University Spotlight: National University of Singapore (NUS)

At a glance

NUS Campus, Kent Ridge, Singapore Watch the YouTube tour to see the campus, student housing and the libraries.

QS 2027: #10 Globally · #1 in Asia* *QS World University Rankings 2027, released June 2026. NUS was #8 in the QS 2026 list, so it moved down two places. In the THE World University Rankings 2027 (30 September 2026) NUS is #15 and third in Asia, behind Tsinghua (#11) and Peking (#13). Different rankings use different methods, so always check which list and which year is quoted.
University: National University of Singapore (NUS)
Location: Kent Ridge, Singapore
Tuition 2026-27: Computing and Sciences SGD 21,400 a year with the MOE Tuition Grant, SGD 39,700 and SGD 36,650 without it. Business SGD 22,200 with the grant, SGD 33,400 without it.
Popular Subjects: Computer Science, Business, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Data Science
Boards Accepted: CBSE Class 12 and Cambridge A Level, and other A Level boards
Medium of Instruction: English throughout

On-demand access to the NUS virtual campus tour is available on YouTube. Watch the NUS Campus Tour today! This video was made by an independent creator, not by the university.

Visit a university in person. I strongly recommend that families of Grade 9 and above students visit at least one university: this one, a local university in India, or any place you choose. Seeing the labs and classrooms and talking to students gives a child something a virtual tour cannot. If you need help planning a visit, write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com.

NUS Admission Requirements for CBSE and Cambridge A Level

The table below sums up what NUS states on its own pages. Please read the rows on Application Dates, Tests for SAT, ACT and AP and Courses Closed While Exams Are Pending first. NUS wrote most of these pages for the 2026 entry, and it has not yet updated every one for 2027 entry. Please ask me to check the latest wording with you before you plan.

Requirement	CBSE Grade 12	Cambridge A Level
Qualification	Indian Standard 12 (CBSE or ISC)	A Level from Cambridge, Edexcel, AQA, OCR, WJEC and some other boards
Subjects Needed	A good pass in five subjects, including English	A good pass in at least four Advanced Level subjects. NUS looks closely at subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Economics, Accounting and Business. NUS does not say here whether AS subjects count, so please ask us before you choose subjects.
Grades Needed	NUS does not publish a fixed cut-off. Any percentage you hear is a guess, so please treat it that way.	Same. NUS does not publish a fixed grade cut-off.
English Proficiency	Not required	Not required. A student may still send IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge C1 Advanced if they hold one.
Tests for SAT, ACT and AP	Not required. JEE and other Indian entrance exams are not asked for.	Not required only if all exams are finished when you apply. If any exam comes after the application deadline, NUS says a test score (SAT, ACT with Writing, or AP) is required. Most Grade 12 Cambridge students sit their exams in May and June, so this usually applies to them.
Courses Closed While Exams Are Pending	NUS says students who are still finishing their exams cannot apply for Dentistry, Law, Medicine or Nursing.	NUS says students who are still finishing their exams cannot apply for Dentistry, Law or Medicine.
Application Dates (2027 Entry)	16 December 2026 to 17 February 2027 for international qualifications. Most applicants hear the result by the third week of May 2027.	Same dates. This is not the later window for the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A Level, which is for Singapore students.
Results to Submit	For 2026, NUS asked for actual results by 17 May 2026, 11.59 pm Singapore time. CBSE results come in about the middle of May, so the gap is very short. NUS accepted an internet printout for the time being.	For the March sitting, NUS asked for results within 3 calendar days of release. Grades from up to two exam sessions and two boards are accepted, if all fall within 12 months.
Interview or Test	Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Nursing: interview. Industrial Design: video interview. Law: written test and interview. Dentistry: hand skills test and mini interviews. Medicine: a skills assessment.	Same courses and tests.
Subject Needs	Differ by course. Please read the page of the faculty that runs your child’s course.	Differ by course. Please read the page of the faculty that runs your child’s course.
Financial Aid and Scholarships	The NUS International Undergraduate Scholarship is open to citizens of every country except Singapore. NUS looks for strong leadership, a strong record outside class and outstanding school results. Nobody applies separately, as NUS considers each applicant automatically. It pays the full tuition fee after the MOE Tuition Grant, plus SGD 5,800 a year for living costs, SGD 5,000 a year for housing and SGD 1,750 once for a computer.	Same scholarship and same rules.
Student’s Pass	Needed for full time study. NUS registers your child with the immigration office (ICA) first. Your child then applies online on ICA’s SOLAR site and gets an approval letter. After arriving in Singapore, your child books a visit to ICA for fingerprints and document checks. A medical check is also needed.	Same process.

Common to both pathways

Applications go through the NUS Undergraduate Admissions portal (nus.edu.sg/oam). The new year starts in August. Offers for most applicants come by the third week of May, and they depend on final results. Interview and test dates for 2027 are not posted yet. For 2026 they fell between mid March and late April, and we expect something similar. Please check the NUS page on interviews and test dates early in 2027.

Why Should Your Child Consider NUS?

#10 in QS 2027, Down from #8, and the Top Asian University

NUS is #10 in the QS World University Rankings 2027, released in June 2026. In the QS 2026 list it was #8, so it has slipped two places. It is still the highest ranked Asian university in QS and the only Asian university in the QS top 10. In the THE World University Rankings 2027, released on 30 September 2026, NUS is #15. That puts it third in Asia, behind Tsinghua and Peking. Both are strong signs. A ranking is only one way to choose, and the course matters more.

Singapore, a Safe and Well Run Base in Asia

Teaching at NUS is in English. Students on a Student’s Pass may work part time in term, within the limits set by the Ministry of Manpower. After graduation, a student needs a work pass from an employer to stay and work.

