What is a Twinning Programme?

Many institutions in countries like Malaysia offer twinning programmes in hopes of getting a world class university certificate for a fraction of a price. Institutions such as the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University College, Taylor’s University and the Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation are offering courses that they claim to produce certificates conferred by renowned institutions such as University of South Australia, University of Newcastle, Curtin University, University of Reading and many more. Even the Singapore Ministry of Education is supporting the organization of twinning programmes between its local schools and overseas institution. You can read more about it from its press release. But what exactly are twinning programmes? Hotcourses Singapore hopes to answer this question.

Teaming up

When an institution in Singapore or Malaysia states that it is offering a twinning programme, it means that it has teamed up with renowned institutions overseas usually that of the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand. This means that you will be conferred a degree by that overseas university although you will be spending most of your time doing your studies in Singapore or Malaysia.

Types of Twinning Programmes

There are usually three types of twinning programmes that are being offered by the different institutions. They are ‘2+1’, ‘3+1’ or ‘3+0’. No, these are not new mathematical theorems. They basically state the number of years you will be studying at home and the overseas institutions. ‘2+1’ means that you will be spending two years doing your studies in Singapore or Malaysia and 1 year in the overseas university. ‘3+1’ means that you will be studying  3 years in Singapore or Malaysia and 1 year in the overseas university. ‘3+0’ means that you will be studying the entire course in Singapore or Malaysia. There are many other types of twinning programmes. So, you should conduct further research on the types of twinning programmes that are being offered in the institution that you are applying for and consider which best suits you.

Who is the twinning programme for?

Many Singaporeans and Malaysians choose to take up a twinning programme rather than go overseas for a variety of reasons.

One of the most common reasons is because of economic factors. If you are a student on a tight budget but wish to have a quality education, then the twinning programme is for you. You will be receiving almost the same type of education as your peers in the overseas university but at a lower cost. This is because the degrees conferred in the Malaysia and Singapore programme tend to be cheaper than those conferred in the overseas host university. Moreover, you will also save in housing, food, transport and other expenditures as you will probably either be able to stay with your family or are more accessible to cheaper housing. You might also enjoy subsidized transport and education fees that would not be possible if you were to study overseas. As such, many people have now chosen to go through the twinning programmes as a cheaper way to get an internationally recognized degree without ever having to break the bank.