UNIVERSITY ENROLMENT

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UNIVERSITY ENROLMENT: 2.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Acting Minister for Education (a) how will our university enrolment be increased by more than 15,000 students when our university cohort participation rate reaches 25% by 2010; (b) how many of the 15,000 students will be resident students, versus international students; and (c) whether tuition grants given to international students can be reduced so that more funds can be allocated to assist Singapore students going to university.

The Minister of State for Education (Dr Ng Eng Hen) (for the Acting Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, with a 21% university cohort participation rate, the undergraduate enrolment at our three universities, ie, NUS, NTU and SMU, is about 39,000 for the academic year 2003. By 2010, the cohort participation rate will be increased to 25%, and this will give a projected undergraduate enrolment of more than 54,000, an increase of about 15,000 students. This significant increase by 2010 is also due to the bigger Dragon-year cohort of 1988 who will enter university from 2007 for the female cohorts, to be followed in 2009 by the male cohorts.

Currently, foreign students constitute up to 20% of each intake in NUS and NTU. Assuming the same foreign student ratio in 2010, about 3,000 of the additional 15,000 students would be foreigners.

Mr Steve Chia has asked about tuition grants for international students. Presently, foreign students pay 10% more in tuition fees than local students. As

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part of MOE's review of the University Autonomy, Governance and Funding framework, we will be reviewing how much local and foreign students should pay for their university education in Singapore .