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Enhancing the Affordability of Higher Education

Published Date: 17 December 2019 12:00 AM

News Press Releases

More financial support for part-time undergraduates and diploma students with enhancements to the MOE Bursary

1. From Academic Year 2020 (AY2020), eligible Singaporeans enrolled in MOE-subsidised part-time undergraduate and diploma courses will benefit from enhancements to the MOE Bursary. This is part of MOE's efforts to enhance the affordability of higher education for part-time students studying at publicly-funded Post-Secondary Education Institutions (PSEIs).

Strengthening Financial Support for Students from Lower-Income Families

2. To strengthen our support for students from lower income families, MOE will introduce a new income tier for the bursary. Table 1 outlines the revisions to the eligibility criteria of the MOE Bursary.

Table 1: Current and Revised Income Tiers in the Eligibility Criteria

Current Eligibility Criteria Revised Eligibility Criteria (Effective AY2020)
GHI1 ≤ $6,900 or
PCI2 ≤ $1,725		 GHI ≤ $4,000 or
PCI ≤ $1,000
GHI $4,001 - $6,900 or
PCI $1,001 - $1,725
GHI $6,901 - $9,000 or
PCI $1,726 - $2,250		 GHI $6,901 - $9,000 or
PCI $1,726 - $2,250

3. Eligible students will also benefit from an increase in the annual bursary quanta to help defray their cost of continuing education. Part-time undergraduates from lower income households who qualify for the highest bursary tier will receive $2,500 annually instead of $1,350, while part-time diploma students from lower income households who qualify for the highest bursary tier will receive $800 annually instead of $600. Details on the bursary enhancements are provided in Annex A.

Renaming the MOE Bursary as the Higher Education Bursary

4. From AY2020, the MOE Bursary for part-time undergraduates and diploma students will be renamed the Higher Education Bursary for part-time students, to better reflect its intended purpose.

Estimated Impact of Bursary Enhancements

5. About 2,100 Singaporean part-time undergraduates and diploma students are expected to benefit from the bursary enhancements in AY2020. It is estimated that the Government will be investing a total of $2.8 million per annum for the part-time bursaries, up from the current $1.8 million. These enhancements, together with the bursary enhancements for full-time students announced at National Day Rally 2019, will provide greater support for Singaporeans in accessing a range of pathways to progress and pursue their aspirations, regardless of their financial background.


Footnotes
  1. Gross Monthly Household Income (GHI)
  2. Monthly Household Income Per Capita (PCI)