This written guide serves to help you understand how you can apply for a Singapore Student Pass to pursue studies here in Singapore.

Before applying for a Student Pass, you need to enrol on any approved full-time courses in Singapore. Weekends, night classes and part-time courses are not qualified.

A new application will be required, if the student wishes to transfer to another school after approval of the student pass is granted.

For those aged 12 years 0 days or below, will need to submit their vaccination information to Singapore Health Promotion Board (HPB).

Documents To Prepare Before Application

• The Registration Acknowledgement Letter from the school
• Travel document biodata page
• Personal information including past countries of residence, education background, employment history and financial support
• Next of kin’s personal information (if any)
• Residential address and contact details in Singapore
• Email address
• Recent passport-sized, digital, colour photograph (not older than 3 months)

Types Of Education Institutions Foreigners Can Enrol For

• Approved Private Education Institutions
• Foreign System Schools
• Government / Government-Aided / Independent Schools
• Institutions of Technical Education (ITE)
• Kindergartens and Childcare Centres
• Institutes of Higher Learning (i.e. tertiary)

The requirements and procedures are different for each educational institution applied. Read on for more information on each educational institution.

Approved Private Education Institutions (PEI)

Foreigners can only enrol in EduTrust-certified private education institutions. These education institutions must offer protection of course fees paid by students.

The In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter will state whether the foreign student needs to pay a security deposit. The foreign student needs to pay the deposit with a Banker’s Guarantee.

• Bangladesh, Myanmar, People’s Republic of China and India – S$5,000 per student
• Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand – S$1,000 per student
• Others – S$1,500 per student

The foreign student may be exempted from paying a security deposit if he/she is:

• A Malaysia or Brunei citizen
• Holder of valid dependant’s pass (DP), long-term visit pass (LTVP) or work pass
• Child or spouse of a Singapore citizen (SC) or permanent resident (SPR)
• Attending a full-time course at an EduTrust-accredited PEI
• Doing full-time graduate or postgraduate university programme with the exception of the University of London (UOL) tuition programmes, at an EduTrust-provisional PEI
• Under the age of 16 years old at the point of application for the Student’s Pass

The security deposit will be fully refunded upon departure from Singapore if none of the conditions stated in the security bond is breached. It will take about 6 weeks to process the refund from the time of cancellation or expiry of the Student’s Pass.

The foreign students need not physically be in Singapore for the application. The application must be submitted online at least 2 months and not more than 3 months before the course commences.

*Citizens of the People’s Republic of China above the age of 19, who wish to attend a commercial, language, fine arts or vocational non-graduate or postgraduate degree course may need to attend an interview at the Singapore Embassy in Beijing.

4 weeks is the standard time for processing a new Student’s Pass.

Foreign System Schools

Foreigners can only enrol into an EduTrust-certified Foreign System School.

The same as approved PEI, the foreign student need not be in Singapore physically for the application. Such application must be submitted at least 4 weeks before course commencement online.

The standard processing time is 5 working days.

Government / Government-Aided / Independent Schools

The same requirements for Foreign System Schools, the foreign student need not be in Singapore for the application. It must be submitted online at least 4 weeks before the course begins.

The foreign student must have a local sponsor to apply to study here under this category. The local sponsor must be an individual aged 21 and above, who is an SC or SPR.

5 working days is the typical processing time.

Institutes of Technical Education (ITE)

The foreign student will need a local sponsor if applying to study at a Singapore Institute of Technical Education. The local sponsor must be either an SC or SPR who is 21 years old and above. Companies and organisations cannot act as sponsors.

If the parent or step-parent of the foreign student happens to be an SC or SPR, he or she must be the local sponsor.

Processing time is also 5 working days typically.

Same as above, the foreign student need not be in Singapore physically for the application. It has to be submitted online before the course begins, at least 4 weeks in advance.

Childcare Centres and Kindergartens

If you are enrolling your foreign child, into a childcare centre or kindergarten, ensure the school is licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA).

The application must be done online at least 2 months and less than 3 months before the course begins.

The typical processing time is 2 weeks.

Institutes of Higher Learning

Once the foreign student is offered a full-time course, the foreign student will need to apply for a Student’s Pass. Here is a list of the Institutes of Higher Learning that are eligible:

• Local (Singapore) Universities
  • Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
  • Singapore Management University (SMU)
  • Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)
  • National University of Singapore (NUS)
  • Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
  • Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)
• Local (Singapore) Polytechnics
  • Singapore Polytechnic
  • Ngee Ann Polytechnic
  • Nanyang Polytechnic
  • Republic Polytechnic
  • Temasek Polytechnic
• Offshore Institutes With Campuses in Singapore
  • INSEAD (Singapore)
  • Sorbonne-Assas International Law School
  • DigiPen Institute of Technology
  • École Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales
  • SP Jain School of Global Management
  • German Institute of Science and Technology – TUM Asia

Applicants need not be in Singapore physically. They can simply submit their applications online at least 1 month before the course begins and less than 2 months after the course has started.

Processing time is usually between 5 to 10 working days.

Exemption

The foreigner need not apply for a Student’s Pass if he/she:

• Has an Immigration Exemption Order; or
• Holds a Dependent Pass (DP); or
• Holds a Short-Term Visit Pass at the Singapore Checkpoint and wishes to attend a short course

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