SINGAPORE: Singapore’s six autonomous universities will not raise tuition fees for citizens enrolled in the 2020 intake, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said on Wednesday (Apr 1).
Singapore citizens enrolled in government-subsidised undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the 2020 intake will pay the same fees for their first year of study as the 2019 intake, said MOE.
It does not apply to Singapore permanent residents and international students.
The six universities are: Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
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Undergraduate students from the 2019 intake and earlier will continue to pay the same fees conveyed to them during admission as well as for their remaining course duration, in line with the cohort-based fee system that usually applies to undergraduate studies, said MOE.
For postgraduate students in the 2019 intake or earlier, the pre-planned fee increases for 2020 will be deferred and they will continue to pay the 2019 fees this year, said MOE.
Postgraduate tuition fees follow a fee schedule that is set at the year of admission, with pre-planned annual increases for the remaining course duration.
The fees will be reviewed before the start of 2021, said MOE.
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The universities’ move comes as the Singapore economy takes a hit over the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
Last week, the Government announced a S$48 billion package of measures to steer aid to workers and businesses – with more targeted help for those hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic – as well as strengthening economic and social resilience.
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“As key national institutions with a public mission, the autonomous universities are committed to ensuring the affordability of higher education for Singaporeans, especially during challenging times,” said MOE.
“Their move is in line with the one-year deferment of government fee increases announced recently under the Resilience Budget.”
The universities will also step up efforts to help students in financial need, MOE said.
Financial support will continue to be extended through a combination of government assistance and financial aid provided by the universities, it added.
“The autonomous universities and MOE will monitor the situation closely and support our Singaporean students during this challenging time,” said MOE.
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