University fees in Singapore for a subsidised degree start at S$8,300 a year in tuition for Singapore Citizens at NUS and NTU, for students entering in Academic Year 2026/2027. A four-year course therefore costs about $33,200 in tuition alone. Business, law and medicine cost more, and living costs and miscellaneous fees come on top.
How families pay has also changed. The Ministry of Education’s Higher Education Student Loan (HESL) has replaced the Tuition Fee Loan and Study Loan for new students. This page sets out the fees, the ways to pay, and a four-year budget in dollars, with figures as at November 2026.
A caution on borrowing: a student loan is repaid from a salary that does not exist yet. Use grants, bursaries and savings first, and borrow the smallest amount that closes the gap.
University Fees in Singapore for 2026/27
These are yearly tuition fees for students admitted in AY2026/2027, after the MOE Tuition Grant. Both universities fix the fee for the whole normal candidature of each intake.
| Course | NUS, Singapore Citizen | NTU, Singapore Citizen | Singapore PR (NUS) | International, ASEAN (NUS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most courses (e.g. computing, engineering, humanities, science) | $8,300 | $8,300 | $11,600 | $18,050 |
| Business | $9,700 | $9,500 | $13,550 | $21,150 |
| Law | $12,750 | Not offered | $17,800 | $27,750 |
| Medicine | $33,200 | $36,100 | $48,900 | $74,750 |
| Dentistry | $32,750 | Not offered | $48,450 | $74,100 |
Sources: NUS fee schedule (March 2026) and NTU tuition fees. Fees for citizens and PRs exclude GST, which MOE subsidises; international student fees include 9% GST.
Tuition Grant recipients pay these subsidised fees. Students not on the grant pay much more: up to $39,700 a year for NUS computing and $190,150 for NUS medicine.
We could not read SMU’s, SUSS’s or SUTD’s fee pages, or MOE’s polytechnic fee page, when we checked. Check each institution’s site for its current fees.
Costs Beyond Tuition
- Miscellaneous fees for student services, IT and insurance are charged each semester. NTU publishes its AY2026/27 schedule separately. Ask your university for the amount.
- Living costs: meals, transport, phone, books and a laptop. Hall or hostel fees if you live on campus.
- Overseas exchange: flights, accommodation and insurance for a semester abroad.
None of these are covered by the Tuition Grant. The means-tested part of HESL can cover some of them; see below.
How Families Pay, in Order
MOE advises students to look at grants and savings before loans. A sensible order:
- Bursaries. MOE funds the Higher Education Community Bursary and the Higher Education Bursary for students from lower-income households. They do not need repaying. Your university’s financial aid office assesses eligibility; MOE’s financial assistance page lists the schemes.
- Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) balances, for approved fees.
- Scholarships and awards.
- The Higher Education Student Loan.
- The CPF Education Loan Scheme.
- A bank loan, mainly for private or overseas study.
The Higher Education Student Loan
According to MOE:
- Base provision: up to 90% of subsidised tuition fees, depending on citizenship.
- Means-tested provision: for citizens and PRs with gross monthly household per capita income of $3,500 or less ($1,875 for international students). For citizens it can cover the fee balance, a living allowance and an overseas programme.
- Interest: none during the course. Afterwards, 3-month compounded SORA plus 1.5 percentage points, revised every six months. Late payments: SORA plus 4.5 points.
- Repayment: up to 10 years, by lump sum, part payments or instalments.
- Who applies: new students from the AY2026 intake, and existing students without a Tuition Fee Loan or Study Loan. Those with the old loans carry on unless they want more.
DBS and OCBC administer the loan for different institutions and publish the prevailing rate.
The CPF Education Loan Scheme
Parents, or the student, can use up to 40% of accumulated Ordinary Account savings for full-time subsidised diploma and degree courses in Singapore. Interest at the OA rate runs from the first deduction, and the student repays in cash from one year after graduation, within 12 years. Our guide to the CPF Education Loan Scheme covers the rules and the cost.
A Four-Year Budget: A Worked Example
An illustrative citizen student takes a four-year engineering degree at NTU, living at home. Our own figures; living costs are assumptions.
- Tuition: $8,300 × 4 = $33,200
- Living costs: meals $400 a month, transport $100, phone $30, plus $1,000 a year for books and a laptop, about $7,360 a year, or $29,440 over four years
- Total before miscellaneous fees: about $62,640
If the family covers living costs and the student takes HESL for 90% of tuition:
- Borrowed: $7,470 a year, $29,880 in all, interest-free until graduation
- Repaying over 10 years at an assumed 3.5% a year: about $295 a month; total interest about $5,580
- Repaying over 5 years: about $544 a month; total interest about $2,730
The rate after graduation floats with SORA, so 3.5% is an assumption for illustration only, not a forecast. Paying a lump sum at graduation, before interest starts, cuts both figures.
The short version: Budget for tuition and four years of living costs, not tuition alone. Use bursaries and PSEA first, then HESL, which costs nothing until graduation, and borrow only the gap.
Comparing the Loan Options
For a side-by-side comparison of HESL, CPF and bank education loans, including their rates and guarantor rules, see our guide to education loans in Singapore. For private or overseas courses outside HESL, compare bank offers on EIR, as explained in our personal loans hub.
What To Do Next
- Check your course’s fee on the university’s own schedule, and ask the financial aid office about bursaries before the semester starts.
- Total four years of tuition and living costs in our budget planner.
- Apply for HESL through StudentLoanSG only for the amount you need.
- Before graduation, plan the repayment with our debt payoff calculator.
- If parents are considering CPF, weigh it against their retirement needs first.
