A Cost Guide To School Fees In Singapore: Primary, Secondary, Post-Secondary and Tertiary

As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.

For many societies (including Singapore), education is the tool we equip our next generation with so that they can survive in society.

But education comes at a price, and you want to make sure you are financially prepared to provide your child with the education they need to succeed. 

In this guide, we will dissect the cost of education in Singapore for Singaporeans, permanent residents (PRs) and international students.

Since all Singaporeans are required to finish primary education unless an exemption is granted, primary education is considered the educational foundation for most Singaporeans. Thus, the fees for primary school, including miscellaneous ones, are almost negligible.

Other Fees

• Miscellaneous fees: S$6.50 (monthly)

For secondary education, there are different types of schools that your child might be enrolled in, depending on their Primary School Leaving Exam (PSLE) score.

Based on MOE’s definition, there are five  types of schools in Singapore’s secondary education.

• Some schools within these four categories are also Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools, which are committed to nurturing bilingual and bicultural students immersed in Chinese language and culture.

• Some schools within these four categories have an autonomous status. This means that they follow the national syllabus, but offer a wider range of enrichment programmes that develop your child’s talents.

Other Fees

• Miscellaneous fees: S$10 (monthly)

Once students finish their O’Levels, there are three different education routes that they can pursue. The most common one is Junior College (JC), which used to be called Pre-U. 

In JC, students will undergo a curriculum very much like that in secondary school. The focus of JC is to prepare students for their A’Levels and subsequently their tertiary education. Thus, the fee structure is very similar to secondary school.

Other Fees

• Miscellaneous fees: S$13.50 (monthly)

For students who are not academically inclined, they can choose to go the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) route. ITE imparts practical and hands-on skills to students so that they can enjoy better job prospects and career progression once they graduate.

For Higher NITEC students who perform exceptionally well, they can choose to further their studies at a Polytechnic.

Once students finish their O’Levels, they have the option of studying in a polytechnic as well. Unlike in JC, students in polytechnics are given more autonomy on what they want to study and how they want to plan their education journey, which is much more fluid and involves less micromanagement from the lecturers. 

As polytechnics prepare students with hands-on skills for the workforce, they are suitable for students who are already clear on what they want to pursue post-graduation.

Tertiary education is the final stage of one’s education journey. In Singapore, there are currently six public universities that are eligible for MOE tuition fee grant:

• National University of Singapore (NUS)

• Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

• Singapore Management University (SMU)

• Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)

• Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)

  Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)

To ensure that every Singaporean has an equal opportunity to education regardless of family background, the government continues to provide financial support to Singaporean families. This is especially targeted at low- to middle-income families. 

Besides school fee subsidies, the government tops up the Edusave account for primary (S$230) and secondary school (S$290) children yearly. This adds up to a total of S$2,540 by the time your child finishes his/her secondary education.

To support lower income families, the government also provides subsidies on monthly student care fees, as well as a one-time grant for enrolment fees. This is administered under the ComCare Student Care Fee Assistance scheme.

Source: Ministry of Social and Family Development

For tertiary education like polytechnics and universities, there are also bursaries made available for children from lower income families. This is to ensure that those who worked hard and secured their spot in an MOE-subsidised polytechnic or university course would be given the chance to pursue higher education. 

Source: Ministry of Education

Overall, the cost of education for a child in Singapore from primary to tertiary will set you back at least:

• S$35,416 for the JC route: S$468 (primary) + S$1,920 (secondary) + S$468 (JC) + S$32,800 (university)

• S$43,648 for the polytechnic route: S$468 (primary) + S$1,920 (secondary) + S$8,700 (poly) + S$32,800 (university)

And this is with government education subsidies in place. 

If your child enrols in independent schools or pursue tertiary courses that are more expensive, the fees will be even higher. 

Furthermore, there are other costs involved such as enrichment courses, material fees, as well as overseas trips that schools might organise to provide more exposure for your child.

Thus, it is important for parents to save up as much as possible to secure their child’s future and equip them with the skills to fish for themselves.

Here are some useful investing articles that can help you save for your child’s education.

There are many ways you can finance your child’s education without putting too much financial burden on yourself. One way is to get an education loan to support your child’s tertiary education.

Find the best education loan within minutes using our comparison tool.