Imagine what an SUTD education will do for you. Apply now at https://sutd.edu.sg/Admissions/Undergraduate 

We know, getting a university education can be really expensive. Tuition fees, miscellaneous expenses, and dormitory housing bills can all add up over the course of four years. If you’re considering to study at SUTD, our programme might have you thinking twice about the school fees involved.

Granted, the courses offered at SUTD are very much hands-on and design centric, but if you’re debating whether or not this learning experience is worth your time and money, fret not! We’ve got over 40 different grants and bursaries available for our SUTDents, so you can leave your financial concerns behind if you choose to pursue the degree of your dreams with us. Read on to find out more about some of the scholarships and financial aid schemes available at SUTD.

1. SUTD Community Grant

Coming from an average middle-income family, Janelle says that the SUTD Community Grant has helped her family to manage both the tuition fees and additional miscellaneous costs of her Architecture & Sustainable Design (ASD) programme.

Introduced in the academic year of 2020 in light of the pandemic, the SUTD Community Grant is one of our newest schemes to help all Singaporean students who do not hold scholarships or qualify for financial aid.

Tenable for up to eight academic terms (i.e. all four years of undergraduate studies), students who receive the SUTD Community Grant are able to claim a fixed sum of S$1,500 per term to defray the cost of their tuition.

“Normally, students are only able to claim a maximum of S$30 per school term to pay off any additional costs like purchasing materials. If we exceed this amount, we will have to fork out our own money, which can be a hefty price, so I’ve really benefitted from the SUTD Community Grant,” Janelle shares.

2. SUTD Education Opportunity Grant

The pandemic was tough on all of us—and even more so for families with only one source of income, like Cheng Wee’s family. The uncertainty of the situation, coupled with the stress of having to pay bills and support the family, can cause an inordinate amount of stress to pile up. Thankfully, Cheng Wee shares, the SUTD Education Opportunity Grant helped to put his and his parents’ minds at ease.

The SUTD Education Opportunity Grant is a form of financial aid offered by SUTD to Singaporean students who require additional help in offsetting their tuition fees. Like the SUTD Community Grant, there is no limit to the number of students who can benefit from this grant, as long as they qualify for it.

Tenable for eight academic terms or the full duration of the undergraduate studies, the amount of money received is tiered according to each student’s monthly household Per Capita Income (PCI). This means that students with the greatest financial needs can have 100% of their tuition and hostel fees covered by the grant, while students who don’t require as much help will have a lower percentage of their tuition and hostel fees covered.

“That period really added on to the already existing strain on my family’s financial reserves, but I benefitted greatly from receiving the grant as it helped to ease some of that financial burden,” Cheng Wee says.

3. Irene Tan Liang Kheng Empowerment Award

Zhi Xiang’s family was deeply affected when his father, a tipper truck driver, had his income halted when construction projects were suspended. Fortunately, Zhi Xiang was able to receive financial aid from SUTD through the Irene Tan Liang Kheng Empowerment Award.

Established in honour of the late Mdm Irene Tan Liang Kheng, the award provides financial assistance to deserving Singaporean and Singapore Permanent Resident students studying at SUTD. These students would have to have a monthly household PCI of S$2,250 and below, possess good moral character and community spirit, and preferably be pursuing their studies or projects related to healthcare.

Tenable for one academic year, recipients will receive S$5,000 or S$5,500 per academic year for study-related purposes, depending on their level of financial need, and may reapply for the award in subsequent years.

There is a strong emphasis on recipients having a heart for the community because the late Mdm Tan was known for her generous nature and active charity work. She passed away after a battle with cancer in 2016, leaving behind a will that laid out plans to ensure that her legacy of giving would continue. Through this award, it is the late Mdm Tan’s wish that students who require financial aid can complete their education and start their own ripples of kindness in society.

