How to pay for university without a scholarship

Yes, you can pay for university in Singapore without a scholarship, and most students do. For a local degree, subsidised fees for citizens start at about S$8,300 a year at NUS and NTU, and MOE’s new Higher Education Student Loan covers up to 90% of that, interest-free while you study. Overseas is harder, because government loans don’t apply, but it’s still possible with family support, savings, earnings and bank loans.

I know the overseas version well. I turned down two bonded scholarships and then funded an Oxford degree without one.

How much does university cost in Singapore?

For a Singapore citizen at a local university, much less than most people fear. Here’s what a new student in AY2026/27 pays a year, after the MOE Tuition Grant:

Sources: NUS fee table, NTU, SMU. Medicine, Dentistry and Law cost more.

Both NUS and NTU fix your fee for the length of your course. NTU says the fee “is fixed at the 2026 rate for the duration of the degree programme”.

So a four-year NUS Humanities degree for a citizen is about S$33,200 in tuition. That’s real money. But it’s a very different problem from an overseas degree.

Did the Tuition Fee Loan and Study Loan end?

For new students, yes. They’ve been replaced by the Higher Education Student Loan (HESL). If you already have a Tuition Fee Loan or Study Loan, you keep your existing arrangement.

Here’s what HESL offers a Singapore citizen, from MOE:

NTU adds that the living-allowance part is up to S$4,100 per academic year, with a minimum repayment of S$100 a month.

Searching for “OCBC tuition fee loan”? OCBC now runs the HESL alongside DBS. Same scheme, different counter.

Can I use CPF to pay for university?

Yes, through the CPF Education Loan Scheme. Your own or your parents’ Ordinary Account can pay fees for a full-time subsidised diploma or degree at an approved institution in Singapore.

The key rules:

• You can use up to 40% of the accumulated OA savings, or the remaining OA balance, whichever is lower.
• It’s a loan, not a gift. Interest is 2.5% a year from the first deduction.
• You, the student, repay it in cash, starting one year after you graduate, over a maximum of 12 years.

That’s the key gap. HESL is interest-free while you study. CPF charges 2.5% from day one. For most students, HESL first and CPF second is the cheaper order.

Can I use my PSEA or Edusave money?

Yes. Your Edusave balance moves into a Post-Secondary Education Account in the year you turn 17. PSEA can pay for approved programmes, and it can also repay government education loans.

It earns interest pegged to the CPF Ordinary Account, currently 2.5%. Whatever’s left when you turn 31 goes into your CPF OA. Check your balance. Plenty of families forget it exists.

Is there free money if my family’s income is lower?

Yes, and it’s worth checking before you borrow anything.

• Higher Education Community Bursary: S$6,300 or S$5,100 a year for undergraduates in the two lower income tiers (MOE). The income cut-offs change, so check the current tiers on your university’s bursary page.
• NUS: tuition fully covered for Singaporean students with household per capita income up to S$1,100, plus a living allowance at the lowest incomes (NUS financial aid).
• Bond-free scholarships: some merit scholarships come with no bond at all. I list the main ones in my map of scholarships in Singapore.
• NTU: fees “fully subsidised” for per capita income up to S$1,100 (NTU).

Apply for aid at the same time as you accept your offer. Don’t wait until the first bill.

What about bank study loans?

Bank loans are the main option for overseas study and private institutions, because HESL and CPF are local only. Here’s what two of the big banks published when I checked in October 2026:

Sources: DBS, OCBC. Rates move, so check both pages before you apply.

Three things to notice. The income tests mean the loan is usually in a parent’s name, or needs one. Repayment on the DBS loan starts the month after approval, not after you graduate. And the maximum amounts won’t cover a full overseas degree on their own.

How do I pay for an overseas degree without a scholarship?

Honestly: by stacking several sources, because no single one is big enough.

Look at the size of it. Oxford publishes its overseas fees as a range: for 2026 entry, £37,380 to £62,820 a year, depending on the course, plus estimated living costs of £12,645 to £18,945 for nine months (Oxford fees and funding booklet, 2026 entry). For a three-year degree, that’s about £150,000 to £245,000 before flights, visas, holidays or fee rises. Check your own course on Oxford’s course-fees page.

That’s a big reason I picked the UK over the US. Three years instead of four made a real difference to the bill. I compare the two properly in UK vs US university for Singaporeans.

Here’s how I did it. My degree cost roughly S$330,000 all in. I funded Oxford through family support plus self-funding. The self-funded part came partly from tutoring and partly from saving and investing.

I taught myself investing, starting by reading McKinsey’s Valuation early on. At Oxford I became a director of a student-run investment fund. I’m not telling you to invest your fee money. I’m telling you that a skill you can sell (tutoring, for me) and a habit of saving early bought me options my bank account alone couldn’t.

When I said no to the scholarships, I didn’t know exactly how I’d pay. Staying in Singapore was my fallback. I’d make the same call again, but I’d have the fallback ready first.

Scholarship, loan or family money: which costs least?

It depends on whether you’d serve the bond happily. Here’s the honest comparison:

Think of it as a funding stack, built from the cheapest layer up:

1. Free money first: bursaries, fee waivers, bond-free merit scholarships.
2. Interest-free next: HESL for local study.
3. Your own pots: PSEA, savings, family support.
4. Cheap loans: CPF Education Loan Scheme at 2.5%.
5. Your earnings: tutoring, part-time work, internships.
6. Bank loans last: they’re the most expensive layer, so use them to fill the gap, not to start.

Should I take a scholarship instead, and what if I’m not a citizen?

If you’re certain you want the public service, a government scholarship is a great deal and you should apply. This article is for everyone else. And if you’re an international student, HESL coverage is lower: up to 45% for international students and 65% for PRs.

Next:

• Should you take a bonded scholarship? Advice from someone who turned down two
• Scholarships in Singapore: the honest map
• What breaking a scholarship bond really costs
• All my scholarship guides