16 hours a week
Term-time work, at listed institutions only
Only at institutions named by MOM, subject to the Student’s Pass and work conditions.
Ministry of Manpower · work pass exemption for foreign studentsSTUDY ABROAD / SG
Earn your place.Your next chapter.In Singapore.
Earn your place / Singapore publishes its rules and then applies them. Places, grants and passes are all won on stated criteria — which is good news if you prepare properly.
Six autonomous universities, a dense research economy and a regulatory system that writes everything down. The choices that matter here are unusually concrete: which institution type, whether to take the tuition grant and its bond, and what happens to your pass the day you graduate.
Guide checked · Official sources
SINGAPORE / IN FOCUSSINGAPORE
Supanut Arunoprayote · CC BY 4.0 · Display cropped
3-year bond
What the MOE Tuition Grant costs you
Served after graduation, with liquidated damages if broken.
Ministry of Education · Tuition Grant SchemeEduTrust
What a private institution must hold
Only EduTrust-certified PEIs can take Student's Pass holders.
ICA · approved private education institutions01 / YOUR STARTING POINT
Where are you starting from?
Choose the closest match. Use it to plan your next checks, not as an admission decision.
Autonomous university, and the grant question.
Singapore's autonomous universities admit internationally on strong school results and, for many courses, an interview or test. The first financial decision is whether to take the MOE Tuition Grant, because it comes with a bond.
NUS · undergraduate tuition fees- 01Check the exact entry requirements for your qualification and the course, not the university.
- 02Get both fee figures — with the Tuition Grant and without — for your faculty and intake.
- 03Read the bond terms before you accept the grant, including what counts as qualifying employment.
Keep in mind
Fees are cohort-based at several universities, meaning your intake year's rate follows you through the degree. Ask what your cohort pays for every year, not just the first.
02 / THE REAL COST
Three decisions, all with published numbers.
The grant and its bond, the institution type, and what a graduate salary must reach.
There are two tuition figures, not one
Compare your exact course fee for your intake, nationality and Tuition Grant decision. The subsidised and non-subsidised columns can differ substantially; a single university-wide range can conceal that difference.
NUS · undergraduate tuition feesThe grant buys a three-year obligation
International students who accept the MOE Tuition Grant must serve a three-year bond working for a Singapore-registered entity after graduating, and buying out of the bond means paying liquidated damages. Read the bond conditions before the fee discount decides your choice.
Ministry of Education · Tuition Grant SchemeThere is no automatic graduate work visa
Staying to work means qualifying for a work pass. The Employment Pass minimum qualifying salary for new applications is currently S$5,600 for most sectors and S$6,200 in financial services, rising to S$6,000 and S$6,600 for new applications from 1 January 2027, and it increases with age. Candidates must also score 40 points under the COMPASS framework.
Ministry of Manpower · Employment Pass eligibility03 / MAKE THE NUMBERS YOURS
What would your first year look like?
Change the example figures to match your shortlist. See the expenses and the cash you may need to set aside.
UNIVERSITY STUDY / 12 MONTHS / SGD
An illustrative first-year plan in Singapore dollars. S$36,000 tuition is an editable programme allowance, not a verified NUS non-subsidised fee or a quote from the campus shown above. Use the fee for your exact course, nationality, cohort and grant decision. Monthly living assumes shared accommodation; replace rent and the refundable deposit with actual quotes.
YOUR FIRST-YEAR PICTURE
Total cash to plan forSGD 62,900.00
- Estimated expenses
- SGD 61,100.00
- Refundable deposit
- SGD 1,800.00
Living costs × 12 + tuition + other fees + arrival costs. The deposit is added separately as money to set aside.
Build from funds you can rely on.
No sign-up. Your figures stay in this page.This example deducts no unawarded scholarship or income from a job you have not secured.
04 / FUNDING THE MOVE
Find the right kind of support.
Start with an affordable study plan. Then explore funding that matches your background.
The MOE Tuition Grant — read it as a contract
The grant subsidises tuition for eligible full-time diploma and undergraduate courses, and for international students it carries a three-year working bond. Establish what employment qualifies, what happens if you leave early, and how liquidated damages are calculated, before you sign.
Read the Tuition Grant schemeUniversity scholarships, separately from the grant
Autonomous universities run their own competitive scholarships for international students, some with their own service obligations. Check whether an award stacks with the Tuition Grant, whether it renews, and what grade you must maintain.
