Why apply for scholarships?

Scholarships offer more than financial support — they open doors to overseas study, career growth, and leadership skills. Explore the types available and find out which suits you best.

Last updated 16 June 2026

Why apply for scholarships?

1. Scholarships perks are attractive

For many outstanding students, a scholarship would be the best achievement after JC.
Most top-tier scholarships offer the following benefits:

Scholarship benefits

Fully sponsored tuition fees

Annual living allowance

Accommodation allowance

Computer & book allowance

Sponsored overseas exchange

Most scholarships providers are looking for these qualities in students:

Qualities of scholars

Outstanding A-Level results

Strong leadership

Active in CCA and community service

There are two main types of scholarships available: University scholarships and Organisation Scholarships

Types of scholarships

	University Scholarships	Organisation Scholarships
Purpose	To attract outstanding students to study at the university	To attract talent to work at the organisation
Possible obligatory duties	Ambassadorial and outreach duties, maintain a minimum GPA	Internship and projects during your vacation, ambassadorial and outreach duties, maintain a minimum GPA
Bond	No bond	4 - 6 years depending on the type of scholarship
Reasons to apply	The money you save can be used for other purposes e.g. take up a masters, take a gap year after graduation, off-load your parents' financial burden. Overseas exposure or research opportunities is usually guaranteed. Some scholarships are tied to a scholar's programme which aims to equip you with skills that mould you into a future leader. If you have an entrepreneurial mindset and wish to start your own business, a university scholarship is ideal for you.	Even though there is a bond, as long as you are certain of your career path, for example, your dream is to be an engineer, then serving a bond also means job security. While you may be unable to do a masters or take a gap year as you need to serve a bond, the money you save can help you in your financial planning and give you a headstart in life. You gain immeasurable job experience as well as an invaluable network of connections while serving out your bond. You get a headstart in the career ladder. If you enjoy the stability of working in a large organisation with plenty of career opportunities, then an organisation scholarship is ideal for you.

2. Scholarships enable you to study overseas

For some students, the only way to study overseas is to secure a scholarship.
There are many organisation scholarships which sponsors overseas education. In general, these generous scholarships come with a 5-6 year bond. To find out more, explore the Brightsparks portal.
Alternatively there are some but limited bond-free scholarships available for overseas admissions below. List is not exhaustive, go to the international admissions page of each university to find out more.

Bond-free scholarships

	Scholarship
United Kingdom	Jardine Foundation Scholarship (for Oxbridge) Friends of Warwick Scholarship Waterloo Faculty of Mathematics Global Scholarships Edinburgh Global Undergraduate Mathematics Scholarships
United States	36 Colleges with the best financial aid Provost's Scholarships for Excellence (Oregon State University) First-Year Global Wildcat Award (University of Arizona)
Canada	UBC Outstanding International Student Award UoT Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship
China	Campus China Scholarships Or refer to the individual university websites
Hong Kong	The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Scholarship The Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund The Belt and Road Scholarship (click herefor the list of the Belt and Road countries)
Taiwan	MOE Taiwan Scholarship Program Applicants for semiconductor-related programmes will be given prioritised consideration. MOE Huayu Enrichment Scholarship The MOE Huayu Enrichment Scholarship Program is offered for mandarin learners including beginners to study at any university-affiliated language centers in Taiwan.
Korea	Korean Government Scholarship (Application announcement is posted on Korean Embassy notice board every year e.g. 2025 scholarship)
Japan	MEXT Scholarship
Australia	South Australia International Merit Scholarship
Germany	Heidelberg HAUS U.S. Scholarship
Hungary For students who have NS obligations to fulfil, please apply for the scholarship in the year prior to the commencement of their studies, as the Hungarian government will not defer their scholarship for NS commitments.	Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Guide

3. Scholarship programmes groom you into a well-rounded individual

Most scholarships are tied to a developmental programme which focuses on equipping you with soft skills that are highly relevant in today's rapidly changing world e.g. critical thinking skills, analytical reasoning etc
As a scholar, you will also be called upon to represent the university in outreach events, thus honing your networking and communication skills
The only scholar programme that is not necessarily tied to a scholarship is the NUS College. Note that you need NOT have an NUS scholarship in order to qualify for NUS College.