SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY (SMU)

OVERVIEW-

Founded in 2000, the Singapore Management University or SMU is one of the leading universities of Singapore, with a deep emphasis on research and teaching. As one of the only institutions that focus on business and management studies, SMU has curated for itself a solid niche with a high impact in research and education. 

SMU is committed to creating groundbreaking studies with a broad global effect as well as a diverse group of innovative and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. It is dedicated to providing students with a collaborative, participatory, and technologically augmented learning environment. 

With a focus on a rigorous, focused and interdisciplinary approach towards research, SMU seeks to tackle the vast issues that surround Asia and the world in contemporary times. Faculty at SMU collaborate with experts from distinguished colleges and academics from across the world, as well as with associates from the private and public sectors. The SMU City Campus is an outstanding structure in the hub of metropolitan Singapore that promotes strategic ties with industry, the government, and the larger society.  The university ranks 561-570 in the QS World University Rankings.

SMU teaches a varied selection of bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degree programmes in the disciplinary areas associated with its schools, as well as in multidisciplinary combinations of these areas. With over 12,000 students across undergraduate, postgraduate professional and postgraduate research programmes, SMU comprises eight schools:

• • College of Integrative Studies- Established in 2022, the College of Integrative Studies is SMU’s seventh School and plays a pivotal role in helping students traverse the disciplinary areas associated with the other SMU Schools – Accountancy, Business, Economics, Computing, Law and Social Sciences. Programmes offered are- Deferred Declaration of Degree, Bachelor of Integrative Studies and Individualised Second Major.
  • College of Graduate Research Studies– The College of Graduate Research Studies (CGRS) promotes convergence and cross-disciplinary collaboration across the many SMU postgraduate research programmes, giving postgraduate research students at SMU access to a comprehensive educational experience. Interdisciplinary curricula, collaborative courses, and workshops for professionals are used to accomplish this.
  • School of Accountancy– Launched in 2001, the School of Accountancy (SoA)  is the second school to be established in SMU. It offers only 1 undergraduate degree- the Bachelor of Accountancy Postgrad degrees include a Master of Professional Accounting and most recently, Master of Science in Accounting (Data & Analytics) and PhD in Accounting. 
  • Lee Kong Chian School of Business- Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) is a dynamic Asian business school that offers undergraduate, master’s (including MBA and EMBA) and doctoral programmes and is affiliated with a number of research centres. Bachelor of Business Management is the only undergraduate degree offered by the school.
  • School of Economics- The School of Economics’ goal is to establish a premier centre for economics research and instruction in order to hasten SMU’s growth. It offers 5 degrees, only 1 of which is an undergraduate degree i.e.- Bachelor of Science in Economics

• School of Computing and Information Systems- The school offers 4 undergraduate degrees. These are BSc Information Systems, BSc Computing and Law, BSc Computer Science and BSc Software Engineering. These cover a wide range of interests like artificial intelligence, business analytics, data science, law tech etc.

• Yong Pung How School of Law- The school offers two interdisciplinary and diverse undergrad degrees- a Bachelor of Laws(L.L.B)Programme and a Bachelor of Computing and Law.

• School of Social Sciences- 1. The Bachelor in Social Science programme delivers a broad-based undergraduate education centred on the disciplines of Psychology, Sociology and Political Science (PPS). Combining these disciplines gives the student a holistic, multi-disciplinary and integrated approach to the study of phenomena in the social sciences. 2. The first of its kind in Singapore, the new Politics, Law and Economics major aims to prepare future leaders and thinkers with a deep understanding of global political and economic transformations and the legal frameworks and contexts within which such changes take place.  

CLASS PROFILE-

According to QS Top Universities, SMU had around 7.5K undergrad students. Out of these, about a thousand students are international students. 

The official records of the university, as of 12 September 2022, show enrollment of 9883 students in the undergraduate programmes. Out of these, 5512 are females and 4371 are males. Bachelor of Business Management witnessed the maximum intake of students while the Bachelor of Science (Software Engineering) saw the least. While most degrees saw more female students, Bachelor of Science (Information Systems) and Bachelor of Laws saw almost double the number of male students as for female students.

