Programme Fees

Admission Cohorts in Academic Year 2025 (AY2025)

Table A below shows the AY2025 programme fees for SMU Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programmes for cohorts admitting in AY2025. 

Notes:

• The indicated programme fees are in Singapore Dollars and may subject to revision on an annual basis.
• The MPhil tuition fee is payable in four billings over two years and the PhD tuition fee is payable in eight billings over four years. Students are required to pay tuition fees twice a year in each Academic Year, i.e., Term 1 (in August) and Term 2 (in December of prior year).
• The annual subsidised fee for Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and International Students will follow a fixed fee model for the new AY2025 cohort. Tuition fees for all citizenship groups will remain unchanged for the remaining course duration during the university studies.
• The annual subsidised fees for Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents shown are without Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is separately subsidised by the Singapore Government.
• The subsidised fees for International Students and non-subsidised fees shown are inclusive of GST, which is subject to change. The fees chargeable will be based on the prevailing GST rate in the year of billing.
• With effect from the AY2019 admission cohorts, students who extend their programme candidature beyond the normal duration, i.e., 3 years for MPhil and 5 years for PhD programmes, will be required to pay the tuition fee that is equivalent to the extended candidature duration (by academic terms). The rate will be pegged to their existing citizenship and following the fee treatment in the year where the fee is payable.

Eligibility Guidelines for Ministry of Education (MOE) Subsidy 

• The substantial tuition subsidy from the Government of Singapore comes in the form of a subsidy that is administered by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and is offered to all admitted students up to the normal candidature duration. Students need not apply for the MOE subsidy if they are eligible.
• Students with a Higher Degree Qualification 
  Students who have previously enjoyed MOE subsidy in a graduate programme will not be eligible for MOE subsidy in another graduate programme at the same or lower level. Instead, such students will be liable to pay the non-subsidised fees for the graduate programme that they now wish to undertake. For example, students who had previously enjoyed MOE subsidy in a Master’s programme and had attained the Master’s degree will not be eligible for subsidy in another programme at Master’s degree or lower level. 
  
  
• Transferred or Re-admitted Students 
  Students who are transferred across the local Autonomous Universities* or re-admitted in SMU will be eligible to receive MOE subsidy up to the normal candidature duration of the new programme less the number of academic terms of MOE subsidy received for the previous programme.
  
  *Autonomous Universities refer to SMU, National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). 
• Service Obligation
  Self-financing International Students who choose to pay the subsidised fees will need to take up a three-year service obligation. As part of the service obligation, the International Students are required to work in Singapore-based companies** upon graduation. Those who choose NOT to opt for the service obligation will be liable for the non-subsidised fees. The details of this service agreement can be found on the MOE website.
  
  **Singapore-based companies refer to local companies and international companies that have a base in Singapore which is registered with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA). The duration of the service obligation is fixed at three years, regardless of the duration of study at subsidised rates.

The postgraduate research tuition fees for cohorts admitted in prior academic years from AY2022 to AY2024 will continue to pay the same cohort-based fees conveyed to them at the point of admission, except for AY2022 and AY2023 intakes of International Students where their fees have been adjusted to take into account the GST hike in 2023 and 2024.

Admission Cohorts in Academic Year 2024 (AY2024)

Table B below shows the AY2024 programme fees for SMU Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programmes for cohorts admitting in AY2024. 

Note
If a student takes a Leave of Absence (LOA) or is temporary suspended from his/her scholarship during the candidature, the tuition fee payable upon the resumption of candidature after the LOA or scholarship duration may recomputed accordingly, following the fee treatment in the year where the fee is payable.