Applying to UK universities from Singapore
What they ask of A-level, diploma and NUS High students — and the scholarships that come with a commitment.
On the cover: Marina Bay, Singapore. Three of Singapore's seven routes to a UK degree are scholarships with a bond. Photo: Partha Narasimhan / Unsplash.
The Bottom Line
Singapore students apply to the UK with qualifications UK universities know well. 109 of the 145 universities we researched publish a requirement for Singapore applicants, and most read the Singapore-Cambridge A-levels much like British ones.
Funding is where Singapore is distinctive. Its national student loans are for study at home, so the routes to a UK degree come mainly from scholarships — and the largest of them, from Temasek, Singapore Airlines and Enterprise Singapore, come with a commitment to work afterwards. Three banks and a community lender add other options.
What you absolutely need to know:
- UK universities read Singapore's A-levels much like British ones
- Polytechnic diplomas and the NUS High School Diploma are widely accepted too
- Singapore's national student loans stay at home
- The largest routes are scholarships with a bond
- MENDAKI lends to Muslim Singaporeans for an overseas degree
- Five UK universities offer scholarships to Singapore students, most of them automatic
1. UK universities read Singapore's A-levels much like British ones
109 of the 145 universities we researched publish a requirement for Singapore applicants. Every one that states a route gives direct entry to the degree, and 17 publish a grade-by-grade ladder.
| University | Published requirement |
|---|---|
| University of Oxford | Singapore-Cambridge A-levels at AAA |
| Imperial College London | At least three subjects at H2 level, at grade A |
| UCL | AAA at H2 level — or the NUS High School Diploma or a polytechnic diploma, considered separately |
| University of Bristol | The NUS High School Diploma at a CAP of 3.5 to 4.5, depending on the course |
| University of Nottingham | Singapore A-levels at H2; relevant polytechnic diplomas, assessed on GPA |
| London School of Economics | Singapore-Cambridge A-levels, the NUS High School Diploma, polytechnic diplomas and the SIM diploma all listed |
Each university's published requirement for Singapore applicants. Individual courses may ask for more. Source: Telariq data.
What this means for you: an A-level student can usually read a university's Singapore requirement as its A-level offer, at H2. Check whether any H1 subjects count for the course you want.
2. Polytechnic diplomas and the NUS High School Diploma are widely accepted too
Many universities list the polytechnic diploma, the NUS High School Diploma and, at some, the SIM diploma alongside A-levels, usually assessed on GPA or CAP. Bristol, for example, asks for a CAP of 3.5 to 4.5 on the NUS High School Diploma.
What this means for you: a polytechnic or NUS High student doesn't need A-levels to apply. Look for the line for your own qualification on each university's Singapore page.
3. Singapore's national student loans stay at home
Neither of Singapore's national education loans funds a full degree overseas. The CPF Education Loan Scheme doesn't cover overseas study, and the Higher Education Student Loan funds subsidised courses at named local institutions, with an overseas element limited to a single exchange period.
What this means for you: plan around scholarships, savings and the banks, not a national loan.
4. The largest routes are scholarships with a bond
| Provider | What it offers | Who can apply, and what it asks |
|---|---|---|
| Temasek | Undergraduate Overseas Scholarship — tuition and living costs | Singapore citizens; a four-year bond in a science or technology role in Singapore or with a Singapore-headquartered company |
| Singapore Airlines | Open Undergraduate Scholarship (Overseas) — tuition and living costs | A six-year bond with the airline |
| Enterprise Singapore | Global Executive Scholarship — full undergraduate tuition and fees, at universities in the UK and six other countries | Singapore citizens and permanent residents; five to six years for overseas study. Medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, law, architecture, music and nursing are excluded |
| MENDAKI | Study loan for a full-time overseas degree | Muslim Singaporeans and permanent residents |
Each provider's own pages. Source: Telariq data.
Three of Singapore's seven routes are bonded scholarships. They pay for the degree and ask for four to six years of work in return.
Singapore's Public Service Commission scholarships, a well-known route to universities abroad, were outside our research, along with the scholarships of several community bodies whose pages we couldn't read — the Eurasian Association, SINDA, the Lee Foundation and the Tan Kah Kee Foundation. All are worth asking directly.
What this means for you: compare what each scholarship asks afterwards, not just what it pays. The scholarship that comes with a job sets the commitments side by side.
5. MENDAKI lends to Muslim Singaporeans for an overseas degree
MENDAKI's study loan covers a full-time degree overseas for Muslim Singaporeans and permanent residents. The amount depends on the household's income per person, and repayment starts small — $50 a month, rising to $250 a month for a degree.
Beyond MENDAKI, three of the six banks we checked — two Singapore banks and a foreign bank — publish terms confirming they can fund a UK degree.
What this means for you: if a scholarship isn't the right fit, a community loan or a bank loan can bridge the gap.
6. Five UK universities offer scholarships to Singapore students, most of them automatic
We found 7 scholarships at 5 UK universities open to Singapore students. Four are automatic.
| University | Value | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Napier University | £4,000 | Automatic |
| University of Exeter | £3,000 a year | Automatic |
| London School of Economics | Singapore LSE Trust Undergraduate Scholarship | Apply |
Three of the 7. The full list — every award, its value, whether it renews each year and how to get it — is in the Telariq app. Source: Telariq data.
What this means for you: an automatic award is money you receive simply by accepting the offer. Check which universities on your list have one.
Our advice
Find each university's Singapore page and the line for your qualification — A-levels at H2, polytechnic diploma, NUS High or SIM.
Apply early for the scholarships, including the Public Service Commission's, and read every bond before accepting.
If you're Muslim Singaporean, look at MENDAKI's overseas study loan.
Confirm entry requirements, scholarships and loan terms with each university and provider before you apply.
The not so fine print: what was excluded in this report
- Course-level entry requirements — these are each university's general requirement for Singapore applicants, and a course may ask for more
- The Public Service Commission's scholarships, which were outside our research
- Interest rates and the cost of borrowing
- The names of individual banks, which sit in Telariq's records
- Medicine, dentistry and veterinary sciences, which are outside Telariq's coverage
A note on this guide. This is what we found when we read each provider's own pages. Its purpose is to show you that options exist and where to start looking. There will be routes we haven't found yet, and some here may have changed since we checked — so treat it as a starting point, not a complete list, and confirm everything with the provider before you rely on it.
Have a question? We'd love to hear from you — admin@telariq.com