Greater Diversity, More Opportunities
The Government has accepted the recommendations of the Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015 (CUEP) to expand university places, by developing a new applied degree pathway that will provide more opportunities and choices in a diverse university landscape.
As announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech, more publicly-funded university places will be created for Singaporeans. By 2020, there will be 3,000 more places compared to today. This would raise the cohort participation rate (CPR) to 40% by 2020. Together with an expected increase to about 10% of the cohort receiving degree education through publicly-funded part-time places by 2020, up to half of each cohort could receive a government-subsidised degree education.
Read the press release and download the Final Report of the Committee of University Education Pathways Beyond 2015 (1.2mb .pdf).
Download the infographic, “Expanding Singapore’s University Sector”.
The Committee on University Education Pathways beyond 2015, chaired by then-Minister of State (for Defence and Education) Mr Lawrence Wong, comprised 15 members from the public, private and people spheres. The Committee was announced by Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat on 16 August 2011.
The Committee was tasked to examine how the university sector can better provide opportunities for Singaporeans to obtain a university education. This included studies of feasible models and strategies, international trends, and Singapore’s own unique context.
Scope of Review
In formulating its recommendations, the Committee consulted and engaged extensively with different stakeholders, including education providers from the IHLs and junior colleges, employers and industry representatives, alumni from local universities and polytechnics, and prospective undergraduates. In its engagement, the Committee made use of a variety of platforms, including focus group discussions and online consultations.
Committee Members
The Committee included members from a wide cross-section of individuals from the public, private and youth sectors.
The list of Committee members are:
| Name | Designation | Role |
| Mr Lawrence Wong | Minister of State (Defence & Education) | Chairman |
| Mr Jonathan Auerbach | Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company, Southeast Asia | Member |
| Dr Beh Swan Gin | Managing Director, Economic Development Board | Member |
| Prof Cheong Hee Kiat | President, SIM University | Member |
| Mr Chia Mia Chiang | Principal, Ngee Ann Polytechnic | Member |
| Mr Kelly Choo | Co-Founder and Business Development Director, Brandtology | Member |
| Mr Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Abdul Kadir | Deputy Senior State Counsel/DPP, Attorney-General’s Chambers | Member |
| Ms Aliza Knox | Managing Director, Online Sales, Google, Asia Pacific | Member |
| Mr Lee Kok Choy | Managing Director, Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd | Member |
| Mr Loh Khum Yean | Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Manpower | Member |
| Ms Low Yen Ling | Chief Executive Officer, Business China | Member |
| Mr Kenneth Neo | Managing Director, Advanced Tech Automation Pte Ltd | Member |
| Mrs Tan Ching Yee | Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health | Member |
| Prof Tan Eng Chye | Provost, National University of Singapore | Member |
| Mrs Tan-Kek Lee Yong | Principal, Pioneer Junior College | Member |
Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015 Townhall
We would like to thank all those who attended our Townhall at Ngee Ann Polytechnic on 22 March.
As the Committee was not able to address all the queries posed by the audience via SMS at the session due to time constraint, we would like to provide a response to the remaining questions and comments.
View the slides from the CUEP Townhall (5.7mb .pdf)
View the response to feedback from Townhall
Mr Lawrence Wong, then-Minister of State, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education, outlined the preliminary CUEP recommendations at the FY2012 Committee of Supply Debate. Read the extract of MOS Lawrence Wong's speech at COS.
Relevant Papers
The following papers will give you more information about university education in Singapore and the committee welcomes your feedback on these papers.