Females made up 56% and Males made up 44% of the undergrad student population. Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents formed 91% while International Students composed 9% of the undergrad enrollments. Undergrad degrees also saw representation and students from 35 foreign countries.

  The University’s international students come from India, China, ASEAN countries, Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East, Maldives, Japan and South Korea. SMU has over 300 partner universities spanning 50 countries for exchange programmes, giving students 100% opportunities to participate in a global exposure programme

FEES-

Students who receive a Tuition Grant are able to pay subsidised tuition fees for their course of study. The fees for the annual year 2023-24 are as follows-

While the subsidised fee for Bachelor of Laws is 27,400.00 SGD or 16,80,506.58 INR. The subsidised fees for all other degrees are 24,850.00 SGD or 15,24,109.07 INR. The unsubsidised fee for the Bachelor of Laws is 49,950.00 SGD or 30,63,551.23 INR. The fee for all other degrees is 45,600.00 SGD or 27,96,755.48 INR. There are additional charges for additional courses for term 3 as well.

TUITION GRANT- Permanent Residents and International Students will need to apply for a Tuition Grant as part of their online admission application form. In addition, Permanent Residents and International Students who take up the Tuition Grant are required to work in a Singapore entity for 3 years upon graduation from SMU. Those who are not eligible, or choose not to apply for the Tuition Grant, will pay the non-subsidised fees. Such students will not be bound by the 3-year work obligation.

SCHOLARSHIPS–

1. SMU- Administered Scholarships- Lee Kong Chian Scholars’ Programme, ASEAN Undergraduate Scholarship, Science & Technology Undergraduate Scholarship, SMU School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) Scholarship
2. Donor and other Scholarships- Bangkok Bank Scholarship, CCPL Scholarship, Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Scholarship, Diana Koh International Scholarship, Goh Foundation Scholarship, Hiew Yoon Khong and Lee Su Chin Scholarship, Ian R. Taylor Asia Scholarship, Karim Family Foundation Scholarship, Kewalram Chanrai Group Endowed Scholarship, L.I.T. Scholarship, Li Ka Shing Endowed Scholarship, Lim Hang Hing Scholarship, Linklaters Scholarship, Ng Kai Wa Scholarship, Prima Ceylon Scholarship, Sharon Lee Teng Siew Scholarship, Shirin Fozdar Scholarship, SMU International Scholarship, SMU SOA Scholarships, SMU Steven Miller Scholarship, SUTL Scholarship, Tahir Indonesian Scholarship, Tanoto Scholarship (BEACON Programme). 

LIVING EXPENSES-

ELIGIBILITY-

1. 1. A minimum of 12 years of formal education with good passes in a national/international examination that is recognised for the purpose of admission(ISC/CBSE/State Board for Indian Applicants). (3= GPA OR 85%+)
   2. One of the following standardised test scores is required: SAT, ACT (American College Test), IELTS(Academic Test), TOEFL, C1 Advanced, or Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic). 
   3. Interview for shortlisted applicants. Shortlisted Law applicants must also take a writing test.
   4. The minimum standardised test scores requirements (SAT / ACT / IELTS / TOEFL / C1 Advanced / PTE Academic) stated below will be minimally sufficient for applicants to make a competitive application. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee applicants an interview and/or admission into SMU, as admission is on a highly competitive and selective basis.

• Applicants applying to Accountancy, Business Management, Economics, Social Science, Computing and law, Computer Science and Information Systems programmes

• SAT: A minimum total score of 1,350 with at least 650 for evidence-based reading and writing. An essay is not required
• ACT: A minimum composite score of 29, with a minimum English + Reading score of 57. An essay is not required
• IELTS: A minimum overall score of 7.0 with at least 7.0 for reading and 6.5 for writing
• TOEFL iBT (internet-based test): A minimum score of 93, with at least 22 for reading and 22 for writing
• TOEFL PBT (paper-based test): A minimum score of 93, with at least 22 for reading and 22 for writing
• C1 Advanced: A minimum overall score of 185, with at least 185 for reading and 176 for writing
• PTE Academic: A minimum overall score of 66, with at least 66 for reading and 56 for writing

