Admissions and Financial Aid

The process of admitting students to the College and the granting of financial assistance to those in need were so closely aligned at Yale-NUS that they came under the purview of one department, the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid.

The purpose of the department was to ensure that the most suitable applicants were offered places at the College regardless of their background, and that their financial situation would not prevent them from accepting an offer.

The result was a diverse and inclusive community with students from a wide range of geographical, financial and educational backgrounds coming to live and work together at the College.

Oral History Interview

Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid Laura Severin describes how, besides local students, the Admissions team targeted students from the region and beyond, and how financial aid was vital in creating an inclusive and diverse community at the College.

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Admissions

Yale-NUS operated a holistic admissions policy, meaning that the Admissions team would look at a wide range of information about the applicants when deciding if they were a good fit for the College.

Although academic accomplishments were important, many other factors were also taken into consideration, such as extra-curricular activities, involvement in local and school communities, interests and personality traits.

Some of the qualities the Admissions team looked for included:

A strong record of academic achievement.
Demonstrated leadership potential.
An appetite to become critical thinkers capable of rigorous and insightful analysis.
The skills to communicate effectively and engage meaningfully with fellow students.
The motivation to stretch their capacities and make the best use of the College’s resources, both academic and non-academic.
Genuine appreciation for different perspectives and individuals with different backgrounds, interests and ambitions.
Consideration for others and an interest to serve broader society.
The resilience, flexibility and leadership skills to solve problems and function as high-performing change agents in a variety of demanding careers.

This information was gathered in a number of ways, including application forms, personal essays, teacher recommendations and interviews.

No specific academic qualifications were required, as applicants were not applying to study any particular major, but rather for general admission to the College.

The holistic admissions policy ensured that successful applicants were suited to the College and that Yale-NUS was the right place for them. This meant they would fit in with classmates, bring value to the College and benefit from a Yale-NUS education.

Holistic Admissions

Laura Severin explains holistic admissions and the attributes that are considered when assessing a student’s suitability.

A Holistic Review Admissions Process

Admissions & Financial Aid Assistant Manager Hani Rahman shares more examples of how the Admissions team reviewed applications.

Crafting the Community

Laura Severin describes how the Admissions team did not just select individual students, but rather put together a diverse group who could work and live together, forming the Yale-NUS community.

Financial Aid

Yale-NUS was committed to making the College financially accessible to students of all backgrounds, as part of the effort to ensure the diversity of the student body.

The nature of the education offered at the College—including small class sizes, high faculty to student ratios, opportunities to study abroad and high-quality residential and educational facilities—meant that the fees had to be relatively high. To compensate for this, there were various types of financial assistance available to help those who could not afford to pay the full amount.

I had applied for financial aid at other universities and colleges, but Yale-NUS College’s financial aid application was, by far, the easiest and most convenient. Anyone with any financial need should definitely apply for it; the application is straightforward, and the financial aid office genuinely cares about applicants!

— Oishik Ganguly (Class of 2020), from India

Two principles guided the College’s financial aid policy: ‘need-blind’ and ‘need-fulfilling’ admissions.

‘Need-blind’ meant that the College did not look at the applicant’s level of financial need when deciding whether to admit them.

Laura Severin

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From 2021, Singapore Permanent Residents (PR) and international applications were treated as ‘need-aware’, meaning that their need for financial aid would be taken into consideration when evaluating their application. Many international students still received financial aid.

‘Need-fulfilling’ meant that an admitted student who required financial aid would receive all the funds they required.

Laura Severin

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Fees varied for Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and international students, and were separated into tuition fees, residential fees and miscellaneous fees.

Intake 2020	Singapore Citizens	Singapore Permanent Residents	International Students
Tuition Fees	$20,500	$29,400	$44,950
Residential Fees	$9,050	$9,050	$9,050
Miscellaneous Student Fees	$241	$241	$363
Total with Tuition Grant	$29,791	$38,691	$54,363
Total without Tuition Grant	-	$60,441	$74,013

Singapore PRs and international students could apply to the Tuition Grant scheme for a reduction in their tuition fees. Singapore citizens were automatically enrolled in the scheme.

The Tuition Grant Scheme was a funding scheme offered by the Singapore Government to all tertiary education students in the country. For Singaporean citizens, tuition fees were automatically subsidised. For PRs and international students, they could accept the Tuition Grant to get subsidised tuition fees in exchange for agreeing to work in Singapore (or with a Singapore-based company overseas) for three years after graduation.

Four Types of
Financial Aid

Need-Based Study Awards

Merit Scholarships

Loans

External Funding Schemes

Making Full Use of my Liberal Arts Education

Diamanta Vania Lavi (Class of 2017) describes how she benefitted from receiving the Alan Chan Study Award.

Making What I've Always Dreamt of a Reality

Christal Lim (Class of 2021) explains how receiving the David Marshall Scholarship enabled her to enrol in the Double Degree Programme in Law and Liberal Arts.

Developing a Diverse Community

The College received over 10,000 applications for the 250 places available each year, so the Admissions team had to think carefully about every student they admitted.

The success of the team’s work and the effectiveness of the admissions and financial aid policies were not only demonstrated by the students’ subsequent academic and professional achievements, but also by the diversity and inclusiveness of the student body.

The College’s admissions and financial aid policies meant that many international students were able to attend the College, resulting in about 40% of the student body coming from overseas (most universities aim for 10-15% international students).

In total, students from over 70 countries, speaking over 30 languages, attended the College.

Generous financial aid also allowed those from less well-off backgrounds, whether Singaporean and international, to benefit from a Yale-NUS education, with over 50% of students receiving some form of financial aid.

The diversity of the student body extended to educational backgrounds too, with students from 50 different Singaporean educational institutions—Junior Colleges, Polytechnics, Independent Schools, International Schools and Integrated Programmes—being admitted.

The bringing of all these diverse individuals together at the College—where they could share their life experiences and personal stories, interact with new and different people and learn about each other’s cultures and societies—was instrumental in building the unique Yale-NUS community.