“A great weight was lifted off my shoulders, which gave me peace of mind, and allowed me to pursue my educational goals. I greatly appreciate the generous financial support and opportunity given to pursue my passion and educational dreams,” Zhi Xiang says.

4. Keppel Bursary Award

Taking out a bank loan to fund your university education can be very helpful, but with the accrued interest you could also end up repaying a lot more than what you borrowed. This was a worry that Cheng Wee’s family had when it came to paying off the loan they took for his undergraduate education at SUTD. Fortunately, apart from the SUTD Education Opportunity Grant, Cheng Wee also received the Keppel Bursary Award. This helped to offset a portion of Cheng Wee’s already subsidised tuition fees, making it easier for his family to repay the loan on time.

Specially designed for deserving SUTD students, the Keppel Bursary Award is established by the Keppel Care Foundation, which provides assistance for the needy and under-privileged, promotes education and encourages eco-friendly initiatives. To qualify, students have to be Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents, have a gross monthly household PCI of less than S$2,250, and not be a current scholarship holder.

Tenable for one academic year, recipients get S$6,000 per academic year to offset their tuition fees.

Because the bursary award helped to reduce the cost of his tuition fees, Cheng Wee shares that he was able to use his savings to fund his Masters of Architecture education instead, which he is currently pursuing at SUTD.  “Because of the financial aid from the school, I was able to channel the salary of my 8-month Structured Internship, which is a part of the Master’s of Architecture programme, towards paying off my Masters tuition fees, which has significantly eased the financial burden on my family,” he says.

Apart from these four scholarships and financial aid schemes, there are other bursaries and awards available. Here are a few of them:

Linn In Hua Bursary Award

  • Open to students of all nationalities
  • Tenable for one academic year
  • S$6,000 per academic year
  • Set up using the endowment fund from the late Mr Linn In Hua’s estate, in memory of the late Mr Linn, who was born into a poor family and couldn’t afford education
  • Mr Linn took “O” and “A” level as a private candidate with his own savings at the age of 33, and gained entrance to the University of London to study Physics
  • Dropped out of university one year prior to his graduation to salvage his mismanaged business back home in Malaysia
  • Bursary aims to help students complete their tertiary education, which is something that the late Mr Linn was unable to achieve

Lim Pu Leh SUTD Bursary Award

  • Open to Malaysian students
  • Tenable for one academic year
  • S$6,000 per academic year
  • Bursary set up by the late Mdm Lim Pu Leh’s children, who were dependent on financial aid and bursaries themselves throughout their education
  • Mdm Lim was widowed at a young age, and forced to take on hard labour jobs to raise her children
  • Money was never enough, but Mdm Lim still taught her children to be generous with what they had
  • Bursary aims to give back to the community, and to remember Mdm Lim’s Malaysian roots

Applied Materials SUTD Study Grant

  • Open to Singaporean or Singapore PR students enrolled in Engineering Product Development (EPD), Engineering Systems and Design (ESD), Information Systems Technology and Design (ISTD) or Design and Artificial Intelligence (DAI)
  • Tenable for one academic year
  • S$6,000 per academic year
  • Recipients might be granted internships and/or career opportunities from donor, Applied Materials, a semiconductor supplier that provides material engineering solutions globally

GIC Sparks & Smiles Award

  • Open to Singaporean students with financial difficulties
  • Tenable for one academic year
  • S$6,000 per academic year
  • Recipients will receive training in mentoring and basic counselling, and will have to commit a minimum of 25 hours to mentoring underprivileged children and youths
  • Bursary aims to empower lower income Singaporean students and inspire them to give back to their community by training and equipping them with basic leadership, mentoring, and counselling skills

To see the full list of financial aids, visit https://sutd.edu.sg/Admissions/Undergraduate/Financing-Your-Studies/Financial-Options-Financial-Aid/Financial-Aid

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Imagine what an SUTD education will do for you. Apply now at https://sutd.edu.sg/Admissions/Undergraduate 

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