• For applicants applying to the Law Programme-

• SAT: A minimum total score of 1,350 with at least 700 for evidence-based reading and writing. Essay is not required
• ACT: A minimum composite score of 29, with a minimum English + Reading score of 64. Essay is not required
• IELTS: A minimum overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 for reading and 7.0 for writing
• TOEFL iBT (internet-based test): A minimum score of 100, with at least 24 for reading and 24 for writing
• TOEFL PBT (paper-based test): A minimum score of 100, with at least 24 for reading and 24 for writing
• C1 Advanced: A minimum overall score of 191, with at least 185 for reading and 185 for writing
• PTE Academic: A minimum overall score of 76, with at least 76 for reading and 66 for writing

7. Applicants are required to upload copies of the standardised test scores via Applicant’s Self-Service after submitting the online application for admission. Applicants must also apply to have their official test scores sent electronically to SMU by the testing agencies. SMU will verify your test results with the testing agencies when processing your application.
8. A good pass in Mathematics at the high school level for Economics and Computer Science Applicants.

PLACEMENTS-

• 95.1% of fresh graduates from the 2021 cohort were employed within six months of final examinations
• 68.3% were offered full-time permanent jobs before graduation
• Graduates across all six Schools enjoyed higher starting salaries
• Mean and median gross monthly salaries at $4,896 and $4,500 respectively, are at an all-time high
• The top three industries of employment for SMU graduates were Financial and Insurance, Information & Communication, and Legal, Accounting and Auditing.
• Companies that recruit from SMU-

• Infosys	SAP	KPMG
  Deloitte	Accenture	ABB
  Coca Cola	HSBC Bank	Citibank
  BNP Paribas	Deutsche Bank	IBM
  Philips	Morgan Stanley	Johnson & Johnson
  Tata Consultancy Services	Fortis	JP Morgan
  Barclays	Barclays	McKinsey & Company
  Apple	ABN Ambro	Bloomber

VISA-

To study in any educational institution in Singapore, for a course that is more than 30 days, you require a Student Visa, better known as a Singapore Pass. All international students must hold a valid Student’s Pass (SP) issued by the Singapore Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) for their studies at NUS.

New applications for a Student’s Pass must be submitted at least one month and not more than two months before the commencement of the course through ICA’s Student’s Pass Online Application & Registration (SOLAR) system

• SMU will register your name, date of birth, gender and nationality (as appears in your travel document) via the ICA’s SOLAR system (Student’s On-Line Application and Registration)
• Login into SOLAR and apply for a student pass, also known as the eForm 16. You need to upload all required documents and make payment for the application fee to ICA.
• ICA will process your STP application and may contact you for additional documents.
• ICA will notify you via email if you are given the In-Principle Approval (IPA) for your student pass application. You will be able to print the IPA letter via SOLAR.
• Pay the SMU confirmation fees to kick-start your journey into SMU. Proceed to complete the online matriculation process.
• Start planning your Date of Arrival in Singapore while following the COVID-19 protocols.
• Upon arriving in Singapore, you can make an appointment to do the medical examination for your student pass as well as to collect your SMU Student Matric Card. 
• After receiving your medical report, you must first submit the medical report and other documents required for the completion of your student pass formalities.
• Once ICA approves your documents, you must pay the issuance fees for your Student Pass within 7 days of the approval.

You will need the following documents/ information to complete your Student’s Pass application.

• The Registration Acknowledgement Letter from the school you plan to attend
• Your travel document biodata page and birth certificate (if applicable)
• Your personal information, including the list of countries/places you have previously resided in, your educational background, employment history and financial support
• Your parents, spouse’s, and/or siblings’ personal information (if applicable)
• Your residential address and contact details in Singapore
• Your email address
• Your recent, passport-sized, digital, colour photograph taken within the last three months. Please refer to the photo guidelines for more information.
• Foreign-born applicants aged 12 years 0 days or below are required to submit their vaccination information to the Health Promotion Board (HPB). 
• A non-refundable S$30(approx 1843 INR) processing fee is payable.
• The processing time for application is within one week (excluding the date of submission), (or within two weeks if Visa is required). Some applications may take a longer time to process.