Scholarships granted by government to international pre-tertiary and tertiary students since 2019

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Hazel Poa, Non-Constituency Member of Parliament

Question

To ask the Minister for Education in each year since 2019 (a) how many (i) pre-tertiary (ii) polytechnic and (iii) university international students have been granted scholarships by the Singapore Government, respectively; (b) what is the median annual cost for each category of scholarships, respectively; and (c) what is the proportion of undergraduate international students who are (i) on tuition grant only (ii) on a combination of tuition grant and scholarships and (iii) full-fee paying.

Response

1. International students on scholarships make up less than 1% of pre-tertiary and tertiary students. The average nominal value of the scholarships depends on their level and course of study. We do not offer scholarships for international students to study at the polytechnics.

2. About half of undergraduate international students pay fees net of a tuition grant while a quarter receive both tuition grant and scholarship. The remaining pay full fees as international students. All students who receive the tuition grant are required to work in Singapore for at least three years upon graduation.