By MoneyBees
Compare the full cost of a local degree at NUS, NTU or SMU with studying overseas: tuition, living costs, visa and health surcharge, in Singapore dollars at today's exchange rate.
For Singapore Citizens in AY2026/27, most NUS and NTU courses cost S$8,300 a year in tuition, and most SMU degrees cost S$11,550. Law is S$12,750 a year at NUS and SMU. Medicine is S$33,200 at NUS and S$36,100 at NTU. A four-year degree at S$8,300 a year comes to S$33,200 before living costs.
Take UCL as one example: overseas students pay GBP 39,200 a year for Economics in 2026/27. For the visa you must show GBP 1,529 a month for living costs in London (GBP 1,171 elsewhere) for up to nine months, then pay the GBP 558 visa fee and a GBP 776 health surcharge for each year you hold it.
Everything around the tuition adds up. In the worked example, tuition alone is 8 times the local fee, and once living costs are in the gap is still close to 5 times.
Not for a full degree abroad. HESL is for subsidised courses at Singapore's own universities, polytechnics, ITE and arts schools, and PSEA only pays programmes on MOE's approved list, so most families fund the overseas years from savings or a private loan.
Use the rate you expect to pay when the fees fall due. The default is the Bank of England spot rate on 30 Sep 2026, GBP 1 = S$1.6968. Banks charge a spread on top, and the currency box shows what a 5% move does to your total.
NUS, NTU and SMU fix tuition for each intake for the normal length of the course. Fees for later intakes can change, so check the year your child will start.
No. Take any award you are sure of off the fee or the living cost before you enter it.
It is only the minimum the UK asks you to show. Rent in London alone often takes most of it, so raise the monthly figure once you have a quote for housing.
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