A good education starts with providing every child access to educational opportunities. There are schemes across different stages of Singapore’s education system to ensure this, regardless of the child’s background. 

Preschool

Since January 2020, the gross monthly household income ceiling for means-tested preschool subsidies was raised to $12,000. This means more families who need it can enjoy the subsidies. 

Primary and secondary

Student Care Centres (SCCs) provide care and support for students after school hours. Students from lower-income families can receive monthly subsidies for student care fees and a one-off grant to offset enrolment costs under the ComCare Student Care Fee Assistance scheme. 

There are plenty of activities and programmes in primary and secondary schools for students to have a well-rounded learning experience. To make sure primary and secondary school students can get the most out of their education, students receive yearly contributions to their Edusave accounts yearly, which they can tap on for school enrichment programs. 


Tertiary 

There are also significant subsidies for tertiary education for Singapore Citizens. For Singaporean students from low to middle-income households, additional financial support is available in the form of government bursaries. 

55,000 full-time and about 2,100 part-time Singaporean undergraduates and diploma students will benefit from enhanced bursaries for diploma and degree courses. 

The enhanced Government bursaries cover up to 75% of subsidised general degree tuition fees for full-time undergraduates, and up to 95% of the subsidised tuition fees for full-time polytechnic diploma students from AY2020. 

With the enhanced bursaries, an eligible full-time undergraduate qualifying for the highest bursary tier will pay tuition fees of $2,000 a year for general degree courses, down from $4,200 based on AY2019 fees, and $150 a year for polytechnic diploma programmes, down from $550 based on AY2019 fees. 

For those at the polytechnics and Autonomous Universities who need more help with their education expenses, they can apply for bursaries offered by the institutions and government loans.  

 

Part-time undergraduates from low-income households will receive a $2,500 bursary annually instead of $1,350, while part-time diploma students from low income households will receive a $800 bursary annually instead of $600. 

With this, an eligible part-time student qualifying for the highest bursary tier will pay tuition fees of around $2,000 a year for general degree courses, down from $3,150 based on AY2019 fees, and $100 a year for polytechnic diploma programmes down from $300 based on AY2019 fees.

 

The enhancements to bursaries for tertiary students will provide greater support for Singaporeans in accessing a range of pathways to progress and pursue their aspirations, regardless of their financial background. 

With these schemes and grants in place at every stage, students can get the most out of the opportunities available to them at every level of education.