The NUS Research Scholarship is awarded by the National University of Singapore to outstanding graduate students pursuing research leading to a higher degree, either a PhD or a Master's by research. It is open to Singapore citizens, permanent residents and all international students, including Pakistani applicants, and scholarship holders may pursue any graduate programme at the University. For the August 2027 intake, applicants apply for admission through the NUS GradApp portal and indicate their interest in the scholarship in the same application.
What the Scholarship Offers
The scholarship provides a full waiver of tuition fees and a monthly stipend. For international students, the stipend is SGD 3,000 per month for PhD students and SGD 2,900 per month for Master's by research students, and PhD students receive an additional SGD 500 per month after passing the PhD Qualifying Examination. These rates take effect from 1 January 2026. The typical award period is four years for PhD students and two years for Master's by research students. Because tuition and a living stipend are both provided, the NUS Research Scholarship is listed here as fully funded.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants need an undergraduate degree with at least Second Class Honours (Upper Division), Honours (Distinction) or an equivalent standard. NUS assesses a good GPA in a relevant bachelor's or master's degree, a well-crafted statement of purpose describing research interests, career aspirations and reasons for choosing the programme, letters of recommendation from academic or professional referees, and a comprehensive CV. These four items are compulsory. GRE scores, publications or research project experience and, for non-native English speakers, TOEFL or IELTS results are optional but can significantly strengthen an application.
Conditions and Service Requirements
The scholarship is tenable for one year in the first instance and may be renewed each semester, subject to satisfactory progress, at the University's discretion. International scholars must fulfil the requirements of the Graduate Assistantship Programme, and there is no specific service bond. Scholars may not hold any form of employment or any other scholarship, award, fellowship or allowance during the scholarship without prior approval from the University.
How to Apply
Choose your research programme and, where possible, identify a potential thesis advisor at NUS. Apply online for admission through GradApp and indicate your interest in the NUS Research Scholarship in the application. Upload the compulsory documents, arrange for your referees to submit their recommendations, and fulfil any additional scholarship requirements stated in GradApp. Each faculty or school runs its own admissions process, so read the programme page carefully before you apply.
Deadlines
There is no single university-wide deadline. For the August 2027 intake, NUS says to refer to each faculty's website for its application deadline. For example, the Department of Mathematics lists the August 2027 intake application period as 16 May to 15 November 2026, so that deadline is close. Other faculties, schools and programmes publish different dates, some later, so confirm the date for your own programme immediately and submit your application well before it.
Check your faculty's website for the exact deadline and apply early for the NUS Research Scholarship.
