Application Information

Important: The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our graduate programmes are advised to apply directly to the University and not through any agents. Candidates who apply through agents will not have any added advantage in gaining admission and the University reserves the right to reject such applications without giving reasons.

1. APPLICATION

Applications for admission to graduate research programmes are available online. The online application system is available HERE. You can refer to the user guide here which we hope you will find useful in helping you complete your online application.

User Guide

If you wish to apply for more than one research programme in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, please submit a separate application for each programme. However, should you be successful in more than one programme, you can register for only one programme of study. Unless granted approval by the University, no student may concurrently be a candidate for more than one degree or register as a candidate of NUS and of another university or institute.

You will only be required to submit your application online and upload scanned copies of your supporting documents. Please ensure that all your scanned documents are clear as the review committee will use these documents to assess your application:

  • Your transcript(s) and degree scroll(s) do not have to certified at this stage or sent directly from your university. Please ensure that the transcript information like grading scale is also uploaded.
  • Your GRE/IELTS/TOEFL score reports can be a scanned copy. You do not have to arrange for the original to be sent to us unless you wish to e.g. if your score report is expiring soon.

There is no need for you to send anything to us by post by the application deadline. If your application is shortlisted for admission, you will be contacted by the department after the deadline.

2. PASSWORD (FOR ONLINE APPLICATION ONLY)

When submitting your application online, you will be asked to enter a password. Your password is important and can be used, together with your application number, to access the following online system related to your application:

 

3. APPLICATION FEE

Application (paper-based or online application) for each research programme must be accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of S$50 (inclusive of prevailing GST).

Please note that an application without the application fee payment or with insufficient application fee amount will not be processed.

The modes of payment are:

  1. Online Payment by any of the methods (available only for online application)
    • VISA, Mastercard, Amex, Alipay or PayNow

OR

  1. Complete the Application Fee Form and send it together with a cheque or bank draft made out to "National University of Singapore". Please write your name, mailing address, e-mail address, programme applying for, and contact telephone numbers (home & office) on the reverse of the cheque/bank draft. Personal cheques, crossed, are accepted only from candidates in Singapore. International applicants are requested to send only bank drafts and not personal cheques for the application fee. If you are unable to obtain a bank draft in Singapore dollar, you may submit a bank draft in US dollar of USD38.50 (for S$50 fee). The amount in USD includes bank charges which will be incurred by the University to process the bank draft;

OR

  1. Complete the relevant Application Fee Form and make payment by NETS at the Student Service Centre (located at Level 1, Yusof Ishak House) during operating hours.

4. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Applicants should ensure that all supporting documents are in English or accompanied by an official translation in English. Translated copies of the documents must be certified true copies. In particular, translated copies of the transcript(s) and degree scroll(s) must be certified by the issuing institution(s).

A scanned copy of the following supporting documents [compulsory documents are marked with an (*) asterisk] are to be uploaded to your online application, if applicable. Click here for a checklist that you can use to help you ensure that you have uploaded all the documents.

The online checklist will be updated after the department processes your application. The Department will contact you if more information/documents is required. Queries on whether documents have been uploaded will not be entertained due to the volume of applications. 

Personal Particulars Section

  • The page of your passport bearing the passport number and your particulars; if you do not have a passport, please enclose citizenship/birth certificate (for citizens of other countries), OR
  • Re-entry permit (for Singapore permanent residents), OR
  • Singapore NRIC or citizenship certificate (for Singaporeans)
Academic Qualifications Section

  • Diploma, Bachelor, Master degree scroll(s)/certificate(s). Graduates from local universities can upload the Opencerts file with their online application
  • *Transcript(s) of academic records or result slips from each university or college attended. Please ensure that the university's grading scheme is included in the scanned copy that you upload to your online application. NUS students can submit their unofficial transcript(s). Graduates from local universities can upload the Opencerts file with their online application.
Test Details Section

TOEFL/IELTS Score Report
Applicants whose native tongue and medium of university instruction is not English should submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores as evidence of their proficiency in the English language. The minimum *TOEFL/IELTS score required as as follows:

  • Internet-based test (iBT): Minimum score of 85 (with minimum of 22 for the writing section)
  • A minimum IELTS result score of 6.0 is required.

*TOEFL iBT® Home Edition and IELTS indicator is accepted.

Notes: Please note that some Departments/Programmes may set higher requirements than those stated above.

TOEFL/IELTS score are only valid for two years after the test and the validity should not expire before the beginning of the application period for the research programmes.

Some successful candidates may still be required to take the Diagnostic English Test at our University and, where necessary, attend the Graduate English Course.

Other English language 'proficiency tests' will not be accepted for this purpose. Tests that claim to be predictions, estimations, simulations, equivalents, practices, etc, of the TOEFL or IELTS are invalid.

The ETS has stated that their Institutional Testing Program cannot be used for admission.

GRE
Please note that the GRE scores are valid for five (5) years from the test date. The GRE® General Test at Home is accepted as well.

