Data on Total Fees Paid by and Total Subsidies Given to Local and International Students in Local Universities

Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Education for students studying all types of degrees at our local universities in 2023 (a) what are the total fees paid by local and international students respectively; and (b) what are the total subsidies including allowances and stipends given to local and international students respectively.

Tuition fees in our Autonomous Universities (AUs) are differentiated by citizenship, with international students paying higher fees than Singapore Citizen students for the same course. The annual tuition fees can be found on the AUs' websites. Students pay fees to the AUs and the total amount of fees paid is dependent on the student enrolment in an academic year. The Ministry of Education (MOE) does not collect this data.

The bulk of MOE's $2.65 billion budget for AUs in FY2024 will go towards supporting the education of Singapore Citizens. International students at the AUs receive lower subsidies than Singapore Citizens. International students also form a small proportion of the total undergraduate student population (about 10%1 ) at our AUs. [Please refer to "Full-fee Paying vs Tuition Grant-receiving Non-Singaporean Students in Government-funded Autonomous Universities", Official Report, 12 September 2022, Vol 95, Issue 67, Written Answers to Questions section.]