SINGA (Singapore International Graduate Award): What It Is, Who Can Apply, What It Pays

The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) is a fully funded award for a PhD in science or engineering at a Singapore university, run by A*STAR with NUS, NTU, SUTD, SMU and SIT. It pays tuition for up to four years and a monthly stipend of S$2,700, rising to S$3,200 after the qualifying examination, with one-time settling-in and airfare allowances, and it carries no bond. It is not a scholarship for a bachelor’s or a master’s degree, which is the first thing to know if you came here from a short video. One caution before the detail: A*STAR rebuilt its website in 2026 and the dedicated SINGA page moved, so the terms and dates below are the published pattern of recent cycles; confirm the current round on A*STAR’s scholarships pages or in the A*STAR applicant portal before you plan around a date.

What SINGA is

A*STAR is Singapore’s public research agency. SINGA funds international students to do doctoral research either at an A*STAR research institute or at one of the partner universities, with the degree conferred by NUS, NTU, SUTD, SMU or SIT. Research falls in four broad areas: biomedical sciences, computing and information sciences, engineering and technology, and physical sciences.

Two things distinguish it from most awards Indian students search for. It is bond-free: there is no service obligation after the PhD. And it is project-based: you apply to specific supervisors’ projects from a published list, not to a department in general.

Who can apply

• International graduates (Indian citizens are eligible) with a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s, with excellent academic results. Current final-year students may apply.
• A strong interest in research in one of the four areas; the application is assessed on fit with the chosen projects as much as on grades.
• Good written and spoken English. An IELTS or TOEFL score is not required at the SINGA application stage, though the admitting university may ask for one later.
• Two academic referees who can speak to your research ability.

Students looking for funded master’s study in Singapore are not eligible under SINGA; that is a different search, usually through university-level graduate scholarships.

What it pays

Item	Amount
Tuition	Fully covered for up to four years
Monthly stipend	S$2,700 before the qualifying examination; S$3,200 after it
Settling-in allowance	One-time, on arrival
Airfare	One-time grant
Service bond	None

Figures are as published for recent intakes; check A*STAR’s SINGA page for the current cycle before planning.

Deadlines and timeline for 2027 entry

SINGA has run two intakes a year, with applications closing on 1 December for the following August intake and 1 June for the following January intake; on that pattern the August 2027 round closes on 1 December 2026. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed online, usually four to eight weeks after the deadline, and final offers follow some months later. Late or unfinalised applications are not considered, so the practical deadline is a week before the published one. Because A*STAR’s site was reorganised in 2026, take the date for the current round only from A*STAR itself or from singa_enquiries@hq.a-star.edu.sg.

How the application works

1. Browse the project list on A*STAR’s SINGA site and choose up to three projects that fit your background. This is the decisive step; a strong profile applied to the wrong projects goes nowhere.
2. Contact supervisors for the projects you intend to apply to, with a short, specific note on why your background fits.
3. Prepare the documents: passport, transcripts and degree certificates, a CV, a statement of research interest, and referee details.
4. Submit through A*STAR’s applicant portal before the deadline and finalise the application; drafts left unfinalised are rejected.
5. Interview, if shortlisted, online.

What a strong application looks like

Grades get you considered; research fit gets you shortlisted. A final-year project, a published paper, a thesis, or a research internship in the area of the chosen projects is what separates applicants with similar marks. The statement should talk about the specific projects, what you would bring to them, and what you have already done that resembles the work, not about Singapore or about ambition in general.

We have not placed a student through SINGA ourselves; our advice on it is based on the published criteria and the experience of research-track applicants in other systems, where the same rule holds: the supervisor and the project decide more than the scholarship brochure suggests. Students who reach us about SINGA most often need a different answer, because they are looking for an undergraduate or master’s route to Singapore, and SINGA is not that.

FAQ

Next steps

If you have a bachelor’s or master’s in science or engineering and research experience, start with the project list and the supervisors, then the application. If you are looking for an undergraduate or master’s route, this award is not it; the Study Abroad page covers the destinations where funded master’s study is realistic for Indian students, and the fully funded scholarships page lists the schemes that actually exist.