Cost of Studying in Singapore: Average Tuition Fees & Monthly Expenses

Is it costly to study in Singapore for Indians? This is the fact that Singapore is more expensive than India but affordable as compared to other popular study destinations abroad such as USA, UK, Canada and more. The cost of studying in Singapore depends on factors like the level of study, university type and course choice.

Why Study in Singapore?

There are various reasons which make Singapore an ideal destination for international students to pursue their undergraduate or postgraduate education. Some of the most prominent reasons are listed below:

Good Education Quality: The country owns multiple high-ranking universities and colleges which welcome students from across the world. These institutions have earned a reputation for their excellent student-graduate outcome as well as research. Students have the liberty to study an academic area at any level.

Ease of Language: Most of the higher education institutes follow an English-based bilingual education system. As English is the medium of instruction in majority of the universities and colleges, overseas students find it convenient to study and understand the lessons.

Financial Assistance: In order to assist students in affording their education, various scholarships are provided by the government of Singapore and various higher education institutes for the overseas lot. This helps them focus on their studies without being bothered by monetary issues.

Good Employment Prospects: Singapore is home to many globally recognized universities and colleges and a degree earned from any of them is considered prestigious. Due to their reputation various good companies and employers across the world are open to absorbing students passing out from these colleges.

Top Universities in Singapore

We have listed below some of the top universities in Singapore for international students:

Institution	QS World University Rankings, 2025
National University of Singapore (NUS)	#8
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore)	#15
Singapore University of Technology and Design	#440
Singapore Management University	#585

University-Wise Tuition Fees Range

Like all countries, there is a large fluctuation in tuition fees across the different categories of institutions. Effectively speaking, the tuition fee for top universities would be much higher than the lesser-known universities. Also, the polytechnics in Singapore, which offer certificate diplomas, are cheaper still. For instance, the average yearly tuition fee for a bachelor’s degree in engineering at top universities like NTU and NUS is around SGD 40,000. A student, however, opting to go to a private university like PSB Academy would have to pay around SGD 21,000 in tuition fees for one year.

The same grade of difference is available for master’s program as well. The more famous Universities’ MBA program average just about SGD 75,000. Let’s have a quick look at some of them and the tuition fee (in INR) for their MBA programs:

University Name	Tuition Fee (in INR)
Nanyang Technological University	INR 13 L - 54 L
National University of Singapore	INR 19 L - 58 L
Singapore Management University	INR 20 L - 2 Cr
Nanyang Institute of Management	INR 12 L

As is visible, while the top three MBA programs of the country have high tuition fees, the same program from relatively lesser-known institutes like Nanyang Institute of Management is almost one-third of the same.

Also, in regards to Foreign Universities with campuses in Singapore, it is important to point out that the fee structure remains the same as designed by the University’s home centre. So, a student may not save a considerable amount in tuition fees.

Tuition Fees of Top Singapore Institutes

Given below is the tuition fee for the top Singaporean higher academic institutes, for their popular programmes.

National University of Singapore: We have listed below the annual tuition fee required to pursue bachelor's as well as master's courses at NUS, for the academic year 2024-25:

1) Undergraduate Courses:

Field of Study	Annual Tuition Fee	Fees in INR
Business	SGD 21,550	INR 14.02 L
Dentistry	SGD 74,900	INR 48.75 L
Design & Engineering	SGD 20,350	INR 13.24 L
Humanities & Science	SGD 18,900	INR 12.30 L
Law	SGD 28,350	INR 18.45 L
Medicine (Nursing)	SGD 19,529	INR 12.71 L
Medicine (Except Nursing)	SGD 76,450	INR 49.75 L
Music	SGD 42,200	INR 27.46 L
Science (Pharmacy)	SGD 21,500	INR 14.00 L

2) Graduate Courses:

Field of Study	Annual Tuition Fee	Fees in INR
Dentistry, Medicine	SGD 75,700	INR 49.27 L
Nursing	SGD 37,350	INR 24.30L
Computing, Design & Engineering, Integrative Sciences and Engineering, Public Health, and Science	SGD 42,200	INR 27.46 L
Arts & Social Sciences, Business, Law, Design & Engineering (Architecture, Industrial Design)	SGD 40,300	INR 26.23 L

Conversion Rate: 1 SGD = INR 65.09

Nanyang Technological University: We have listed below the annual tuition fee required to pursue full-time courses at Nanyang Tech, for the academic year 2024-25:

Field of Study	Annual Tuition Fee	Fees in INR
All Programs (Except the ones listed below)	SGD 18,900	INR 12.30 L
Accountancy Accountancy (Sustainability Management and Analytics) Business Accountancy & Business Business & Computing Business & Computer Engineering	SGD 21,050	INR 13.70 L
Medicine	SGD 83,350	INR 54.25 L
Renaissance Engineering Programme	SGD 32,000	INR 20.82 L

Singapore University of Technology and Design: We have listed below the annual tuition fee required to pursue full-time courses at the Singapore University of Technology & Design, for the academic year 2024:

Particulars	Tuition Fee	Fees in INR
Per Academic Year	SGD 30,650	INR 19 L
Per Term	SGD 15,325	INR 9.5 L

Singapore Management University: We have listed below the annual tuition fee required to pursue full-time courses at the Singapore University of Technology & Design, for the academic year 2024-25:

Subject/Study Area	Tuition Fee (Sem I & II)	Fees in INR
Bachelor of Accountancy Bachelor of Business Management Bachelor of Integrative Studies (Individualised Major) Bachelor of Science (Economics) Bachelor of Science (Computing & Law) Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) Bachelor of Science (Software Engineering) Bachelor of Science (Information Systems) Bachelor of Social Sciences	SGD 26,100	INR 16.2 L
Bachelor of Laws	SGD 28,350	INR 17.6 L

University Costs

There are many and varied constituents of University costs. Broadly they include

• Application Fees
• Student Development Fees
• Service Fees
• Student Transport Pass
• Other charges

The larger universities, like NUS and NTU which have boarding facilities, might also have that costs added but we would ignore them here as they strictly refer to cost of living. To give an estimate, the university costs are about SGD 400 – SGD 800 (INR 25 K - 50 K) per month. This might be higher for bigger universities and less for smaller universities.

Cost of Living in Singapore

Many people tend to believe that studying in Singapore is cheaper because the tuitions are less, which we have seen is not much of a case. But what about the cost of living in the country? It is not less either. Singapore is one of the costliest countries in the world. The high level of urbanization and the highly capitalized economy has ensured a steady increase in prices. Though student facilities and transportation have concessions, it is still a steady expense. Refer to the table to understand the cost of living in Singapore:

Particulars	Average Monthly Expense	Cost in INR
Rental (University Halls of Residence)	SGD 285 - SGD 420	INR 17.7 K - 26.1 K
Meals (at university hostel)	SGD 150 - SGD 800	INR 9.3 K - 49.8 K
Bus Transport (Concessional)	SGD 120	INR 7.4 K
Public Trains (Concessional Pass)	SGD 120	INR 7.4 K
Grand Total	SGD 600 - SGD 1,360	INR 37.3 K - 84.6 K

To summarize, the cost of studying in Singapore is not necessarily cheaper than the other famous countries. Where it does save costs is that most of the master’s program, especially MBAs are one-year programs. This, in sense, relatively makes the costs of studying in Singapore less than the other famous study abroad destinations like USA and UK. What a student needs to understand that in case s/he does not get a place at a student hall of residence, which is a great possibility, he/she would have to rely on accommodation outside the campus, which is rather expensive in Singapore.

For more details related to studying abroad and foreign admissions, reach out to Shiksha Study Abroad Counsellors for free