Tuition and school fees
Use the exact programme, intake, citizenship category and Tuition Grant decision. Fees can vary significantly between programmes.
Family budget guide
Plan the real cost of studying in Singapore.
Tuition is only one part of the decision. Build the family plan around programme fees, housing, daily life, arrival expenses and a realistic buffer before accepting an offer.
The full picture
Build the budget in five separate layers.
A single headline number can hide important obligations and one-time expenses.
Accommodation
Compare on-campus options with private rentals, deposits, utilities, transport time and the number of weeks actually covered.
Monthly living costs
Plan food, transport, phone service, insurance, study materials and personal spending without assuming part-time income.
Arrival and one-time costs
Include flights, medical checks, immigration issuance, initial purchases and temporary accommodation where relevant.
Family safety buffer
Keep an emergency reserve separate from the ordinary monthly budget and allow for currency movement between INR and SGD.
Programme-specific fees
The grant decision can change the annual fee considerably.
For AY2026/27, common NUS and NTU examples for non-ASEAN international students show subsidised annual fees around S$21,400–S$22,200 for programmes such as computing, engineering and business. Comparable non-subsidised examples can be roughly S$33,400–S$45,600. Specialised programmes can be substantially higher, so these figures are illustrations—not a quotation for a student.
International students who accept the MOE Tuition Grant pay subsidised fees and are generally required to work for a Singapore entity for three years after graduation. The obligation must be understood alongside the fee reduction.
Housing and daily life
Use an official baseline, then adjust for the student.
NUS currently gives a conservative annual reference of about S$6,000 for living expenses plus S$5,750 for on-campus accommodation—a combined S$11,750 for a 35-week study period. A family plan may need more for vacations, private housing, deposits, flights, personal choices and emergencies.
Do not reduce the family contribution on the assumption that the student will find part-time work. Eligibility and opportunity are conditional, and study remains the primary purpose of the Student’s Pass.
Source checked 3 October 2026: NUS international undergraduate prospectus AY2026/27.
Before accepting an offer
Ask the questions that protect the whole family plan.
What is fixed?
Confirm the cohort fee, payment schedule, compulsory charges and what the accommodation quotation actually includes.
What can change?
Allow for rent, food, flights, currency movement, medical needs and costs outside the institution’s quoted study period.
What is conditional?
Read the Tuition Grant obligation, loan eligibility, guarantor requirements and scholarship conditions before relying on support.
Make it personal
Turn the estimates into your family budget.
Bring the student’s intended programme, institution, funding questions and budget range to the free first consultation.