Scholarships and Awards
Scholarships
Every year the University offers several bursaries and scholarships to students who pursue Geography as a major.
Ong Cho Tek Memorial Bursaries
The Ong Cho Tek Memorial Bursary was established by the Estate of Ong Cho Tek. This bursary is awarded to at least one needy second year or final year student who reads Geography as one of the two principal subjects in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Ooi Jin Bee Scholarship
The Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography donated a sum of $100,000 in 1991 to establish a scholarship to award outstanding undergraduate students reading the honours programme in Geography. In honour of Professor Ooi Jin Bee's long and successful association with the Journal, the scholarship was named the Ooi Jin Bee Scholarship.
The Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography (SJTG) Student Advancement Scholarship
The scholarship is awarded to recognize and reward second-year Geography students who are academically bright and financially needy. The call for applications will be announced around May/June each year or you can contact Ms. Nura at sjtg@nus.edu.sg for more information.
Please note that the Ong Cho Tek Memorial Bursaries and the Ooi Jin Bee Scholarship are administered by the Office of Financial Aid (OFA). If you have any related queries, please direct them to OFA.
A full list of bursaries, scholarships, loans, etc. can be found in the NUS Office of Admissions website. Relevant forms and specific application requirements for these monetary grants can be obtained from the Registrar or the Dean’s office at the beginning of the academic year. Bursaries are not based on academic performance per se; they are granted to students mainly on the basis of financial predicament and needs. Students with financial difficulties are advised to apply for a bursary without hesitation. Scholarships, however, are granted to students based on academic performance and participation in extra-curricular activities in the University. All bursaries and scholarships are valued at $1,500 and $3,000 per annum respectively. Please check with the Office of the University Registrar (OUR) for the closing date for applications of scholarships and bursaries.
Awards and Prizes
National University of Singapore Geographical Society Gold Medal
Since 1957, the Department has awarded the University of Singapore Geographical Society Gold Medal annually to the top student(s) for the Honours examination. The award is now known as the National University of Singapore Geographical Society Gold Medal.
- The award shall be made by the Board of Undergraduate Studies on the recommendation of the Head of the Department of Geography.
- No award shall be made unless the Board of Undergraduate Studies is satisfied that the candidate is of sufficient merit. If no award is made in any year, the funds available shall be carried forward to the following year to provide for the award of an additional medal.
Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography Prize
Presented in 1971 by the Journal of Tropical Geography, the prize, valued at $200, is awarded from the proceeds of a capital sum of $6,000. The award is governed by the following conditions:
- Subject to rule 2 below, the prize will be awarded annually by the Board of Undergraduate Studies on the recommendation of the Board of Examiners to the best student in Geography in the Arts III Examination.
- If, in any year, in the opinion of the Board of Undergraduate Studies there is no candidate of sufficient merit, no award will be made.
- The prize will be in the form of cash.
In addition, the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography Book Prize is awarded yearly to the top Geography student in the Final B.A. Examination. Departmental book prizes are also awarded to the top Geography students in the Second Year and Third Year Examination for the Degree of Bachelor of Social Sciences.
Tan Huat Neo Medal and Prize
The expendable gift of S$15,000 will be used to award a gold medal and cash prize of S$500 annually to an outstanding Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) student for submitting the academic year’s best Geography Honours Year thesis.