Universities in Singapore for British students: NUS, NTU, SMU and the tuition grant bond

With the MOE Tuition Grant, a degree at NUS, NTU or SMU can cost international students S$21,400 to S$26,200 a year for most courses (about £12,400 to £15,200), but you sign up to work in Singapore for three years after graduating.

The short version

• Singapore's three big autonomous universities, NUS, NTU and SMU, all take British students and teach in English.
• NUS asks A level applicants for a good pass in at least four A levels, not the usual three for UK universities [1].
• 2026/27 fees for non-ASEAN international students are about S$21,400 a year with the Tuition Grant at NUS and NTU for most courses, and S$36,350 to S$47,700 without it, depending on the course and university [2][3][4].
• Take the Tuition Grant and you must work full-time for a Singapore entity for three years after graduating, or pay it back with 10% interest a year [5][6].
• UK home fees in England are up to £9,535 for 2025/26 and £9,790 for 2026/27, but a student who has been living in Singapore may not qualify for them [7][8].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = SGD 1.7214). Figures are rounded.

The three autonomous universities

• NUS (National University of Singapore) is the oldest and broadest, with medicine, dentistry, law, engineering, computing, business, music and the humanities and sciences.
• NTU (Nanyang Technological University) is strong in engineering and science, and also teaches business, medicine and the humanities.
• SMU (Singapore Management University) is a city-centre university focused on business, accountancy, economics, computing, law and the social sciences, with small seminar-style classes.

All three charge fees by cohort, which means the fee you start on is fixed for your normal course length, a welcome bit of certainty compared with UK fees that can change each year [2][3][4].

Applying with A levels

British A level students apply as holders of international qualifications. NUS lists AQA, Cambridge, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC and Oxford International AQA A levels [1].

The NUS rules for A level applicants [1]:

• At least four A levels. NUS asks for a good pass in at least four "Advanced" Level subjects. Most British sixth-formers take three, so check this early, ideally before choosing your A levels.
• Grades from up to two sittings and two boards, all within 12 months. AS grades don't count.
• Applying before your results? You'll need a standardised test score (Advanced Placement, ACT with Writing or SAT), and you can't apply for Dentistry, Law or Medicine.
• Applying with results in hand? No standardised test is needed and every programme is open.
• No English test required, though you can send IELTS or similar scores.
• Subjects matter. NUS says it focuses on content-based subjects such as maths, physics, chemistry, economics, accounting and business.

NUS runs separate application windows for different qualifications, so check its admissions dates for A level applicants rather than relying on the UCAS calendar. NTU and SMU publish their own requirements and windows. IB Diploma holders apply under a separate route at each university.

One more difference from home: there's no UCAS. You apply to each university directly, and you can apply to all three.

What it costs: 2026/27 fees

Fees for non-ASEAN international students starting in 2026/27, per year, including GST [2][3][4]:

On top come miscellaneous student fees. At SMU they're S$367 a year for international students (about £210), covering student activities, insurance and IT [4]. Then there's accommodation and living costs, which our cost of living guide covers.

The MOE Tuition Grant and its bond

The Tuition Grant is Singapore's Ministry of Education paying a large share of your fees. For a citizen, it's automatic and comes with no strings. For international students it's optional, it's a deal, and it's a serious one [5][4].

How it works

1. Say you want it when you apply. At SMU and NUS you indicate interest in the Tuition Grant on your admissions application [4][5].
2. Get your Student's Pass. After you accept your place, you apply online through ICA, then complete the formalities when you arrive [5].
3. Register for Singpass. You need it to apply for the grant, and to get it you need a Student's Pass and a Singapore mobile number [5].
4. Find two sureties. You must nominate two people who sign the Tuition Grant Agreement and take responsibility for making sure you meet your obligations [5]. MOE sets out who can act as a surety, so read its rules before you ask anyone.
5. Apply and sign. You apply on MOE's online portal during your university's window, then you and your sureties sign the agreement by email [5].

SMU warns that grants for international students are limited and competitive, and awarded on merit [4].

The three-year bond

The deal is simple: after graduating, you must work full-time for a Singapore entity for three years [6]. MOE publishes which types of employment count towards the bond, so check them before you accept a job, and it runs a process for applying to defer the bond [6].

If you don't meet the bond, or you withdraw from the course, switch courses without taking the grant for the new one, or simply decide to buy your way out, you pay liquidated damages [9]. These are:

• the total Tuition Grant you received,
• any GST subsidy, and
• interest of 10% a year, compounded at the end of each academic year [9].

That interest makes buying out expensive. As a rough guide, the gap between NUS's grant and non-grant fees for Humanities and Sciences is S$15,250 a year, so over a four-year course the grant is worth about S$61,000 (about £35,400) before any interest [2]. At SMU, the gap on most degrees is S$21,500 a year, about S$86,000 (about £50,000) over four years [4].

Should you take it?

The bond suits students who'd happily start their career in Singapore, and many do: Singapore is a big regional hub for finance, tech and consulting, and three years working in Asia looks good on a CV. It's a poorer fit if you're set on coming home to London straight after graduating, or plan a master's in the UK or the US. If you pay the full non-subsidised fee, there's no bond at all [4].

How it compares with UK fees

At home in England, universities can charge home students up to £9,535 for 2025/26 and £9,790 for 2026/27, with a Tuition Fee Loan to cover it [7]. On those numbers, a Singapore degree with the grant costs more than UK home fees, and without it a lot more.

But here's the catch for expat families. To get home fees and student finance in England, you normally need to have been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years before your course starts, apart from temporary absences such as holidays [8]. A teenager who has spent their sixth-form years in Singapore may not count as a home student, and could be charged international fees in the UK, which are often far higher than UK home fees. Whether a parent's posting abroad counts as a temporary absence depends on the facts, so check with the university and Student Finance England early [8].

That changes the maths. For a British student who has grown up in Singapore, NUS with the Tuition Grant can be cheaper than an English university at international rates. Our guide to UK student loans while living abroad covers repayments if you move abroad after a UK degree.

A quick checklist

1. Check the A level rules now: four A levels for NUS, and the right subjects [1].
2. Work out your fee status for UK universities before ruling them in or out [8].
3. Compare grant and non-grant fees for your actual course [2][3][4].
4. Read the Tuition Grant Agreement with your family before you sign, and line up your two sureties [5].
5. Plan the three years after graduation: do you want to work in Singapore? [6]

For first-hand views on halls, the bond and life at NUS, NTU or SMU, ask the parents and graduates in our community group for Brits in Singapore.

Sources

1. NUS Office of Admissions: International A-Level (checked 7 November 2026)
2. NUS Registrar: Undergraduate tuition fees, AY2026/2027 (March 2026)
3. NTU: Tuition fees and grants (AY2026/2027, checked 7 November 2026)
4. SMU: Tuition fees and grant (AY2026/27, checked 7 November 2026)
5. Ministry of Education: How to apply for the Tuition Grant (last updated 23 June 2026)
6. Ministry of Education: Employment and pass matters for Tuition Grant recipients (last updated 23 June 2026)
7. GOV.UK: Student finance for new full-time students
8. GOV.UK: Student finance, who qualifies
9. Ministry of Education: Tuition Grant liquidated damages (last updated 23 June 2026)

Keep reading

• Schools in Singapore: British and international schools
• Cost of living in Singapore vs London and the UK average
• Employment Pass and COMPASS for Brits
• UK student loans while living abroad