Student life in Singapore: Cost of Living, Accommodation, Campus Life

Singapore has emerged as a favourite destination for international students because it offers world-class education, a great learning experience, combined with affordable tuition fees for courses. There are world's top universities offering various courses, and added to this student life in Singapore is exciting. All these factors make it attractive for international students to study in Singapore.

International students can enjoy Singapore student life along with their academic studies in the nation as the country provides a home-like environment with many eventful societies and clubs. This leads to surge in international students pursuing a course of studies and consequently enjoying the student life in Singapore.

There are different benefits of living a singapore student life which include the presence of an abundance of scholarships for international students, highly ranked courses, cultural diversity preferences, and many more. Hence, Singapore indeed offers a dynamic student experience! Its universities, such as the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), are renowned for their rigorous academic programs and cutting-edge research. Read the article below to learn more aspects of student life in Singapore.

Why to study in Singapore?

There are many arguments supporting positively to study in Singapore as the nation is emerging as one of the top study abroad destinations in the world. Some of the reasons to study in Singapore include the following:

• Top Singapore Universities: Best Singapore universities offer the best facilities to students and provide high-quality education. English is the medium of instruction and universities have a diverse profile of students which makes studying here a multicultural experience.
• Standard of Living: The universities offer a safe and comfortable environment to students. The country has a good healthcare system and also offers excellent transportation facilities within the university campuses.
• Low Crime Rate: The country has strict laws that ensure a crime-free environment making it safe for international students even if they venture outside the university campus.

• Thriving Economy: Singapore is known for its rapidly growing economy in every practical aspects of the industry which consequently provides a lot of internships and job opportunities to international students to support their student life in Singapore.

• Affordability: Whther in terms of cost of studying in Singapore for MS or UG to living costs in the country, the nation is known for its affordability in the world parallel to the excellent study opportunities for international students.

Singapore Student Life: Available Course Options

Singapore has both public or national universities and private universities, some of which feature among the top universities in the world. The courses taught by the universities include:

• Diplomas and advanced diplomas: They cover a wide range of subjects and are completed in two to three years.

• Bachelor’s programs: These include honours courses and have a duration of three or four years.

• Master’s programs: These courses have a duration of one or two years.

• Doctoral programs: Doctoral programs have a duration of two to five years.

Cost of living in Singapore

Public institutions typically charge between SGD 8,000 and SGD 9,000 per year as tuition fees. However, this is a subsidised price. For non-subsidized non-Singaporean students, it costs about SGD 10,000 or more. Government funding is also provided for several programs in Singapore schools, regardless of the student's nationality. The cost of living in Singapore is lower making it easier for international students to live their student life in Singapore.

Average living costs in Singapore (in SGD):

List of scholarships to study abroad by country:

Singapore Student Life: Accommodation Options

International students can find either on-campus or off-campus accommodation. On-campus accommodation includes student halls or apartments for married couples. Off-campus accommodation includes hostels, some with tie-ups with universities, studios, and apartments. Student accommodation is available for six months besides utility deposits, and private apartments. Other options include condos and studio apartments.

Campus life

The university campus is a self-contained institution with facilities for a variety of interests, from music to drama, sports to cultural activities.

There are plenty of entertainment options including nightclubs and bars. All cultural and community service opportunities are available on campus. Foodies have cafes and restaurants for every taste.

Off campus, there are shopping malls and community centres in all major neighbourhoods. The community centre has a gymnasium and exercise facilities that students can use.

The tropical climate offers adventure activities such as windsurfing, dragon boat racing and wakeboarding.

Best countries to study abroad:

Work Opportunities to Support Student Life in Singapore

Working while studying in Singapore: International students studying in Singapore can work 16 hours per week part-time during the semester and full-time during the holidays if:

• They are enrolled as full-time students at an accredited college/university.
• Have a valid student ID issued by the ICA.

Work after study in Singapore : After completing their studies, students who wish to work in Singapore need a work visa. There are two types of working visas in Singapore: skilled visa, semi-skilled visa and professional visa.

A wide range of career and networking opportunities are unique to Singapore. The city-state is one of Asia's leading technology and financial centres and is the gateway to the region for many multinational companies. This provides an excellent foundation for students to expand their networks and build connections for future career opportunities.

Also read:

Top universities in Singapore

Singapore student visa