Study Abroad Consultancy for Singapore

Singapore envisages to becoming a “Global Schoolhouse” offering a diverse and distinctive mix of educational services in a safe, cosmopolitan and comfortable environment. Singapore is the premier education hub in Asia. Driven by excellence, Singapore education offers a broad base curriculum and global perspective to equip students with the relevant qualification and training that serves as a springboard to a brighter future.

The island’s strong reputation for quality education has drawn the world’s top institutions to set up campuses in Singapore.

Unique is the word that best captures Singapore, a dynamic city rich in contrast and colour where you’ll find a harmonious blend of culture, cuisine, arts and architecture. A bridge between the East and the West for centuries, Singapore is located in the heart of fascinating Southeast Asia, continues to embrace tradition and modernity today.

Hub of Education Excellence

Singapore is a premier education hub which offers students an international perspective and diversity of options. In an environment that is inspiring and conducive to education, Singapore provides high quality of teaching and research. From an internationally recognized public school system, to world class universities, Singapore ensures a comprehensive education environment. More than 16 leading foreign universities have also set up centers of excellence in education and research in Singapore. Quality private education organizations add further diversity to the nation’s education landscape.

Affordable Quality Education

Tuition fees are affordable and the cost of living in Singapore is still significantly lower than of many developed countries. With Singapore’s tradition of meritocracy talented students who does need financial assistance can find the help they need in form of scholarships, bursaries and study loans.

Infrastructure and Accessibility

Singapore is well connected via sea, air and telecommunications to all parts of the world. It is fairly close to India encouraging students to visit home during every academic break.

Global Business Hub

Singapore is consistently acknowledged to be a global business hub with its developed infrastructure, political stability and open business policy.

More than 7000 Multinational Corporations (MNC) alongside 1,00,000 small and medium enterprises (SME) have set up their base in Singapore, with many choosing Singapore as their regional hub and launch pad to dynamic markets of Asia. Singapore offers limitless career and networking possibilities to global citizens keen to apply their talents to the opportunities that can be found there.

Vibrant and Cosmopolitan Lifestyle

Singapore may seem like a small dot on the world map, but the island state bustles all over with attractions and activities. The nation’s rich multicultural heritage is highlighted through the various ethnic groups (Chinese, Malays, Indians, Eurasians) living together harmoniously. Singapore’s high standard of living is also something that students can be assured of. In a survey reported in The Economist in March 2002, Singapore’s quality of life surpassed that of London or New York.

Quality

Singapore Education is a multi-government agency initiative launched by the Singapore Government in 2003 to establish and promote Singapore as a premier education hub and help international students make an informed decision on studying in Singapore. This initiative is led by the Singapore Economic Development Board and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board, SPRING Singapore, International Enterprise Singapore and the Ministry of Education.

Singapore is an island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula located approximately 137 kilometers north of the equator, in the Southeast Asian region of the Asian continent.

FACTS

Full name: Republic of Singapore

Population: 49,87,600 (2009 estimates)

Capital: Singapore

Area: 710.2 sq km

Official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil

Monetary unit: 1 Singapore dollar SGD)

GNI per capita: $47,940 (World Bank, 2008)

International dialing code: +65

Economy

Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy. Along with Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan, Singapore is one of the Four Asian Tigers. The economy depends heavily on exports and refining imported goods, especially in manufacturing and includes significant electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences sectors.

Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world and is the world’s fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre after London, New York and Tokyo. The World Bank ranks Singapore as the world’s top logistics hub.

Singapore’s economy has been ranked amongst the world’s ten most open, competitive and innovative. Rated as the most business-friendly economy in the world, Singapore is a hub of many Multinational companies.

Climate

Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons, uniform temperature and pressure, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures range from 22 to 34 °C (71.6 to 93.2 °F).

May and June are the hottest months, while November and December make up the wetter monsoon season. However, there is rainfall throughout the year. From August to October, there is often haze, sometimes severe enough to prompt public health warnings, due to bush fires in neighboring Indonesia.