Compare university fees and awardsBudget without part-time earnings
Only qualifying students at MOM-listed institutions can use the student work exemption. Fund the year without prospective earnings and check the exact institution and conditions.
Check the work exemptionSTUDY. WORK. UPSKILL.
Work during and after your studies.
Understand the study-related options, then prepare for the next stage.
During your course
Qualifying students at MOM-listed institutions may work up to 16 hours a week in term, or undertake a qualifying course-related attachment. Some private institutions are listed. Check the exact institution, your status and the conditions before accepting work.
Ministry of Manpower · work pass exemption for foreign studentsAfter you graduate
A Long-Term Visit Pass may let eligible graduates of ICA-listed institutions stay to seek employment. It does not itself authorise work. Confirm eligibility and the separate work pass required for a job.
ICA · graduate from an institute of higher learning seeking employmentAim at the threshold from year one
Because the Employment Pass has a published minimum salary and a points framework, your target is knowable while you are still studying. Use internships and the careers office to move towards roles that clear it rather than discovering the gap at graduation.
Ministry of Manpower · Employment Pass eligibility05 / FROM INTEREST TO ACTION
A route you can work through.
Start at the step that matches where you are. Course dates and your circumstances set the pace.
- 01
Decide the institution type
Autonomous university or EduTrust-certified private institution — the rules differ.
ICA · approved private education institutions - 02
Get both fee figures
Subsidised with the Tuition Grant and non-subsidised without, for your faculty and cohort.
NUS · undergraduate tuition fees - 03
Read the bond before accepting the grant
Three years of qualifying employment, with liquidated damages if you break it.
Ministry of Education · Tuition Grant Scheme - 04
File the Student's Pass in the window
Two to three months before the course starts, online, with the S$45 fee.
ICA · becoming a Student's Pass holder - 05
Check the work rules for your institution
Confirm whether your institution appears on the term-time work list before you rely on it.
Ministry of Manpower · work pass exemption for foreign students
06 / KEEP YOUR PLAN CURRENT
Worth knowing before you apply.
Reviewed guidance and official publishers to follow as your plan develops.
FROM 1 JANUARY 2027
Employment Pass salary thresholds rise.
New Employment Pass applications from 1 January 2027 face a minimum qualifying salary of S$6,000 in most sectors and S$6,600 in financial services, up from S$5,600 and S$6,200, with the age-graduated scale rising alongside. If you graduate around that date, plan against the higher figure.
Ministry of Manpower · Employment Pass eligibilityReviewed 10 September 2026PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS
EduTrust decides who can enrol you.
Check the institution’s current EduTrust status and verify the qualification with its awarding university separately. Certification does not guarantee admission, visa approval or recognition for a regulated profession.
ICA · approved private education institutionsReviewed 10 September 2026Keep an eye on what’s new
For the latest published notices, visit Singapore ICA. Read the date, eligibility and deadline on each announcement.
The reviewed guidance above is a dated reference. New announcements do not automatically change the page’s advice.
THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER
A little more clarity.
Useful answers to bring into your next conversation.
No. MOM names the eligible institutions, including some private institutions. Check the term-time list separately from the vacation list and satisfy the Student’s Pass and work conditions.
Ministry of Manpower · work pass exemption for foreign studentsYOUR NEXT MOVE, WITH STAAR
Turn “what if” into a first step.
Tell us where you are today. We’ll help you explore what comes next.
SOURCE NOTES
Check the detail at its source.
Reviewed 10 September 2026. Course, funding and immigration rules can change. Use the current rules for your nationality, residence and intake.
Ministry of Manpower · work pass exemption for foreign students
The 16-hour term-time limit, vacation work and which institutions are listed.
Ministry of Education · Tuition Grant SchemeEligibility, the three-year bond for international students and liquidated damages.
ICA · becoming a Student's Pass holderWho needs a Student's Pass and the requirement for a full-time approved course.
ICA · approved private education institutionsEduTrust certification, the S$45 fee, application window and processing times.
NUS · undergraduate tuition feesSubsidised and non-subsidised international rates and cohort-based fees.
Ministry of Manpower · Employment Pass eligibilityMinimum qualifying salaries, the 2027 increases and the COMPASS framework.
ICA · graduate from an institute of higher learning seeking employmentThe Long-Term Visit Pass route for graduates, its fees and processing time.