Breakdown of PhD Students in Science Disciplines at Autonomous Universities by Citizenship for Past Five Years

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education (a) for each of the past five years, what proportion of PhD students in science disciplines at each autonomous university are (i) Singapore Citizens, (ii) Permanent Residents and (iii) international students, respectively; and (b) how have these proportions evolved compared to 20 years ago.

Over the past decade, an average of about 6,000 PhD students have been enrolled in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses in the autonomous universities (AUs) annually. The proportion of Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents has been stable at around one-third of the PhD student population.

About 90% of the STEM PhD students in the AUs are Government-Funded through tuition fee subsidies and stipends. Singapore Citizens receive the highest level of funding to reflect the privileges of citizenship. For example, Singapore Citizens receive $4,300 per month in stipends, compared to $3,900 for Permanent Residents and $3,500 for international students.

The PhD students carry out teaching and research supervision duties at the AUs as a service obligation. These students serve out their service obligation during their PhD candidature.