International Students

Before You Arrive

As you prepare for your move to Singapore, make sure you have:

Your NYP Letter of Offer
A passport with at least six months of validity
An In-Principle Approval letter for a Student’s Pass (submit your application via the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) website)
Accommodation in Singapore (you’ll need to make an advanced booking)

Student's Pass

You are required to have a Student’s Pass to stay in Singapore during your study here.

Once you’ve received your letter of offer from us, you’ll need to submit an online application via the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) website for an In-Principle Approval letter for your Student’s Pass.

You may enter Singapore with this In-Principle Approval letter.

To learn more about the Student’s Pass, please contact:

The Immigration & Checkpoint Authority (ICA)

Email: ica_feedback@ica.gov.sg

Tel: 63916100 (Automated information on services)

Adddress: 10 Kallang Road. ICA Building Singapore 208718 (Next to Lavender MRT Station)

NYP i@Central

Email: askNYP@nyp.edu.sg

Tel: (65) 6451 5115

(Mon - Thurs : 8.30 am to 5.30 pm

Fri : 8.30 am to 5.00 pm)

Location: NYP, Campus Centre, Block A, Level 1 (facing the Auditorium).

Accommodation

About 80% of Singaporeans live in public housing. Built and maintained by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), they are known as HDB flats and are located in many estates around the city. These estates are self-contained suburbs, each has its own clinics, schools, supermarkets, food centres, shopping centres as well as sports and recreational facilities.

Located around the island are other accommodation options such as private houses and condominiums.

Since we do not provide hostel accommodation, you’ll need to make your own housing arrangements. You have the option of renting a HDB flat, a condominium apartment or a room in a flat or private house, depending on your budget.

Most international students stay in HDB flats in view of their relative affordability. International students usually rent rooms from the owners of HDB flats.

Flats approved for rental by HDB
Located near NYP
Accessibility (near bus stops or MRT stations)
Free usage of common area like kitchen and study area
Provision of basic furniture and furnishing

Students who need help in finding accommodation may wish to check the following websites* for reference:

Accommodation Websites:

Housing Agencies:

Private Hostels:

*Disclaimer:

The above list is neither exclusive nor exhaustive, and serves only as a reference. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information or endorse any information presented on these websites. You are advised to make independent enquiries with the relevant accommodation providers listed on these websites before acting on this information. Please check on the suitability, reliability and fees chargeable by the agency you have chosen to help with your accommodation arrangements in Singapore.

Finding a Real Estate Agents

All real estate agents in Singapore must be registered with the Council for Estate Agents (CEP). Check the CEP’s approved database to make sure your agent is approved. Your agent should also be carrying an estate agent card.

Accommodation Guide

Use this Accommodation Guide as you look for a place to call home. It contains all the essential information you’ll need when deciding on renting an apartment or a room in Singapore.

Note: The Accommodation Guide is only a reference. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the information or endorse any information presented in the guide.

Public Transport

Getting around Singapore is easy, thanks to its efficient public transportation system. A trip on the MRT train from Yio Chu Kang Station – the nearest station to NYP – to the heart of the city takes about 20 minutes.

Get yourself an EZ-Link card and you can pay as you go on the public buses and trains. This stored-value smart card can be purchased and topped up at most MRT stations and bus interchanges.

Application of the Tertiary Student EZ-Link Card

All full-time students are eligible to apply for the Tertiary Student EZ-Link Card. To find out how to apply for it, refer to the enrolment guide or approach NYP’s i@Central for help.

Telecommunications

here are three main telecommunications service providers in Singapore: SingTel, M1, and StarHub, as well as a number of new and smaller entrants into the market. They offer:

Landline services
Mobile phones and mobile phone data plans
Internet services

Postal Services

Need to post a letter or a parcel back to your home country? Head down to any of SingPost's 60 post offices around the island. If you want postal stamps, you can buy them from the post office or also from any Self-service Automated Machines (SAMs) located in supermarkets, shopping centres and MRT stations. There is a SAM at NYP in Block A, Level 1 near the food court.

Working Out Your Budget

As an NYP student, you may apply for the Tuition Grant (TG) offered by the Singapore Ministry of Education. If you are not awarded the TG, you will have to pay your fees in full.

You will also have some additional expenses, such as examination fees and students' union fees. Click here for details.

Apart from tuition fees, you should consider the following when planning your monthly budget:

Item	Monthly Cost
Accommodation	$300 - $650*
Food	$300 - $450 (Based on $10 - $15 a day for 3 meals)
Public Transport	$50 - $120
Telecommunications	$30 - $50 (varies with usage and package)
Personal expenses	$100 - $200 (clothes, toiletries, entertainment, books, etc.)

*Rental varies depending on geographical area, facilities provided and the number of people you are sharing a place with.

Generally, a meal in Singapore costs between $2.50 and $5.00. On average, you will need between $700 and $1,400 per month, depending on your lifestyle. Please note that these average estimates are only a reference.

Here’s more information on scholarships.

Here’s more information on bursaries and loans.

Managing Your Studies

In NYP you have a greater flexibility of aligning your study path with your areas of interest. At the same time, you are expected to adopt a pro-active learning strategy to manage your study programme.

