Singapore University of Technology and Design

Singapore Singapore

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Overview

Overview

Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is a unique university that specialises in a range of practical and creative subject areas. It’s a modern institution where students are set up for academic and professional success, and the non-traditional university structure is focused on pillars of learning and education concepts rather than a faculty system. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged.

 

SUTD was only established a decade ago in 2012, but the university has already developed a great reputation with students and national and international employers. Based in East Singapore, the facilities on campus are amazing, but the city facilities and opportunities are also never far away. The location is great, but the award-winning tutors and lecturers and the amazing graduate employment rate are the things that really make SUTD stand out.

 

SUTD courses are carefully designed to help students learn and grow, and they’re supported by some of the best technology of any design university in Asia. Great resources and research centres add a lot to the learning experience and improve already very hands-on and interactive programmes of study at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

 

SUTD is proud to be very accessible, offering non-degree skills courses to applicants without any formal qualifications who want to develop and improve and welcoming many students with unique learning needs. Lots of international students also choose to enrol at SUTD, enjoying a lot of great support services for everything from admin and academics to mental wellbeing. There are also some great financial aid options in the form of scholarships available to overseas applicants.

 

Employers are always looking for creative candidates, and they find these candidates when they interview SUTD graduates. Full-time employment rates after studying at SUTD are high, and the university’s career services support this through internships, work placements, networking events and more. Any student who wants a career in creative design should consider applying.

 

Find out more about studying at SUTD:

 

Teaching quality

Entry requirements

Scholarships & funding

University structure

Facilities

Student support

Graduate outcomes

 

Teaching Quality

The teaching quality at SUTD is very high. The university is ranked 901st in the QS World University Rankings, and all the technology and design courses are delivered by experts in the fields who keep the learning up-to-date with current industry standards. Because of this, students are not only prepared for academic success but also fully ready to enter the working world with the skills that employers are searching for.

 

SUTD bases its quality teaching on great research and practical experience. It aims to produce students who are equally creative and business-minded. Design is the glue that holds SUTD’s multi-disciplinary courses and programmes together, and all education at the institution is based on five main areas of focus:

 

  • Leadership
  • Honesty
  • Passion
  • Collaboration
  • Creativity

 

The university currently offers five undergraduate programmes, and all of them combine an active approach to learning with creative thinking skills. The bachelor’s degree in architecture and sustainable design is very popular and so is the bachelor’s degree in engineering (computer science and design). Another competitive, well-rated course is the master’s degree in innovation by design.

 

Across all courses, academic staff are qualified, recognised experts who often win national awards. In 2022, Dr Teo Tee Hui won the EnterpriseSG-SSC/SAC Commendation Award for his contributions to the national Singapore Standardisation Programme. Professor Yeo Kiat Seng has also recently been made a Singapore National Academy of Science Fellow. High-quality teaching and creative support are always available, and no student leaves SUTD without receiving a great education in their area of interest.

 

Entry Requirements

International students at SUTD will need to meet certain university entry requirements to be considered for admission to the university. Some of these will be course-specific entry requirements, and others will be general university requirements that apply to all applicants.

 

At the undergraduate level, international applicants must be educated to the right level (equivalents will change from country to country, but usually, this is a Year 12 standard) and are more likely to gain entry with good mathematics and science grades. Plus, all international applicants will need to be able to prove their understanding of the English language.

 

Postgraduate applicants will need to have previous university qualifications, usually at least a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university in a relevant subject area. In some cases, postgraduates will also have to show that they have relevant work experience (this is the case for the architecture master’s degree at SUTD).

 

English Score Required

International students who do not speak English as a first language must take English language tests for entry to SUTD if they can’t prove their proficiency in any other way. The university accepts a range of different testing methods, including the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

 

Test scores are only valid if students achieved them within the previous two years. This is an important part of the student application process, but there is no exact minimum band requirement specified by SUTD.

 

Applications are assessed individually, and students are considered not just for their academic results and abilities but for their non-academic achievements and abilities. SUTD works to be as accessible as possible to students from different backgrounds, and this is one example of that work.

 

Admission

The university admission process for undergraduate and postgraduate international students at SUTD is the same, though the exact supporting documents that applicants will need to provide are likely to change between levels. All students, both domestic and international, must apply for a place through the SUTD student admission system, and all students can submit one application form only. The application will ask for:

 

  • Personal details
  • Contact details
  • Academic history/transcripts/certificates
  • Answers to two of the four Personal Insight questions
  • Recommendation letters from two referees (optional)
  • Other information (from past criminal convictions to any unmentioned areas of interest)
  • An indication of whether the applicant plans to apply for any scholarships
  • A student CV (international students only)
  • A statement of purpose/personal statement (international students only)
  • Financial documents (international students only)

 

All supporting documents that need to be shared with a student’s application form must be scanned and sent to the university in a PDF format. Undergraduate students do not need to pay an application fee for admission, but postgraduate students will need to pay an application fee of SGD 21.40 for all courses. 

