Informal Target Quotas of and Allocation of Placement for Singaporeans in PhD Programmes in Autonomous Universities

38 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education (a) whether there are informal or target quotas for Singaporeans in PhD programmes in the autonomous universities (AUs); (b) if so, what share of places is allocated to citizens; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will encourage the AUs to consider such quotas for Singaporeans.

Mr Desmond Lee: Our autonomous universities (AUs) aim to attract the best academic minds, both Singaporean and from overseas, to conduct high-quality research and contribute meaningfully to their fields of study and Singapore's research landscape.

At the same time, the Government works with the AUs to develop a strong Singaporean base of academic talent. For example, the Singapore Teaching and Academic Research Talent (START) scheme provides a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and awards to Singaporeans keen on pursuing an academic career at the AUs. Singaporean PhD students in the AUs receive the highest level of tuition fee subsidies and stipends to reflect the privileges of citizenship.

Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents constitute around one-third of the PhD student population at the AUs.