- Joined
- Jul 24, 2008
- Messages
- 33,627
- Points
- 0
<TABLE id=msgUN border=0 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>
Coffeeshop Chit Chat - SG Univ still cheap for FT after feehike</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt_89 <NOBR></NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>7:42 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 4) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>31655.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Apr 13, 2010
Fee hike unlikely to deter foreign students
University fees in Singapore still competitive globally despite the recent increase
<!-- by line -->By Karen Zainal & Luke Vijay
<!-- end by line -->
Related Link
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->UNIVERSITY COSTS
<!-- Vodcast -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
The combination of competitive costs, high quality education and a good environment here proves to be very attractive to international students and parents, says one expert. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
<!-- story content : start -->
RECENT news of fee hikes in Singapore's three public universities is unlikely to steer potential foreign students away from our shores because the new fees remain internationally competitive.
After the hikes - meant to differentiate foreigners and permanent residents from citizens - a foreign undergraduate studying at the National University of Singapore (NUS) or Nanyang Technological University, for example, would have to pay $11,030 for tuition per year for an arts degree. This is up from $9,930 last year.
The Singapore Management University now charges foreign students $15,830 for all its courses other than law, compared to $14,400 last year.
Despite the increase, however, Singapore remains competitive, especially when compared to the United States, a popular destination for many students the world over. The average undergraduate degree in an American university could cost a foreign student about $40,000 more per year.
For that amount, parents in countries such as India and China may be able to send three to four of their children to study here, and that is why it remains competitive, said education analysts.
Dr Steve Lai, the chief executive officer of PSB Academy, said it was not just a question of cost. 'We are in a very good position to compete in the international student market. The combination of competitive costs, high quality education and a good environment proves to be very attractive to international students and parents.'
The key reason behind the significant gap in the tuition fees between the US and Singapore may be the Ministry of Education's (MOE) student grant.
So long as international students agree to work in Singapore for three years after graduation, they get to enjoy up to $88,200 in tuition fee subsidies, depending on the course they study.
Only about 5 per cent of international students in public universities here pay the full unsubsidised fees, said an MOE spokesman.
However, while the US remains fairly expensive compared to Singapore, some other favourite destinations are closing the gap, the most noticeable being the universities in Britain, with the falling pound being a key factor. In 2007, the exchange rate was S$3.01 for £1. As of yesterday, it was S$2.15 for £1. This reduces the cost of an education in Britain significantly. (See other report)
Asian universities such as the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University in Japan may be cheaper than Singapore in terms of fees, but most of the undergraduate lectures are conducted in Japanese, even those for international students.
Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS Provost and deputy president (academic affairs), remained confident when the fee hikes were announced, saying: 'The new fees remain very competitive with international programmes of distinction. The new fee adjustments will help defray part of the operating costs of providing a quality education.'
Foreign students studying here agree.
Said 19-year-old Nguyen Truc Phuong, a first-year Vietnamese student at NUS: 'Even though I'm not very comfortable with the increase, I guess for the education we get it's still worth it.'
But there are those who would opt for alternatives, and they may not be the traditional ones.
Indonesian Yesslin Ongly, 20, who completed her secondary school education in Singapore but returned to Jakarta to attend GS FAME Institute of Business, said: 'Of course Singapore is still competitive. The quality of its education is comparable to that of universities in the US and the United Kingdom, and at a fraction of the cost.
'However, the quality of tertiary education in other South-east Asian countries, like the colleges in Indonesia, has also improved a lot over the past few years.'
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Fee hike unlikely to deter foreign students
University fees in Singapore still competitive globally despite the recent increase
<!-- by line -->By Karen Zainal & Luke Vijay
<!-- end by line -->
Related Link
<!-- Audio --><!-- Video --><!-- PDF -->UNIVERSITY COSTS
<!-- Vodcast -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
<!-- story content : start -->
RECENT news of fee hikes in Singapore's three public universities is unlikely to steer potential foreign students away from our shores because the new fees remain internationally competitive.
After the hikes - meant to differentiate foreigners and permanent residents from citizens - a foreign undergraduate studying at the National University of Singapore (NUS) or Nanyang Technological University, for example, would have to pay $11,030 for tuition per year for an arts degree. This is up from $9,930 last year.
The Singapore Management University now charges foreign students $15,830 for all its courses other than law, compared to $14,400 last year.
Despite the increase, however, Singapore remains competitive, especially when compared to the United States, a popular destination for many students the world over. The average undergraduate degree in an American university could cost a foreign student about $40,000 more per year.
For that amount, parents in countries such as India and China may be able to send three to four of their children to study here, and that is why it remains competitive, said education analysts.
Dr Steve Lai, the chief executive officer of PSB Academy, said it was not just a question of cost. 'We are in a very good position to compete in the international student market. The combination of competitive costs, high quality education and a good environment proves to be very attractive to international students and parents.'
The key reason behind the significant gap in the tuition fees between the US and Singapore may be the Ministry of Education's (MOE) student grant.
So long as international students agree to work in Singapore for three years after graduation, they get to enjoy up to $88,200 in tuition fee subsidies, depending on the course they study.
Only about 5 per cent of international students in public universities here pay the full unsubsidised fees, said an MOE spokesman.
However, while the US remains fairly expensive compared to Singapore, some other favourite destinations are closing the gap, the most noticeable being the universities in Britain, with the falling pound being a key factor. In 2007, the exchange rate was S$3.01 for £1. As of yesterday, it was S$2.15 for £1. This reduces the cost of an education in Britain significantly. (See other report)
Asian universities such as the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University in Japan may be cheaper than Singapore in terms of fees, but most of the undergraduate lectures are conducted in Japanese, even those for international students.
Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS Provost and deputy president (academic affairs), remained confident when the fee hikes were announced, saying: 'The new fees remain very competitive with international programmes of distinction. The new fee adjustments will help defray part of the operating costs of providing a quality education.'
Foreign students studying here agree.
Said 19-year-old Nguyen Truc Phuong, a first-year Vietnamese student at NUS: 'Even though I'm not very comfortable with the increase, I guess for the education we get it's still worth it.'
But there are those who would opt for alternatives, and they may not be the traditional ones.
Indonesian Yesslin Ongly, 20, who completed her secondary school education in Singapore but returned to Jakarta to attend GS FAME Institute of Business, said: 'Of course Singapore is still competitive. The quality of its education is comparable to that of universities in the US and the United Kingdom, and at a fraction of the cost.
'However, the quality of tertiary education in other South-east Asian countries, like the colleges in Indonesia, has also improved a lot over the past few years.'
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
