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

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

Edited By Prabhjyot Kaur | Updated on Jul 17, 2024 03:23 PM IST

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.

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

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.

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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):

Cost factor

Expenses per month in Singapore dollars

Rent

2800

Utilities

104

Public transport

120

Groceries

24


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

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I work in Singapore with a student visa?

According to Singapore's Ministry of Labor, international students with a student ID in Singapore are allowed to work part-time for up to 16 hours per week during the academic year and unlimited hours during the summer vacation.

2. Can I study full time while working in Singapore?

Yes, you can study and work full time while studying in Singapore.

3. Do I need IELTS to apply for a Singapore student visa?

IELTS or other English proficiency such as TOEFL or PTE is required for a Singapore student visa if required by the university.

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Questions related to

Get answers from students and experts

Hello,

Hope you are doing great.

To answer your question To gain admission to the Computer Engineering program at the National University of Singapore (NUS), it is crucial to comprehend the admission criteria

JEE Mains Percentile:

The anticipated JEE Main Cutoff for 2024 across different categories is as follows:

General: 89+ percentile

EWS: 78+ percentile

OBC: 74+ percentile

SC: 44+ percentile

PwD: 0.11+ percentile¹.

A commendable percentile in JEE Mains 2024 falls within the range of 90-95 percentile³.

However, it is important to note that meeting the previous year's cutoff does not guarantee admission for the current year.

Hope this helps!!



Dear Aspirant,
Singapore is one of the best country across the world for Business and Finance Studies. Some of the best institutions for Masters of Business Adminstration (MBA) are as follows-
1. INSEAD
2. NUS (National University of Singapore)
3. Lee Kinf Chian School of Business
4. Manchester Business School
5. Nanyang Business School
6. ESSEC Global MBA
7. The Strathclyde MBA

You can visit the respective websites for details .

Hope this helps you !

Hello,

Yes you can! As long as your medical certification is from a recognised institution by the Singapore Medical Council, yo can apply to be allowed to practice in Singapore. Of course there will be a set of admin stuff you will have to complete before being allowed to practice here.

For practicing in in Singapore as a medical practitioner you must secure a job with hospitals, register with Singapore medical council and finally get accredited with Specialists Accreditation Board (SAB)  registration if you are practising as a specialist.

Alternatively, if there is a hospital/Medical institution willing to hire you, they can complete the procedutes on your behalf which will be much more convinient for you.


Hope this helps!!!

Dear Aspirant,

There are many colleges that accept students without the said exams but make sure you have your transcripts ready- LORs, projects/internships/Volunteering certificates, Statement of Purpose, Essays, Extra-curricular activities. These things are a must when trying to apply for colleges abroad.

Colleges in the US:

https://yocket.in/blog/universities-that-dont-require-sat-act-3527

There are 08 top Australian Universities which follow the above given criteria in order to exempt international students from submitting IELTS scores for admission. They are as follows:

  • UNSW
  • University of Adelaide
  • University of Queensland
  • University of Southern Queensland
  • Macquarie University
  • University of South Australia
  • Swinburne University of Technology
  • Bond University

Most of the colleges in Australia require an IELTS test score but have been waived off only on a case by case basic which is entirely judged. Many a times they have also waived it off if the students have completed their education in english medium.

Colleges in Singapore:

  • Nanyang Technological College
  • National college of Singapore
  • Singapore Management University

Singapore also has numerous centres of internationally acknowledged universities like Duke University, University of Chicago, Booth Graduate School of Business, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and SP Jain Centre of Management.

Colleges in Canada:

  • University of Saskatchewan
  • Brock University
  • Carleton University
  • University of Winnipeg
  • University of Regina
  • Memorial University
  • Concordia University

Hope this helps!




Hello,

Designing is an upcoming and demanding field and is gaining recognition faster than ever. Studying abroad does seem desirable but it is not entirely different from studying in your own country. Several Indian institutes ,not just NID offer amazing designing programs. Many Institutes in India have tie-ups with international universities and study abroad programs which will give you the exposure required for an undergraduate degree.

Studying abroad for an UG degree also requires a lot of capital ,so instead of spending that money for UG , you can save up for PG/higher studies abroad which will be of much more use. As long as you choose study and work hard, choose a good college with experiential learning then from where you study NID or NAFA or Lasalle or UAL it doesn't matter.


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