Culture

Due to its diverse population and immigrant background, Singaporean culture has often been described as a mix of cultures – British, Malay, Chinese, Indian and Peranakan. Foreigners also make up 42% of the population in Singapore and they play an important role in influencing Singaporean culture.

Time Zones

Singapore Standard Time (SST) – 2:30 hours plus IST

IST – Indian Standard Time

Our experts will help you with the application procedure.

1. Intake Period:

• Main Courses by Government University – August/February
• Polytechnics – April/September
• Private Education Organization – Jan/ Feb/July/Aug/Sep/Oct/etc

2. Language Requirements:

The above is exempted if students has completed school and college in English medium and have also scored above 70% in the main exams.

3. Eligibility:

• For Polytechnic Courses – Xth/XIIth Pass from Indian School
• For undergraduate programmes at local universities – XII th Pass from Indian School
• For Singapore’s public institutes – Check with respective schools directly
• For Private Education Organisations (PEOs) – Check with PEO directly or seek advice from Certified Singapore Education Specialists

*The eligibility criteria vary from University to University.

4. Documents:

Our counselors will assist you in compiling and attesting all the necessary documents*. In addition, they will also –

• Give special attention to your application
• Highlight the areas essential for a well-presented, error free application.
• Assist with References and the ‘all-important’ Statement of Purpose.
• Review your Essays

Documents Required: Covering Letter, Application Fees, Application Form, Statement of Purpose, Essays, Resume, Reco Letters, Transcripts, Mark sheets & Cert., Bank Statement, Affidavit of Financial Statements, Test Score Report.

Education in Singapore follows the four-tier model which includes primary schools, followed by secondary schools, pre-tertiary level at Junior Colleges or Polytechnics and tertiary education at a university.

Primary Education

Primary Education in Singapore is free and compulsory Primary education starts at age seven and consists of 2 stages – a four year foundation stage (Primary 1 to 4), a two year orientation stage (Primary 5 to 6). At the end of Primary 6, students have to take the national Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and are placed in the secondary schools according to performance in the PSLE.

Secondary Education

Based on results of the PSLE, students are placed in different secondary education tracks or streams: “Special”, “Express”, “Normal (Academic)”, or “Normal (Technical)”.

“Special” and “Express” are four-year courses leading up to the Singapore-Cambridge GCE O’ Level examination.

Normal is a four-year course leading up to a Normal-level (N-level) exam, with the possibility of a fifth year followed by an O-level.

Pre-Tertiary

Upon completion of the 4- or 5-year secondary school education, students (excluding IP students) will participate in the annual Singaporean GCE ‘O’ Level, the results of which determine which pre-universities or post-secondary institutions they may apply for.

Pre-university centres include junior colleges for a two-year course or Millennia Institute for a three-year course, both leading up to GCE ‘A’ Level. These institutions emphasize on academics than professional technical education. Students who wish to pursue for a professional-centred diploma education go on to post-secondary institutions such as the polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Tertiary

After completion of two-year or three-year courses in Junior Colleges or Millennia Institute, students may go ahead to earn degrees awarded in the Universities.

Polytechnics

Polytechnics in Singapore provide 3-year diploma courses and, they accept students based on their GCE “O” level, GCE “A” level or Institute of Technical Education (ITE) results.

Polytechnics offer a wide range of courses in various fields, including engineering, business studies, accountancy, tourism and hospitality management, mass communications, digital media and biotechnology. There are also specialized courses such as marine engineering, nautical studies, nursing, and optometry. They provide a more industry-oriented education as an alternative to junior colleges for post-secondary studies.

Graduates of polytechnics with good grades can continue to pursue further tertiary education at the universities, and many overseas universities, notably those in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Institute of Technical Education

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) accepts students based on their GCE “O” level results and they provide 2-year courses leading to a locally recognised National ITE Certificate (NITEC).

Universities

Universities provide both undergraduate education and postgraduate education and grant academic degrees in a variety of subjects.

