The Complete List of School Fees in Singapore

Cost of education is one big factor in determining childbearing. In Singapore, the quality of education has been considered one of the best in the world. But everything comes at a cost. Education costs have risen by 80.7% over the past 20 years, an average of 3% per year. And when it is the matter of education, every parent wants to give the best to his/her child.

In this blog post, in order to help you choose the best school for your child that is within your budget and also to give you an insight as how much you need to save for your child’s future, we have come up with a complete guide of school fees in Singapore. 

Singapore is a country with a very diverse culture since the citizens come from various countries, many are expats and blue-collar workers. The fee structure according to the Singaporean government policies may vary. To understand the fee structure, you first need to know a little about the education system of Singapore and which factors contribute in the fee structure which has a wide range.

Singapore's Education System

Education years of a child in Singapore are divided into Kindergarten, Primary school Programme, Secondary school Programme, Junior College / Polytechnic level and then the University education. The fee is different for the various levels.

Then there is a difference in school fees based on your child’s nationality and the choice of school. For low-income families, the Ministry of Education (MOE) offers certain subsidies that can be availed with ease.

Nursery fee and Kindergarten Fee in Singapore:

Nursery and Kindergarten are the preschool years of your child where he/she is prepared for the Primary school. MOE Kindergartens provide a four-hour programme at a monthly cost of S$160 per month for the citizens of Singapore. The same education can be availed by permanent residents of Singapore for their children for S$320 per month. 

Financial assistance: For families with income less than or equal to S$2500, MOE offers a Kindergarten Fee Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) for Singaporean citizens. To avail the same, you can visit https://beta.moe.gov.sg/preschool/moe-kindergarten/fees/. Full-day Kindergarten care which most working parents want is also available at a maximum monthly fee of S$386. 

Other than MOE-registered schools, there are some schools which are registered with anchor preschool operators. Examples include Sparkletots Preschool registered under the PAP Community Foundation and My First Skool registered with NTUC.

With the help of government grants and subsidies, even these schools are required to keep the school fees under the maximum price of S$160. Children of foreigners and those on dependent passes can avail kindergarten care and education in these schools.

There are many private kindergarten schools in Singapore, the fee structure of which depend largely on their curriculum and other facilities provided to pupils. The schools offering Montessori-based curriculum can have a high fee structure ranging between S$800 and S$2000 per month.

Primary School Fee in Singapore:

Primary school education in Singapore is stretched across 6 years, the fees of which may vary for local citizens, foreigners and permanent residents. Here’s your guide for the same:

In MOE Primary schools, the fee structure is:

So, if your child is a Singaporean citizen, you can save your money for his/her future as primary education will be free for such children. But for foreigners, there is also a hike every month.

There is a miscellaneous fee of S$13 to be paid monthly by all students irrespective of the nationality.

Secondary School Fee in Singapore:

Secondary education in Singapore is stretched over 4 years after Primary school. Again, the fee structure varies according to the nationality of the student.

The fee structure in mainstream government-run schools has been tabulated below based on nationality:

There is a miscellaneous fee of S$25 per month for all Singaporean students and S$20 for all other students including permanent residents as well as foreigners. 

Read also: Secondary school rankings: How to choose a secondary school

Secondary school fee also varies according to the type of school in which your child is enrolled. In Singapore, there are autonomous schools which are government schools but have the autonomy to select their curriculum and provide special facilities. Hence, they are allowed to collect an autonomy fee besides the standard school fee and the miscellaneous fee. This autonomy fee varies from school to school according to the provisions made available for the students. It can range from S$3 to S$18 per month. Some of the autonomous schools you may pick for your child for primary schooling are Anderson Secondary School, Chung Cheng High School and Tanjong Katong Girls’ School.

Apart from government schools and autonomous schools, there are Independent schools in Singapore. As the name suggests, they have the independence to select on their curriculum, activities and also decide upon the fee structure accordingly. Some of the renowned Independent schools in Singapore are Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Institution.

However, if you want your child to receive education in these elite institutions but you fail to do so due to a low family income, then do not get disheartened. There’s good news from you. Students belonging to families with low per capita income can gain admission in these institutions at subsidised rates. Even scholarships have been announced for helping children with out-of-pocket expenses apart from school tuition fees. 

Check our Complete Guide to Singapore Scholarships for steps on how to get that coveted scholarship.

Financial assistance: 

1. MOE Financial assistance scheme (FAS) can be availed if your child is attending any government or government-aided or autonomous government or government-aided school or specialised school.
2. MOE Independent School Bursary (ISB) scheme can be availed if your child is attending an independent school, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science or School of Science and Technology.
3. Financial assistance can be directly availed from the schools in case your child is attending Singapore Sports School or School of the Arts.

You can check for your eligibility for government financial assistance programs at the given link: https://beta.moe.gov.sg/fees-assistance-awards-scholarships/financial-assistance/

Pre-university or Junior College (JC) fee in Singapore:

Junior College is a 2-year pre-university course which can be opted after secondary school examination. The difference in fee structure based on the nationality of the student is summarized as below:

Attaining academics in independent institutions offering JC courses will have differing fee structure.

Some of them also offer the Integrated Programme (IP) course and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). The fee structure in these schools is:

The fee structure in Private Schools of Singapore:

While most Singaporeans opt for public schools, there are provisions for private schools as well most commonly taken up by foreigners. For entering into a mainstream government school, these children have to appear for  Admissions Exercise for International Students (AEIS). The exam is conducted for international students every year in September or October. Students qualifying this exam can join the mainstream government school of Singapore the subsequent year in January. The exam is a centralized examination of English, Mathematics and reasoning abilities of the child. 

Besides private schools, there are International schools in Singapore, the fee structure of which are on the highest edges. You can check out the comprehensive guide of fee structures of different international schools in Singapore here.

Unlike private schools, International schools of Singapore do not prepare international students to enter into a mainstream government school. Rather, they focus on either the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement system (AP) or the English national system. 

Read also: How can foreign student enrol in Singapore Primary schools?

The polytechnic fee structure in Singapore:

The Singaporean government has always made it easy for all the citizens and other residents of the country to provide the basic necessary education at a minimum possible cost. So, you must have saved a lot of money in your child’s primary and secondary education. Hence, you can now expect to be paying a considerable high amount for your child’s education. 

There are five polytechnic institutions in Singapore and they all charge a standard JC fee for the Polytechnic course of 3 years. Government grants are also available for pre-university courses for all students regardless of their nationality alike. But grants come with a conditional bond that students will have to work for 3 years in Singapore after their graduation.

Polytechnic fees differing based on nationality after the government grant are:

Institute of Technical Education (ITE) fee in Singapore:

These are 95 courses available as vocational and/or professional courses for 2 or 3 years depending on the course. Your child can choose to get enrolled in any of these after the completion of GCE ‘O’ or GCE ‘N’ levels. The Nitec and Higher Nitec courses can be stretched over two to three years.

The summary of the ITE school fee in Singapore is:

University Fees in Singapore:

Whether your child is just a tiny tot or started his/her academic education, start saving for his/her university fee right away. Without any doubt, it’s going to be high. So, start saving as early as possible.

If your bright child can qualify for any of the six public universities of the country, he/she gets entitled for MOE Tuition Grant. What a sigh of relief! Isn’t it? The university course is a three-year course and the fees for public university after MOE tuition grant is:

The fee structure in universities varies largely depending on the course your child opts for. Medical courses are way too costly than regular humanities or social studies courses.