Tuition Fees

The annual tuition fees for government-subsidised graduate by research programmes are available here. The tuition fee subsidy from the Government of Singapore is administered by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and is offered to all eligible students. Students need not apply for the MOE Subsidy if they are eligible.

The University's fees are reviewed yearly and thus, subject to revision. The fees for the Academic Year will be made available every March or April of the year.

Please refer to the fees according to your year of admission (e.g. if you were admitted in August 2021, please refer to fees for students admitted in AY2021/2022). Tuition fees are billed by semester.

Students who are full-time NUS staff members may be eligible to apply for staff concession on the tuition fees of part-time, government-subsidised graduate programmes. Information on the staff concession is available at the Staff Portal.

Mandatory Miscellaneous Student Fees

Mandatory miscellaneous student fees payable per semester are available here. All students registered on a full-time or part-time basis are charged the miscellaneous student fees. The miscellaneous student fees are due at the same time as the tuition fees.

Please refer to the fees according to your year of admission (e.g. if you were admitted in August 2021, please refer to fees for students admitted in AY2021/2022).

All full-time graduate students (local and international) are required to subscribe to the University's medical insurance scheme which covers:

• Personal Accident Insurance Coverage
• Hospitalisations, Surgical and Mental Health Insurance Scheme
• Outpatient Specialist Care

Information on this scheme is available on UHC website.

Research students who have submitted their thesis will still be required to pay the Health Service Fee as long as the student remains as full-time and has not been conferred the degree.

Further Information

• Detailed information: Fees for Graduate Programmes
• MOE Tuition Fee Subsidy Eligibility Guidelines
• Service Obligation Scheme

Financial Aid

Candidates applying for the PhD programme are welcomed to apply for the following:

• NUS Research Scholarship
• Dean's PhD Fellowship
• FASS Scholarship in Buddhist Studies
• President's Graduate Fellowship
• Commonwealth Scholarship
• Harvard-Yenching Institute (HYI)-NUS Joint Scholarship Programme

For enquiries on tuition and miscellaneous fees or financial aid, please contact the NUS Graduate School.

Admission Requirements

Candidates seeking admission to the programme leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree should have:

• A good Honours and Masters degree in relevant disciplines such as the humanities, social sciences, area studies, and other inter-disciplinary studies with evidence of having read subjects related to Southeast Asia or Asia; and
• the ability to pursue research in the candidate’s proposed field of advanced study.

English Language Proficiency

As the medium of instruction at the University is English, applicants whose native tongue and medium of undergraduate 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 scores required are as follows:

A minimum IELTS score of 6.0 in all sections and overall score is required.

TOEFL or IELTS scores are only valid for two (2) years after the test and the validity should not expire before the beginning of the application period. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has indicated that score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from ETS.

Graduate Record Examination

With effect from the August 2023 intake, all PhD applicants are required to submit their GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores. Applicants must obtain the minimum GRE scores as follows:

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.

The GRE Board policy states that scores are reportable for five (5) years and score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from Educational Testing Service (ETS). The University Code is 0677.

Meeting the above requirements does not imply automatic acceptance into the programme.

Application for Admission

The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our graduate programme 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.

Completed/Incomplete application received after the application deadline (i.e. received on 2 November) will be considered for the next intake.

Important:
Due to the large number of applications received each year, we regret that we will not be able to attend to enquiries on the status of applications or receipt of documents. If you are concerned about the delivery of your documents, please send them via registered mail or courier

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.