Universities accept students after GCE “A” Level or diplomas from Polytechnics.

The annual fees for international students at the three local universities are in Singapore dollars.

For Government and Private Universities

UG- 30,000- 40,000 Singapore dollars

PG- 30,000- 35,000 Singapore dollars

Living expenses

Singapore offers a high, yet affordable, quality of life. The cost of living in Singapore is significantly lower than that of developed countries such as Australia, UK and USA. An international student in Singapore spends on average about SGD 750 to SGD 2,000 a month on living expenses, including accommodation, utilities, food, transport, clothing, telecommunications, books, medical and personal expenses (These estimates serve as reference only).

Accommodation

There is wide variety of accommodation in Singapore to suit different budgets and needs. Student should make arrangements before their arrival. Temporary accommodation can be arranged giving student more time to settle.

Student can seek the help of the International Student Officer available at most institutes. Some of the housing option available includes residence halls, private hostel, home stays, public and private apartments/ house.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) provides tuition grants to student enrolled at local universities and polytechnics. International students who avail of the tuition grants are required to work for three years upon graduation, either in a Singapore-registered company or institute overseas.

Numerous financial assistance schemes are available to students.

Tuition fee loan schemes: Provides a loan of up to 90 per cent of the subsidized tuition fees payable for university students and up to 75 per cent of the subsidized tuition fees payable for polytechnic student.

Bursaries: Awarded based on financial need and usually do not exceed SGD 1,500 per year.

Study Loans: Usually payable upon graduation at favourable interest rates. Some institutes offer loan for other expenses, such as computer.

Scholarships: A number of scholarships are open to international students. Selection is usually based on academic merit, leadership and co-curricular records. Scholarships available to Indian students include the SIA-NOL Scholarship and Youth Scholarship. Number of scholarships are available to students enrolling in government funded institutions in Singapore. Some examples of scholarships to international students going to Singapore are:

Upon receiving offer letter from an institution for the applied course, a student has to apply for the student pass to enter Singapore. Generally, the institution issuing the offer letter files applies for the student pass on behalf of the student from the Singapore Immigration & Check points Authority (ICA). An application for the student pass has to be submitted to the ICA at least 2 months and not more than 6 months before the commencement date of the course.

The amount payable for filing the student pass application (payable to institution offering admission) varies from institute to institute.

Documents to be submitted for filing visa

• As all academic documents are submitted to the institute at the time of admission, the student has to submit only the financial documents to file the student pass application.
• Acceptable financial documents are:
• Bank Statement
• Loan Approval Letter
• Fixed Deposits
• Bank Balance certificate (Savings A/C)
• Funds to be shown – tuition fees + living expenses[2] for 1st year of study

Note:

1) Generally, parents and siblings are the only acceptable sponsors for financial purposes. Some private institutions are flexible regarding acceptable sponsors.

2) Average living expenses per month = SGD 700
Students would first receive In-Principal Approval (IPA) upon approval of application. IPA is sent in the form of a letter from the institution. The student has to pay a tuition deposit in the form of a Demand Draft as per the terms and conditions of the offer letter. The institution will then issue a Letter of acceptance.

The IPA and the letter of acceptance from the institution would allow the student for a single journey to study in Singapore. Upon landing in Singapore, the student has to undergo Medical check-up at a hospital approved by Immigration.

Student has to fix an E-appointment with the ICA to collect the Visa before he joins the classes. This has to be done within 10 days of landing in Singapore. The student has to submit all original academic and financial documents to get the Student Visa at ICA.

Work while studying

Students are not allowed to work either during term period or vacation while studying in Singapore. Students may be granted Work pass exemption under the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Pass Exemptions) Notification during vacation.

Work during vacation:

Foreign students are allowed to work during vacation if he/she is registered as a full-time student in an institution approved by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). All institutions represented by Impel are approved by the MOM.

Work after graduation

After completion of studies in Singapore, student can apply for a job search visa which is given for 6 months. During this period he/she is eligible to work full-time in any field until he/she gets a job offer.