Cost of Studying in Singapore in 2026/27: University Fees, the MOE Tuition Grant and Living Costs

A year of undergraduate study at one of Singapore's public (autonomous) universities costs an international student $26,140–48,580 (S$33,400–62,076) at the full fee, from NUS Business to SUTD, leaving aside medicine and music. With the government's MOE Tuition Grant the same degree costs $16,750–24,730 (S$21,400–31,600) a year for most programmes, but the grant commits you to three years of work in Singapore after graduation. Living costs add $7,830–12,750 (S$10,000–16,290) a year on NUS's own estimate, including on-campus housing. Altogether, a first year of Computing at NUS with the grant and a hostel place comes to about $24,660–29,580, and about $38,980–43,900 without the grant.

This guide sets out the 2026/27 fees at the autonomous universities, how the grant works and what it costs to walk away from it, what housing, food and transport cost, what master's and PhD study costs, which payments fall due before term starts and how private institutions compare. Every figure comes from the official pages of the universities, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA); USD conversions use the ECB reference rate of 28 September 2026 (1 USD ≈ 1.2777 SGD), rounded to the nearest ten. For a country overview see studying in Singapore.

How the price is built: three fee levels for the same seat

Every programme at an autonomous university has three prices: for Singapore citizens, for permanent residents and for international students. As an international student you then choose between two options:

• Full fee (non-subsidised) — you pay the whole cost and carry no obligations after graduation.
• Subsidised fee (with the MOE Tuition Grant) — the government pays part of the cost and you sign a work bond. ASEAN nationals pay a slightly lower subsidised fee than other international students; Russian, Kazakh and most other nationals pay the "all other international students" rate.

International fees include Singapore's 9% Goods and Services Tax (GST). NUS, NTU and SMU fix the annual fee for each intake for the normal length of the degree, so the first-year price holds until graduation. At NUS the annual amount is paid in two equal instalments at the start of each semester.

Undergraduate fees for 2026/27

SIT and SUSS do not publish an overall fee table; SIT shows the fee through an online checker for each programme and student category. They are therefore left out of the comparison, although the grant applies there too.

Two things stand out. With the grant, the differences between universities almost disappear: most NUS and NTU programmes cost the same $16,750 a year. And the gap between the full and subsidised fee varies: about 1.5 times for NUS Business, 1.8 times at SMU, almost double at SUTD and more than double for NUS Medicine.

On top of tuition, universities charge compulsory miscellaneous fees: S$367 (≈ $290) a year for international students at SMU, and a separate fee schedule at SIT. For a comparison of universities by focus and entry requirements, see universities in Singapore.

The MOE Tuition Grant: how it works and what leaving costs

Singapore's government pays the Tuition Grant (TG) towards full-time diploma and undergraduate courses at the autonomous universities, polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and the arts institutions. It does not cover courses at private institutions, part-time programmes, or advanced and specialist diplomas. You are not eligible if the Singapore government has already funded you — through a grant, subsidy, sponsorship or scholarship — for a qualification at the same or a higher level.

For an international student the process runs like this:

1. When applying to the university, you indicate interest in the grant.
2. After the offer, you obtain the Student's Pass and register for Singpass, which requires the pass and a Singapore mobile number.
3. You find two sureties who will sign the agreement with you.
4. Within the period set by your university, you apply on the TG&S portal and sign the agreement.

The core obligation is three years of full-time employment with a Singapore entity after graduation. If you withdraw, are terminated, change course without taking up the grant for the new course, buy out the bond or fail to serve it, you pay liquidated damages: the full grant received, any GST subsidy, and 10% interest a year compounded at the end of each academic year. The bond can be deferred — for example for further full-time study or for work overseas with a Singapore entity — but deferment requires a banker's guarantee.

When the grant makes sense and when it does not:

Housing, food and transport

The most reliable living-cost benchmarks come from the universities themselves. NUS gives an academic-year budget excluding vacations; NTU gives a monthly one.

Scaled to 12 months, NTU's estimate comes to $10,610–18,410 (S$13,560–23,520) a year — more than NUS's figure, because NTU includes vacations and uses a wider range for personal spending. Off-campus housing is up to the student: NUS notes that it is available at market rates and must be sourced independently.

First-year budget: three scenarios

The totals exclude flights, application fees (S$25, ≈ $20, at NTU), English tests and AP exams, the medical examination for the Student's Pass and setting-up purchases. These are one-off but noticeable costs, so build a margin into your budget.

Payments due before term starts

Some money leaves your account before the first semester:

• Application fee. NTU charges international undergraduate applicants S$25 (≈ $20); master's programmes charge more, for example S$100 (≈ $78) for the NUS MSc in Business Analytics and S$109 (≈ $85) for the NUS Master of Computing.
• Master's acceptance deposit. The NUS MSc in Business Analytics requires S$21,800 (≈ $17,060) within 14 days of the offer, non-refundable; the NTU MSc in Artificial Intelligence takes a S$5,000 (≈ $3,910) deposit that is offset against the first bill.
• Student's Pass. Processing costs S$45 (≈ $35), issuance S$60 (≈ $47), and a multiple-journey visa, if needed, S$30 (≈ $23).
• Medical examination. Courses of six months or longer require a medical report on ICA's form; the price depends on the clinic.

