Bursaries and Scholarships Awarded by Autonomous Universities in Past Five Years
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the volume and funding criteria for bursaries and scholarships at Autonomous Universities (AUs), as raised by Mr Ang Wei Neng. Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung reported that awards to Singaporean undergraduates rose to over 34,000 in AY2018, with Government spending totaling $65 million. He noted that from AY2020, Government bursaries will be enhanced to cover up to 75% of tuition fees for students with monthly household incomes up to $9,000. Additionally, AUs spent $23 million from endowment returns and reserves in FY2018 for aid based on financial need, academic merit, or co-curricular performance. These awards range from one-off grants to full scholarships, supplementing state-funded support for lower and middle-income families.
Transcript
26 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Education (a) how many bursaries and scholarships (number and quantum) have been awarded by the respective Autonomous Universities (AU) in the past five years using (i) the endowment fund and/or reserve and (ii) Government funding; and (b) what are the criteria of awarding such bursaries and scholarships.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: In Academic Year (AY) 2018, more than 34,000 bursaries and/or scholarships were awarded to full-time Singaporean undergraduate students at the Autonomous Universities (AUs). This has increased significantly from AY2014, when around 21,000 were awarded. Please see Table 1 below.
In FY2018, the Government spent a total of $65 million on bursaries. As announced at the National Day Rally in August 2019, the Government will further enhance bursaries to cover up to 75% of subsidised tuition fees from AY2020 onwards. Government bursaries provide financial support for Singaporean full-time undergraduate students from lower and middle income families with gross monthly household income up to $9,000 or gross monthly household per capita income up to $2,250.
Apart from Government bursaries, the AUs also provide their own financial aid and scholarships, which are funded through AUs' endowment fund returns and reserves. As these are administered by the AUs, the eligibility criteria may also vary. These could include students' family financial circumstances, academic merit, and/or co-curricular performance. The quanta vary, as the award may range from one-off awards to full scholarships. The sizes of AUs' endowment funds are available in their annual reports. In FY2018, the AUs spent $23 million on bursaries alone for Singaporean undergraduates.