Fees and Scholarship

APPLICATION FEE

  1. The application fee is SGD 15.00 (Inclusive of GST).
  2. Applicants must pay the application fee through the online applicaiton system at the time of submission, and save the payment confirmation or receipt as a supporting document. 
  3. Applications submitted without payment of the application fee will not be processed. Payment for the application fee can be made by debit/credit card (VISA or MasterCard). The check is no longer accepted at SMU.
  4. All fees paid at the online application stage are non-refundable.

*Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a tax collected on behalf of the Singapore Government and will be charged at the prevailing rate.

TUITION FEE

Tuition fee of the PhD programme are fully funded by Singapore Management University (SMU).

Students who are self-funded or supported by external scholarships or sponsorships are also welcome to apply.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEMES 

SMU awards three types of scholarships and fellowships on a competitive basis. We assess applicants for different award schemes either at the time of admission based on qualification and suitability for these schemes, or during their PhD studies in recognition of outstanding academic performance.

ScholarshipDescription
SMU Scholarship

The scholarship covers registration and subsidised tuition fees. This scheme also provides successful recipients with monthly living stipend. The scholarship is renewed yearly, conditioned on good academic performance, for a maximum duration of four years. From the second year onwards, PhD candidates may be qualified for premium stipend rate or other fellowships according to academic performance. Beyond the scholarship duration, students who have been on the scholarship may receive continued support through research and teaching assistantships or industry grants.

The Default Stipend Rate for All YPHSL Year 1 PhD Students
​​​​​​​(With effect from 1 January 2024)

CitizenshipMonthly Stipend (Year 1)
Singapore Citizen*SGD 3,200
Singapore Permanent ResidentSGD 2,800
Foreign StudentSGD 2,500

*Singapore Citizen will be provided with 17% CPF Contribution.

FellowshipsDescription
SMU Presidential Doctoral FellowshipsThe SMU Presidential Doctoral Fellowship is awarded to exceptionally existing PhD students who have outstanding academic performance. The Fellowship is a one-year award that is renewed annually, for up to four years.
SMU Interdisciplinary Doctoral FellowshipsThe SMU Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship is awarded to existing PhD students whose research output show the use of techniques from two or more fields of research. The Fellowship is a one-year award that is renewed annually, for up to four years.

SMU INCENTIVE PACKAGE IN INTERDISCIPLINARY PHD PROGRAMMES

SMU YPHSL will provide support for the purchase of research-related items in broad categories approved by College of Graduate Research Studies (CGRS). And strongly encourage PhD students to go for an overseas exchange in their 4th year. SMU Incentive Package will provide travel support for overseas / summary school exchange, and “DART” equivalent discretionary research fund. Students can apply for travel support for up to one overseas exchange in their candidature. Students can also be awarded research fund in each year, but no roll-over of funds allowed.