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.
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 |
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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 |
United States | 36 Colleges with the best financial aid Provost's Scholarships for Excellence (Oregon State University) |
Canada | |
China | 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 | |
Australia | |
Germany | |
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. |
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.