1) Master's applicants applying to the following departments are required to submit GRE score reports:

    • Department of Psychology
    • Department of Social Work

The departments/programme have not instituted any minimum requirements for Master's applicants but the General Test has to be taken. Applicants with an excellent academic track record from renowned universities may request a waiver of this requirement by uploading a note in the "Documents Upload" section, providing reasons for waiver.

2) PhD: The GRE is optional. However, do note that evidence of strong quantitative, verbal, and analytical skills through GRE scores, as well as indicators of research skills and experience will significantly strengthen your application.

*Referee Section

Your recommendations from the two academic referees are to be submitted via the online admission system. You should check with your referees and obtain their institutional e-mail address. E-mail addresses from domains other than ".edu" may be subject to additional screening and filtering. Even if you have not submitted your online application yet, you are encouraged to trigger the email to your referees once you have assigned them to your application. Click on the “Send Email to Referee” link in the online application system to trigger the email notification. If not, only after your online application is submitted will an automated e-mail will be sent to your referee inviting them to complete their recommendations online. Your referee reports will be sent to us directly via the online application system so there is no need for you to send separate recommendations to us.

Referees will be given 14 days to submit his / her referee report after receiving the email notification. You are advised to remind your referees to submit their reports when the deadline is nearing and the report status remains as “pending submission”.

Only if your referees are unable to access the online system should you ask them to complete the paper-based report. The referees' report must be sent directly to the departments via email as indicated here. Download the Referee Report Form HERE

If either one of your academic referees is your potential advisor, you are strongly encouraged to submit a third referee’s report.

Documents Upload Section

  • *A research proposal at least two pages long on A4-size paper is required. Candidates are to visit the respective department website for the appropriate format required. Some departments may instead require a statement of purpose. If you are applying for admission to the Department of Chinese Studies please submit your proposal in both English and Chinese.
  • Documentary Evidence of Financial Support - International applicants who are not applying for our scholarship or who have indicated that you would still like to be considered for admission in the event that you are unsuccessful for our scholarship, must submit documentary evidence of the ability to support your study, e.g., a bank statement.  The financial statement should indicate a minimum sum as indicated in the table below:
Programme Minimum sum required for fully self-financing candidates
Master's S$60,000
Doctor of Philosophy S$120,000

The minimum sum, which has been rounded off to the nearest ten thousand, takes into account the following, for 50% of the normal duration of the programme:

  1. Living expenses of S$18,000;
  2. Tuition fees; and
  3. Miscellaneous Student Fees

Please note that the normal duration of the programme is two and four years respectively for the Master's and PhD programme. Some candidates may and will take a longer time. If you are granted admission on a self-financing basis, you will have to be prepared to finance yourself for the entire duration of the programme. PhD students can expect the total cost of the programme to be approximately S$160,000 if you are on the service obligation scheme.

With effect from the August 2022 intake, the service obligation scheme is not applicable for the Master's programme. If you are not on the service obligation scheme, the total cost of the programme is minimally S$120,000 (Master's 2 years) to S$240,000 (PhD 4 years).

Those who are sponsored by an individual or organisation will need to submit a letter of confirmation from the sponsor and other documentary proof like a bank statement, evidence of scholarship or other award obtained. Those who are working in Singapore and applying for admission to our part-time programme may submit a copy of your recent payslip.

  • Other documents like your Curriculum Vitae (CV), application form for the Joint PhD programmes, HYI-NUS Joint Doctoral Scholarship, FASS Scholarship in Buddhist Studies, etc.
  • All applicants should consult the website of relevant Departments/Programmes for specific departmental requirements.

5. APPLICATION CLOSING DATES AND NOTIFICATION OF APPLICATION OUTCOME

The deadline for receipt of application packages is *1 November (in the year preceding the intake) for the August intake and 15 May (in the year preceding the intake) for the January intake.

The outcome of applications will be made known by late May (in the same year as the intake) for the August intake and late October (in the year preceding the intake) for the January intake via email. Applicants who had submitted their application online can check the status of their application HERE.

*The deadline for the Department of Economics is 1 December (in the year preceding the intake).

Notes:
Due to the large number of applicants seeking admission, we are sorry we will not be able to attend to enquiries on the status of applications. 

6. CORRESPONDENCES FROM THE UNIVERSITY

The respective department will correspond with you primarily using e-mail during the application process to convey messages such as requesting for outstanding documents, interview notification etc. Hence, it is very important that you provide a valid and correct e-mail address and maintain your e-mail account regularly. The University will not be responsible for undeliverable e-mails and their consequences.

7. REJECTION OF APPLICATION

Inaccurate or false information or omission of material information or no application fee payment will render your application invalid. The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf and it reserves the right to reject without giving reasons, applications submitted through any external agencies, and applications that are incomplete or inaccurate. Persons admitted on the basis of inaccurate or false information may be expelled.

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