Many Courses Under One Roof

NUS offers Computer Science, Data Science, Business, Engineering, Law, Architecture and Medicine. A student who is not sure of the course can read the course pages and compare. Please remember that Medicine, Dentistry and Law have their own tests and a different fee.

Lower Fees and a Scholarship, With a Work Promise

International students can apply for the MOE Tuition Grant. It cuts the tuition fee a great deal. In return, the student signs an agreement to work for a Singapore company for 3 years after graduating. NUS states the 3 year rule for international students. For Medicine and Dentistry, NUS states longer terms of 5 and 6 years. NUS also offers the NUS International Undergraduate Scholarship. It needs the grant, so the same work promise applies. The scholarship is for students with outstanding school results and strong leadership. Please read the real figures in the next section before you plan.

What parents should know

CRITICAL, exams and eligibility: NUS says students who are still finishing their exams when they apply cannot apply for Dentistry, Law, Medicine (and Nursing, for CBSE students). Almost every CBSE or Cambridge student in Grade 12 is in this position in February. NUS also asks Cambridge students with pending exams for an SAT, ACT with Writing or AP score. Please speak to me in Grade 11 if your child is thinking of Medicine, Law or Dentistry, and book the SAT or ACT early. Some of this wording is still from the 2026 entry page.
CRITICAL, the 3 year work promise: the 2026-27 yearly fee with the MOE Tuition Grant is SGD 21,400 for Computing, Humanities and Sciences (~INR 16 lakhs at ~SGD 75/INR, October 2026), and SGD 22,200 for Business (~INR 17 lakhs). Without the grant it is SGD 39,700 for Computing and Engineering (~INR 30 lakhs), SGD 36,650 for Humanities and Sciences (~INR 27 lakhs) and SGD 33,400 for Business (~INR 25 lakhs). These are yearly fees and include GST. The grant is a bond, not a gift. The student signs it in September or February, and a student who misses the signing pays the higher fee. We did not confirm the grant fee for Engineering, so please ask us.
Yearly cost with the grant: about SGD 31,000 to 38,500 (~INR 23–29 lakhs). This adds the grant fee to two NUS figures. One is a living estimate of SGD 6,000 a year for food, travel and books. The other is on-campus housing of SGD 4,000 to 10,290. Without the grant it is about SGD 43,000 to 56,000 (~INR 32–42 lakhs). Flights, insurance and small student fees are extra. NUS calls its living estimate a “reasonably comfortable lifestyle”, and it excludes the long break.
Housing: NUS says international first year undergraduates are prioritised for campus housing, in the first year only. That is not a written promise of a bed. NUS also says students who do not qualify under a hall’s scheme are not prioritised, and that Student Residences do not take first years. Please apply on the hostel portal the moment NUS opens it, and keep a plan for a rented room.
CBSE timing: in 2026 NUS wanted actual results by 17 May, 11.59 pm Singapore time. That is 9.29 pm in India. Please keep the CBSE marksheet from DigiLocker ready in advance, and do not travel on the last days.
Jobs: NUS’s 2025 Graduate Employment Survey, run by the Ministry of Education, shows results that differ a lot by degree. Employment ranges from 60 to 100 percent, and average monthly pay from SGD 3,949 to SGD 6,962 (~INR 3–5.2 lakhs). Computing and business degrees pay at the top of that range. This is a real job market, not a promise of a job, so please look at the figure for your child’s degree.
Acceptance is competitive. NUS does not publish an acceptance rate for international applicants. Grades alone do not decide it, and the record outside class and a well written application also matter.

Talk to me

To book a counselling session for your family on NUS admissions, scholarships, tests and subject choice, write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com or use my contact page. I am happy to set up a one to one session at a time that suits you.

Sources

QS World University Rankings 2027, NUS — NUS slipped two places to 10th and stays Asia’s top university (released 18 June 2026; reported by NTU).
THE World University Rankings 2027, Asia — NUS 15th, Tsinghua 11th, Peking 13th (published 30 September 2026; reported by Human Resources Online).
NUS Important Dates, AY2027/28 — Application windows and outcome dates for 2027 entry.
NUS Requirements, International A Level (foreign applicants) — Four A Level subjects, SAT, ACT or AP rule for pending exams, English, results submission.
NUS Requirements, Indian Standard 12 (CBSE and ISC) — Five subjects including English, no SAT or JEE, results deadline for 2026, courses closed to pending applicants.
NUS Faculty Interviews and Test Dates — Courses that need an interview or test (dates shown are for the 2026 cycle).
NUS Undergraduate Tuition Fees, AY2026/27 New Intake — Yearly fees for international students, with and without the MOE Tuition Grant.
NUS Undergraduate Fees (Registrar) — MOE Tuition Grant signing dates and the 3 year work rule for international students.
NUS International Undergraduate Scholarship — Eligibility, SGD allowances, grant bond of 3, 5 or 6 years, renewal rules.
NUS Undergraduate Living Costs — Yearly living estimate of SGD 6,000 plus on-campus housing of SGD 4,000 to 10,290.
NUS International Student Experience, Prepare — International Year 1 undergraduates prioritised for campus housing in the first year only.
NUS Student’s Pass (Registrar) — Steps on ICA’s SOLAR site, approval letter, arrival formalities.
NUS Graduate Employment Survey 2025 (Ministry of Education) — Employment and pay by degree for the class of 2025.

Checked by Madan Kumar PC on 11 Oct 2026. Fees, dates and rules change. Always check the official link before applying.

Talk to a career counsellor. A good counsellor can help you work out what this means for you. You can also write to me at pcmadankumar@gmail.com or use mycontact page.