University Education

Name and Constituency of  Member of Parliament
Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong, Non-Constituency Member

Question

To ask the Acting Minister for Education:-

1) How will our university enrolment be increased by more than 15,000 students when our university cohort rate reaches 25% by 2010;

2) How many of the 15,000 students will be resident students versus international students; and

3) Whether tuition grants given to international students can be reduced so that more funds can be allocated to assist Singapore students going to university.

Response

1.     With a 21% university cohort participation rate, the undergraduate enrolment at our 3 universities - National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Singapore Management University (SMU) is 38,951 in Academic Year 2003.  By 2010, the cohort participation rate will be increased to 25% with a projected undergraduate enrolment of more than 54,000.  The significant increase in undergraduate enrolment by 2010 is also due to the significantly bigger Dragon-year (1988) cohort entering university from 2007 with the female cohort to be followed in 2009 by the male cohort. These two factors explain why the undergraduate enrolment is projected to rise by more than 15,000. 

2.     Currently, foreign students constitute up to 20% of each intake in NUS and NTU.  If we assume the same foreign student ratio in 2010, about 3,000 of the additional 15,000 students would be foreigners. 

3.     Currently, foreign students pay 10% more in tuition fees than local students.   As part of MOE's review of the University Autonomy, Governance and Funding framework, we will be reviewing how much local and foreign students should pay for their university education in Singapore.