Besides your lecturers who are at the frontline to help you progress in your study, you can also get help and advice from the following people:

Personal mentors - All students have a lecturer assigned to them as a Personal Mentor. Your personal mentor is in a good position to give you advice on how to manage your problems and where to get further help.
Professional counsellors - NYP Student Counsellors provide our students with free and confidential counselling services. Students may refer themselves for counselling or they may be referred by their lecturers or personal mentors.
Care and share network - At the school level, first year students also benefit from the support and advice on various aspects of their lives at NYP from Student Mentors, made up of friendly senior students who volunteer their time to help their juniors settle into campus life.

The Modular System

All courses offered at NYP follow a modular and credit-based academic system. Students enjoy the flexibility of choosing certain areas of study to match their interests and aptitudes, or to adapt their workload to suit their pace of learning. Each course has a combination of units of study or modules, which cover various subject areas relevant to the course and are broadly classified as follows:

Core modules - These modules ensure that students receive a firm foundation in the central discipline of their studies. Students must pass all relevant core modules to graduate.
Prescribed electives - Students are required to choose from clusters of recommended modules where available. These help students to develop specific focus and fields of specialisation within their programmes.
Complementary electives - Where available, these are options to expose students to subject areas outside their main discipline of studies. Students may register for modules that match their interests.

Modern Learning Facilities

Modern learning is no longer confined to classroom activities. Students at NYP are encouraged to make use of the following facilities to conduct self-directed learning:

Library - Besides books, the library also provides various facilities and services to help students learn on their own: study areas, discussion rooms, networked PCs, wireless LAN for personal notebooks, media user area for CD-ROM/VCD/DVD, photocopying.
Course Management System (CMS) - Course-relevant e-Learning content is accessible online on campus as well as off campus through CMS so that students can learn at their own pace anytime anywhere.

Bringing Money to Singapore

When you first arrive in Singapore, do ensure that you have sufficient money for your expenses during the initial period of your stay. You should consider doing the following:

Bring along a small amount of cash for immediate expenses (S$1000).
Prepare some Singapore Dollars. You will need to use them for transport and food. They generally do not accept foreign currencies.
Buy a bank draft or travellers' cheques of a larger amount from a bank in your own country. Most banks in Singapore handle bank drafts and travellers' cheques. Take note, however, that bank drafts may take about 3 weeks for the bank to clear before being deposited into one's account.

Your Bank Account

Once settled down, you should consider opening a savings or checking account with a local or international bank.

Some of the major banks in Singapore are

1) POSB

2) DBS

3) OCBC

4) UOB

When opening an account, the following items are required:

A minimum initial deposit (usually between $300 - $500). You can also use your bank draft or travellers' cheques to open an account.
Your passport and Student's Pass

When you open a bank account, the bank will issue you an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) card which gives you the convenienve of withdrawing money from any ATM machine operated by your bank (there are ATM machines from POSB / DBS and OCBC in the NYP campus).

With your bank account in Singapore, money can be transferred electronically from an overseas bank to your Singapore bank for a certain fee. You may want to make enquiries concerning such services at the banks in your own country.

Note: For better security purposes, do deposit your cash into Banks, such as POSB, DBS and OCBC etc. Do not leave your money with others.

School	International Students Representatives	Emails
School of Business Management	Ms Georgina Ong	georgina_ong@nyp.edu.sg
School of Chemical & Life Sciences	Ms Cai Shiying	cai_shi_ying@nyp.edu.sg
School of Design	Ms Liu Jie Hong	liu_jie_hong@nyp.edu.sg
School of Engineering	Mr Looh Chee Wai	looh_chee_wai@nyp.edu.sg
School of Health & Social Sciences	Ms Renier Wu Ms Huang Fang	renie_wu@nyp.edu.sg; huang_fang@nyp.edu.sg
School of Interactive & Digital Media	Mr Tang Wen Sheng	tang_wen_sheng@nyp.edu.sg
School of Information Technology	Mr Albert Chua	chua_albert@nyp.edu.sg

School

International Students Representatives

Emails

School of Business Management

Ms Georgina Ong

georgina_ong@nyp.edu.sg

School of Chemical & Life Sciences

Ms Cai Shiying

cai_shi_ying@nyp.edu.sg

School of Design

Ms Liu Jie Hong

liu_jie_hong@nyp.edu.sg

School of Engineering

Mr Looh Chee Wai

looh_chee_wai@nyp.edu.sg

School of Health & Social Sciences

Ms Renier Wu

Ms Huang Fang

renie_wu@nyp.edu.sg;

huang_fang@nyp.edu.sg

School of Interactive & Digital Media

Mr Tang Wen Sheng

tang_wen_sheng@nyp.edu.sg

School of Information Technology

Mr Albert Chua

chua_albert@nyp.edu.sg

Student Support

Coming To NYP

Before You Arrive

Student's Pass

The Immigration & Checkpoint Authority (ICA)

NYP i@Central

Living in Singapore

Accommodation

Finding a Real Estate Agents

Accommodation Guide

Public Transport

Application of the Tertiary Student EZ-Link Card

Telecommunications

Postal Services

Working Out Your Budget

Managing Your Studies

The Modular System

Modern Learning Facilities

Bringing Money to Singapore

Your Bank Account

Contact Us

Future International Students

International Students School Representatives

About NYP

Admissions

Schools & Courses

Student Life

Industry Partners

Be Part of NYP

NYP Overview

NYP Support Centre and Services

Nanyang Polytechnic International

Organisational Awards