Admission Requirements

Candidates seeking admission to the MA in Contemporary Southeast Asia programme should possess the following minimum requirements:

Academic	A good NUS Honours degree (Merit/Second Class and above) or equivalent (e.g. a four-year Bachelors degree with at least an average grade of B or equivalent) in related disciplines such as the humanities, social sciences, area studies, and other interdisciplinary studies with evidence of having read subjects related to Southeast Asia or Asia; or A good Bachelors degree (at least an average grade of B equivalent) in related disciplines such as the humanities, social sciences, area studies, and other interdisciplinary studies with evidence of having read subjects related to Southeast Asia or Asia and successful completion of a placement test; or exceptionally, Other relevant qualifications and experience, and successful completion of a placement test; however, admission is subject to approval by the Board of Graduate Studies.
English Language Proficiency	Candidates whose native tongue and medium of undergraduate instruction is not English must 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 A minimum TOEFL score of 85 (with a minimum of 22 for the writing section) is required for the internet-based test, or 580 for the paper-based test, or 237 for the computer-based test 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 from the test date and the validity should not expire before the beginning of the application period for the programme
Other	Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an admission interview (through video conferencing for overseas applicants).

In general, selection for admission to the programme is based on the following criteria: intellection distinction, professional merit and other relevant information supplied. Meeting the above minimum requirements does not imply automatic acceptance into the programme.

Application Information

Applications for admission must be submitted online. There is one application period for each academic year.

Intake	Application Period
Semester 1 (August)	1 October (in the year preceding the intake) to 15 January (in the same year as the intake)

For more information on the application process and the supporting documents required, please refer to the Faculty website.

Interview Session

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed in batches throughout the application period. Each applicant will only have one round of interview.

Interview Rounds	Dates for August 2025 Intake
Round 1	Week of 4 November 2024
Round 2	Week of 2 December 2024
Round 3	Week of 20 January 2025
Round 4	Week of 3 February 2025