Paying from Russia requires a lawful payment route planned in advance, because bank transfers to Singapore from Russian accounts may be restricted. The options are covered in how to pay for studies abroad from Russia.

Master's and PhD: a different pricing logic

On a taught (coursework) master's, international students usually pay the full fee for the whole programme, and the MOE grant does not apply. Prices are clearly higher than undergraduate fees on a per-year basis.

The last row is an easily missed exception: MOE subsidises some NTU master's programmes for all admitted students, international students included, and since 2020/21 without a service obligation.

Research degrees work differently. At NUS, for the 2026/27 intake, the full international fee for research programmes in engineering, computing and science is $34,240 (S$43,750) a year. University scholarships exist for research students: the NUS Research Scholarship and the NTU Research Scholarship cover tuition and pay international students $2,350 (S$3,000) a month for a PhD and $2,270 (S$2,900) for a research master's, plus up to S$500 a month after the PhD qualifying examination. In return, international scholars work as graduate assistants — 416 hours over a PhD at NUS. For programmes and admission, see master's degrees in Singapore.

Are private institutions cheaper?

Private Education Institutions (PEIs) are often presented as the budget option, but you need to compare the full cost of the degree. At the Singapore Institute of Management, for example, the three-year University of London BSc (Honours) in Economics and Finance costs an international student, on SIM's estimate, $36,120 (S$46,155) for the whole course, or $23,910 (S$30,545) over two years with four modules exempted; part is paid to SIM and part to the University of London in pounds, and that portion can rise each year. The whole degree costs roughly as much as two years at NUS or NTU with the grant, or one year at their full fee, but it is a different degree with different student rights.

The price of a private institution has other components: the MOE grant does not apply, PEI students may not work during their studies, and they have no access to the graduate job-search pass. See the profiles of SIM, Curtin Singapore and LSBF Singapore.

Can part-time work cover the costs?

Students at the autonomous universities and other institutions on the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) list may work without a work pass for up to 16 hours a week during term, and may take part in compulsory or credit-bearing internships arranged by their institution. There is no hourly cap during vacations. These rules do not apply to private institutions. Do not count on part-time work to pay tuition: at 16 hours a week it helps with day-to-day spending, and finding a job takes time in the first semester.

Ways to save without taking on extra risk

• Compare universities on the subsidised fee if you plan to stay. With the grant NUS and NTU cost the same, so you can choose by programme rather than price.
• Budget for the whole degree, not one year. Four years at SMU's full fee come to about $149,300 in tuition alone.
• Aim for on-campus housing. The spread between the cheapest and most expensive NUS hostels is almost $5,000 a year.
• Use the fee lock to your advantage. At NUS, NTU and SMU the first-year fee holds until graduation, while fees for new intakes are reviewed every year, so delaying entry does not save money.
• Do not sign the grant "just in case". Liquidated damages grow by 10% a year.

FAQ

Sources

• NUS: undergraduate fees 2026/27 (PDF) and graduate coursework and research fees 2026/27 (PDF) — checked 28 September 2026
• NUS: living costs — checked 28 September 2026
• NTU: fees for students accepting offers in 2026 and living costs and application fee — checked 28 September 2026
• SMU: tuition fees and grant 2026/27 — checked 28 September 2026
• SUTD: tuition fees 2026 — checked 28 September 2026
• SIT: tuition and miscellaneous fees — checked 28 September 2026
• MOE: Tuition Grant overview, application process, employment obligation, liquidated damages, bond deferment — checked 28 September 2026
• ICA: Student's Pass fees and issuance — checked 28 September 2026
• NTU: Student's Pass application and medical examination — checked 28 September 2026
• MOM: work pass exemption for foreign students — checked 28 September 2026
• Master's: NUS MSBA, NUS MSc Accounting and Financial Analytics, NUS MSc Computer Engineering, NUS Master of Computing, NTU MSc AI, NTU MSc Mechanical Engineering, NTU subsidised coursework master's fees 2026/27 — checked 28 September 2026
• Scholarships: NUS Research Scholarship terms (PDF), NTU Research Scholarship — checked 28 September 2026
• SIM: BSc Economics and Finance, University of London — checked 28 September 2026
• USD conversions use ECB reference rates of 28 September 2026: EUR/USD 1.1378 and EUR/SGD 1.4538, i.e. 1 USD ≈ 1.2777 SGD.

Budgets for specific programmes, university shortlisting and document preparation are provided under an agreement with StudyU. Admission decisions are made by the university, Tuition Grant decisions by Singapore's Ministry of Education, and Student's Pass decisions by ICA.

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.