The ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship is offered by Singapore’s top universities (NUS, NTU, SMU) specifically to attract the brightest high school graduates from neighboring Southeast Asian countries (like Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines). It is a prestige award designed to build a regional elite.
Quick Overview
Full Requirements & Details
Academic Requirements
- Min. CGPA
- 3.8
- Offer Degrees
- Bachelors
- Subjects
- Agriculture, Arts, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, History, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics, Psychology
- Seats Available
- Highly competitive
- Study Gap Allowed
- No Restrictions (Gap Allowed)
- Research Publication
- No
- Work Experience
- No
- Age Range
- No Age Limit
Language Requirements
- IELTS
- Min. 6.5
- TOEFL
- Min. 92.0
- GRE
- Not Required
- Local Language
- English
- Local Lang Test
- No
- Study Languages
- English
Financial Details
- Type
- Full
- Fund Details
- Subsidized tuition fees + S$5,800 annual living allowance.
- Monthly Stipend
- SGD 483/mo
- Tuition
- Full
- Living Costs
- Partial
- Travel & Health
- No / None
- Application Fee
- Free (No Application Fee)
- Spouse Allowed
- No
What Matters Most
Required Documents
Why You Should Apply
NUS and NTU are consistently ranked among the top 15 universities in the world. This scholarship covers your subsidized tuition fees completely and provides an annual living allowance of S$5,800. While S$5,800 a year will not cover all your living expenses in incredibly expensive Singapore (you will likely need parental help for dorm fees and food), the elimination of tuition makes an elite Singaporean degree actually attainable.
Application Process
There is usually no separate application for this scholarship. When you apply for undergraduate admission to NUS or NTU as an ASEAN citizen, you are automatically considered based on your high school credentials. If the admissions committee likes your profile, they will invite you for a grueling scholarship interview.
How to Win This Scholarship
Academic perfection is the baseline, not the differentiator. Everyone applying has straight A's in A-levels or a 42+ in the IB Diploma. To win the interview, you must demonstrate intense leadership and co-curricular excellence.
Were you the president of the national debate team? Did you found a tech startup in high school? Singaporean universities obsess over 'future leaders.' During the interview, you must articulate exactly how you will contribute to the campus culture and how you plan to impact the ASEAN region post-graduation.
Benefits After Completing Study
This is the catch: you are required to take up the MOE (Ministry of Education) Tuition Grant to receive this scholarship. The MOE grant legally bonds you to work for a Singapore-registered company for 3 years immediately after graduation. You cannot just leave the country.
The bond is strict. If you break it, you must repay the subsidized tuition amount with liquidated damages. Furthermore, you cannot defer the bond to go straight to a Master's degree overseas without explicit government permission.
Official Source
For complete details and to verify all requirements, please refer to the scholarship provider's official website.
Visit Official Source