Language of instruction
The National University of Singapore was founded in 1905 as a modest college with 23 students. Today, Singapore’s flagship university spans three campuses and is widely seen as among the best universities in Asia and the world. It is ranked among the Top 25 universities worldwide.
Singapore is a dynamic city where you’ll find a harmonious blend of culture, cuisine, arts, and architecture.
Semester dates
| UQ Semester | Host Semester | Dates |
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 | January–May |
| Semester 2 | Semester 1 | August–December |
View the NUS academic calendar.
Guides and additional information
NUS has online resources to help get more from your exchange:
Campuses
NUS has multiple campuses open to exchange students:
- Kent Ridge campus (main campus)
- Bukit Timah campus (Faculty of Law, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and research institutes)
- Outram campus (Duke-NUS Medical School)
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.
Student testimonials
- B ScienceSemester 2, 2019
If you do end up coming to Singapore, don't forget to feast at a Hawker centre!
- B Advanced Finance/Economics
Exchange was so shiok - cannot wait to go back lah!
- B EngineeringSemester 1, 2019
Exchange was an absolute blast and I would do it a second time in a heartbeat!
Full-time study load
4 modules (usually 4 modular credits each) per semester at NUS is equivalent to 8 UQ units.
Minimum academic requirements
You will need a minimum cumulative GPA of 5.0 to study at NUS.
Students must not have received any grades below 5.0 during their degree program study at UQ when applying for exchange to NUS.
Find courses
Search the NUS course catalogue if courses do not appear in the database.
Please check out the list of courses available to undergraduate exchange students and Module Restrictions when selecting your NUS courses. For detailed course syllabus, please visit the NUS school/faculty/department webpage. Detailed course info for Business modules may refer to here.
Search the Credit Precedent Database to find courses offered by your host university that have been previously approved for credit at UQ. The database should be used as a general guide only.
Study areas taught in English
Course restrictions
No spot availabe for Business/Finance at NUS in our Semester 1, 2021 application round.
NUS provides a list of course restrictions applicable to exchange students.
NUS accepts undergraduate-level exchange only.
When applying to NUS, students are suggested to list at least 10 courses per semester on the host university application form (in order of preference) to ensure that they have sufficient courses approved prior to arrival. Please list at least 10 courses on the Global Experiences study plan.
Please note the below when searching your NUS courses:
- Level 1000 and level 3000 Economics courses are open to undergraduate exchange students. Courses offered at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are more math-based, Humanities-based Economics are offered under Global Studies with GL code or electives under GE code.
- The majority of level 4000 modules are reserved for NUS students and have limited places available.
- Level 5000 and level 6000 modules are postgraduate level courses.
- Political Science, Economics, Computer Science and Architecture courses are in limited supply and very difficult to secure.
- Business/Finance exchange places at NUS School of Business are very limited, over-subscribed and cannot be guaranteed. Students must be very flexible with course selection and prepared to enrol in other subject areas.
- Law exchange places at NUS Faculty of Law are limited. Law courses only open to Law majors, and only elective Law modules (i.e. with module code LL4XXX) are available to exchange students. Students who wish to enrol in Law courses at NUS need to be very flexible with courses.
- Global Experiences recommends that students studying Psychological Sciences DO NOT apply for NUS.
- Architecture courses are offered by the School of Design & Environment; Enrolment in 4th-year design courses only, but in general courses are very difficult to secure.
- University-wide exchange students are allowed to take courses from different NUS faculties.
Additional academic information
Course levels:
Each NUS module is labelled with a 2 or 3 letter prefix that denotes the discipline and 4 digits, the first digit indicates the level of the module (e.g. 1000 to 4000 indicate Level 1 to Level 4 modules in NUS undergraduate degree. 5000 & above indicates graduate-level modules which are not open to undergraduate students.
NUS has online resources to help navigate their academic policies:
- List of courses available for exchange students (update in March/April)
- Grading system
- Supplementary course catalogue
- Program information for exchange students
- Incoming student information for Law students
- Class schedule and timetables (update in July/August)
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.
Accommodation
Exchange students may apply for a place in the Halls of Residence, Student Residences or Colleges. The halls and colleges are catered, and residents are required to subscribe to the meal plan. Off-campus accommodation is also available to exchange students for a short-term stay.
Cost of living
The cost of living while on exchange at NUS will vary depending on your choice of accommodation. The Global Relations Office provides a list of estimated expenses (see Incoming Exchangers – After Applying – Step 5: Costs of Living) you can expect to encounter while living in Singapore.
Financial support
A range of funding for student exchange including scholarships, grants and loans are available to UQ students.
Insurance
Students approved to participate in the Student Exchange Program are automatically covered by UQ’s Travel Insurance for the country of their host university only.
For more information, read the Student Travel Insurance Policy Summary on UQ’s Travel Insurance web page (login required).
If you plan to travel outside of your host country, you should purchase additional insurance.
All exchange students are obliged to subscribe to the university's medical insurance scheme.
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.
Organise your visa
It is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa for the country where you will be studying. As the Global Experiences team is not a visa-issuing authority we cannot provide visa advice.
NUS provides Student Pass and visa information for incoming exchange students.
Contact the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority for more visa information.
Travel risk levels
The University of Queensland cannot and does not allow students to travel to any country with a risk level of 3 (Reconsider your need to travel) or above, as assessed by the Australian Government.
If a country's risk level changes to 3 or above, Global Experience programs to that country are suspended until the risk level improves.
Find out the risk level and travel advice for your host country on the Smartraveller website.
Register your travel plans
You must register your travel plans on the International SOS so that you can be contacted and supported in an emergency.
Exchange deadlines
May 31 for Semester 1 of the following year.
October 31 for Semester 2 of the following year.