) in my scholarship application form. Hence, I would say having good grades, combined with valuable leadership experience, helped me to earn the scholarship without doing any interviews.

How Did You Prepare to Apply to Singapore Management University?

How Did You Find Information About ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship and Singapore Management University?

I did a lot of research. Besides official university websites or their chatbots, Reddit is a good source of information, especially when it comes to seeking others’ opinions about the programme or comparing different universities.

Personally, I received offers from NUS, NTU, and SMU, so I read a lot of Reddit posts to gauge the culture and the experiences that students in each university go through. I definitely learned a lot from it and decided to go with SMU in the end.

Besides that, all 3 universities also hold a lot of talks and QnA sessions online and offline (open house). I would recommend prospective students/scholars to attend and clarify any questions that you have. Alternatively, you can also utilize LinkedIn to ask for advice from a senior who came from your country and received the scholarship that you are aiming for. All you need to do is search for the university name, country, and scholarship name on the LinkedIn search bar, and a list of people should pop up. I have reached out to a few seniors to clarify a few questions about my scholarship, and they have kindly helped out as much as they could. (Do expect that some might not reply though, as there are a lot of people who don’t really check their LinkedIn haha)

Did You Take Any Standardized Tests? If So, How Did You Prepare for Them?

No, I did not, as I went through the same process as a Singaporean would do and hence took the same exam as them.

I would encourage prospective international students to do proper research or email the university admission team to ask about the required standardized test.

How Did You Prepare to Apply for the ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship?

Besides studying to obtain good grades (competition among international students to enter any big 3 uni in Singapore is quite tough as intake for international students is quite low as compared to locals and validly so, hence I feel that having a good GPA is expected), prospective students should be able to verbalize and reflect thoroughly on their experiences. It isn’t necessarily a big leadership role; it could even be a small contribution like leading a group project in class. What’s important is how you phrase it and how you highlight what you have learned, how it impacts others around you, what insights you have from the experience, and how you grow from it. It shows that you are an introspective person and don’t just mindlessly have a leadership position, but actively learn from whatever situation you are in. I think this is what Singapore universities are looking for in students.

What Do You Think Made Your Application Stand Out?

I was quite clear in what I had learned from my past experiences as a leader in various projects. I also read a lot about what successful applications look like from Reddit posts, as well as understanding the university’s values and purpose.

What Would You Have Done Differently if You Were Going Through the Process Again?

I would have talked to more seniors from my university, seeking advice and learning more about their experiences so that I could understand the university better.

What Advice Would You Give Those Looking to Apply for a Similar Scholarship?

Do not apply for the scholarship alone. I’m not saying that you should make your friends apply for the same scholarship to the same university as you, but have people read your application and give feedback, as many as possible. The application process can be quite tedious, having to recall your past experiences and writing it out, deleting it and then rewriting it again so that it sounds better or fit within the word count limit. It is, hence, important to have others read your application with a fresh mind and provide alternative phrasing or structuring that you might not have thought about. Personally, while applying for various universities and scholarships, I had 5 of my friends, my academic advisor, and my parents read my application forms and provide feedback (Of course, I read my friends’ ones and gave comments as well), and my final draft after reading their comments was so much better than my initial draft.

Aside from this, I recommend starting the reflection process early and being consistent with it. I was fortunate that my secondary school teacher forced me to submit consistent reflections (it can be a reflection about anything, but focus more on what problem/issue you faced, how you tackled it, what you learned from it, etc.; it doesn’t have to specifically link to a specific leadership position). By the time I was applying for university and scholarship, I had a document full of previous reflections that I’ve done throughout the years, so it did not take too much time for me to recall what I had done specifically.