Study in the Lion City

Updated on: Monday, December 14, 2009

When it comes to studying abroad, a number of destinations pop up in the mind. They vary from the U.S. and the U.K. to Australia and European countries. One destination, which is equally potential, but has kept a low profile, is Singapore. A number of advantages pile up behind the ‘Lion City' when it comes to education.

Singapore is just three-and-a-half hours by flight from Chennai and a lot of Indians reside over there. One can even find a Saravana Bhavan or Annapurna Mess outlet. The Singaporeans celebrate Deepavali as a national holiday and in that small city there is place for a Balaji temple and a Murugan temple. Though it has got all the trappings of the West, it is still conservative in its outlook and is considered to be one of the safest and stress-free cities in the world.

When it comes to cost-effectiveness, a degree from any of the top colleges in Singapore would cost about Rs. 7 to 10 lakh compared to Rs. 12 to 20 lakh in other preferred destinations. The cost of living in a private accommodation could range from SGD (Singapore Dollars) 300 to 400 per month. Another important aspect is the visa factor. Getting a visa to Singapore is said to be less cumbersome when compared to others

Online visa

The entire visa process is online and one can just sit at home and apply. Moreover, it is the colleges and universities that take care of the visa process if a candidate gets selected. The only disadvantage envisaged is that one is not allowed to take up part-time jobs during the study period. But there are good opportunities to acquire PR (permanent residency) and jobs after study.

MBA students are given a work permit for five years after study and others are given a permit for two years. Thereafter, within six months, he or she can apply for PR.

Colleges and courses

Basically, the education sector is divided into three sectors: Universities that are wholly Singapore owned like the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University. These universities have world class infrastructure and faculty strength. Reputed foreign universities having full-fledged campuses in Singapore are: University of Chicago, Curtin University-Australia, INSEAD-France and University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

Affiliated colleges and universities: East Asia Institute of Management is affiliated to a number of universities like University of Southern Queensland, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh Business School and Griffith University.

Auston Institute of Management and Technology is affiliated to Coventry University and Management Development Institute of Singapore is affiliated to a number of reputed universities such as University of Bradford and University of Wales. In most of the affiliated institutes, the affiliation is extended to specific courses, depending on the strength and reputation of the parent university.

The universities and institutes offer both undergraduate and PG programmes in all streams right from engineering to MBA and from basic sciences to humanities. The universities and institutes also offer PG diploma programmes in specific courses such as computer science, journalism and hospitality.

Most of the colleges do not insist on IELTS and TOEFL. The basic criterion for undergraduate course is a good academic record. A few universities such as National University of Singapore and Nanyang at times demand a GMAT score in the 600 scale and TOEFL for PG programmes.

Study in the Lion City

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