 

During the admission phase, students should also make sure they take the time to research SUTD’s tuition fees and make sure they can afford to cover them. Tuition fees for new undergraduate international students (as of 2022) are SGD 29,150 annually if they’re subsidised by the Singapore Government or SGD 60,936 annually if they aren’t.

 

Scholarships & Funding

SUTD offers 15 different scholarships to international students. The university wants to welcome as many talented applicants as possible no matter what their backgrounds are, and it understands that studying abroad can be more expensive, so these scholarships are designed to be a useful source of funding support and an option that makes SUTD more accessible to more people.

 

One of the most popular university scholarships is the SUTD Global Excellence Scholarship. It’s awarded to postgraduate students who have good academic results, but also achieve highly in other ways. For example, they might have brilliant sports or art credentials. Or, they might have helped their local community a lot. This scholarship is awarded to international students only if they have done very well, and it covers subsidised tuition fees for the duration of their programme (up to four years).

 

There’s also the SUTD Global Merit Scholarship. This covers some of the same funding as the Global Excellence Scholarship. International students can have all their tuition fees covered if they show a real passion for technology and design.

 

Some of the scholarships are more targeted. The Citrix SUTD Women in Technology Scholarship is one. It’s available to all international female students who are enrolled in the design and artificial intelligence programmes or the information systems technology and design programme. This scholarship is worth SGD 15,000 annually and renewable for up to four years. The money can be used towards tuition fees and other study-related expenses.

 

There are even more options at SUTD, including the SUTD Undergraduate Scholarship and the Rico Engineering Works Scholarship. Plus, the university often gives students experiencing financial hardship aid and emergency monetary help. Accessibility and affordability are two important values at SUTD.

 

University Structure

SUTD has one campus in the east of Singapore, and it’s been designed to encourage students to work with interactive tools and collaborate with each other. The university has a unique academic structure. Courses and programmes are organised around two clusters: humanities, arts and social sciences subjects are in cluster one, while science, mathematics and technology subjects are in cluster two. The courses that can be taken at each level of study are:

 

  • Bachelor’s degrees
    • A BSc in architecture and sustainable design
    • A BSc in design and artificial intelligence
    • A BEng in computer science and design
    • A BEng in engineering product development
    • A BEng in engineering systems and design
  • Master’s degrees
    • A dual master’s in nano-electronics and design
    • An MArch (Master of Architecture)
    • A research MEng (Master of Engineering)
    • A master’s in innovation by design
    • An MSc in security by design
    • An MSc in urban science, policy, and planning
  • Doctoral programmes
    • The SUTD PhD Programme
    • The SUTD-NUS Joint PhD Programme
    • The SUTD Engineering Doctorate (ENGD) Programme

 

SUTD’s research centres work on some important, society-focused projects. Staff researchers often work closely with students to improve and add depth to their educational experience. Centres at SUTD include the Aviation Studies Institute, the Game Laboratory and the Digital Manufacturing and Design Centre.

 

Facilities

There are lots of great academic and recreational facilities at SUTD. Singapore is an exciting city, and the university wants its students to have a good work-life balance while they’re living and studying there. So, SUTD offers plenty of facilities and support options that help make this possible.

 

All SUTD lecture theatres and study rooms are ideal working and learning environments. The campus library is a popular student activity centre for research, independent, focused study, and group project study (there are special, bookable study rooms for these reasons). There are lots of physical resources and books in the library, as well as many digital resources and online learning integrations.

 

ROOT is SUTD’s student government. It represents all students on campus and stands up for their academic needs, but it’s also a busy student activity centre for cultural events, evening events, student groups and sports societies. The many available Fifth Row clubs and societies include the Modern Visual Media Centre Club, the Ballroom Dancing Club, and the Photographic Circle Club.

 

For students who want to stay active, the student recreation centre on campus has all the required indoor and outdoor facilities for a wide range of sports. It’s called the Sports and Recreation Centre, and it’s very popular for its professional-standard, modern equipment. If all the exercise leads to hunger, there are also lots of restaurants and food options on campus, from Crooked Cooks to Gomgom.

 

SUTD offers on-campus student accommodation as well as some great off-campus options. Whatever a student decides, they’ll enjoy a safe and comfortable home environment. On campus, they’ll be closer to classes and amenities. But off campus they’ll be connected to the beautiful and busy city of Singapore.

 

Accommodation

There are a few different on-campus university accommodation options for international students and they all combine overseas and domestic students together to create a diverse, friendly community that’s welcoming to everyone. In terms one and two, students can stay in specific hostel accommodation. These hostels are safe and secure, with 24-hour CCTV and an on-site security team. General facilities and bathrooms are shared, and students share double rooms.

 

To be assigned hostel student accommodation, applicants will need to complete a student acceptance test and be matched with students who share their interests. The total fee for students starting in 2022 at the hostel is SGD 2,750 annually.

 

After year one/semester two, students can move into more standard on-campus accommodation if they want to. Single and double rooms are available, and facilities like bathrooms and lounge spaces are usually shared unless the room type selected comes with an ensuite. A double room between terms three and five costs SGD 6,188, while a single room costs SGD 7,616 and a single room with an ensuite costs SGD 11,900.

 

There are also some specific student house options for postgraduate students and some student accommodation blocks for non-graduating and visiting students (like exchange and semester abroad students).

 

Off-campus accommodation options at SUTD are provided by private housing agents. Choices include Anglican House, Novena Hall International Students’ Hostel, Nanyang Girls’ Boarding School, yo:HA Residence/Hostel @ Pearl’s Hill, and yo:HA Hostel @ Evans. The Novena Hall International Students’ Hostel is a great choice for international students. It lets overseas students studying all over Singapore live together and connect.

 

Student Support

The student support services at SUTD are high quality and cover all potential areas of student need. This institution wants all of its students to feel supported, and it wants them to feel that way all of the time. So, student support is always easy to access, and there are student services in every area of student life (from academic to personal and emotional).

 

For support staff at SUTD, student welfare is just as important as high academic achievement. And good student support actually leads to higher academic standards. SUTD’s  Wellbeing Services offer professional counselling options to students that are private and free of charge. Each counsellor is a qualified student guide who listens to students and advises them on what their best steps forward are.

 

There are also self-help resources and online student support programmes for students who aren’t ready to/don’t want to request counselling. These programmes include talks, workshops and training sessions around personal growth, life skills and building up good mental health.

 

Academically, there are lots of different places to go for help, from learning tutors to help desks. Administratively, support is available from the second a student applies, especially for international students, who often need help figuring out the complex student visa process and getting every step of the SUTD application right.

 

Graduate Outcomes

Graduate outcomes at SUTD are great. The QS World University Rankings for 2022 give it an employer reputation rating of 63.5 per cent, and in 2021, the employment rate for university students within six months of finishing reached an all-time high of 95.9 per cent. 80.9 per cent of those students found full-time employment.

 

SUTD also does well in terms of graduate salary and job prospects. In 2021, the average monthly earnings for SUTD graduates were SGD 4,369. That means that students can expect stable employment and a comfortable life quite quickly after finishing their studies.

 

It’s not just the courses and programmes and the professional teaching standards that improve the career options of SUTD students. The employment services available at the university are also crucial, as they offer students the chance to find internships, increase their employability skills and get ready for the working world before they graduate.

 

Internship opportunities are available to undergraduates and postgraduates, and they usually take place over the summer break each year. This way they don’t interrupt studies, but they’re a great addition to a student’s CV and an important way to stand out compared to other graduate job applicants.

 

The Career Development Centre is another important employment service provided by the university. This centre is there to help current and former students. Staff at the centre offer career guides, career modules and networking opportunities. They also run workshops on things like CV writing and job interview technique, so students can constantly be learning more and becoming more ideally suited to their future employer.

 

SUTD alumni are working and succeeding across the world, and students from any background can succeed at this institution. For anyone who loves design, technology, and innovation, SUTD is a great choice. And for anyone who wants to get a great, professionally connected education in beautiful Singapore, SUTD must be the best choice.

 

Subjects you can study at Singapore University of Technology and Design

  • Applied and Pure Sciences Applied and Pure Sciences
  • Architecture and Construction Architecture and Construction
  • Business and Management Business and Management
  • Computer Science and IT Computer Science and IT
  • Creative Arts and Design Creative Arts and Design
  • Education and Training Education and Training
  • Engineering Engineering
  • Social Studies and Media Social Studies and Media
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Key facts and figures at Singapore University of Technology and Design

Rankings

QS World University Rankings 2024
Source: QS

429

Academic Ranking of World Universities 2023
Source: ARWU

901

Student life in numbers

COSTS PER YEAR
LIVING COSTS

5,10,188

AVERAGE PRIVATE RENT

5,20,220

AVERAGE TUITION FEE PER YEAR

UNDERGRADUATE

14,73,958

POSTGRADUATE

19,98,514

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