Study Trips For Engagement & EnRichment (STEER)


The NUS Study Trips for Engagement and EnRichment (STEER) programmes are designed to expose students to the diverse sociocultural environments of emerging regions through a mix of thematic classroom-based learning, experiential site visits and immersive interactions with various local communities. 

Upcoming programmes

Programme Theme Programme Fee & Quantum for STEER Award Programme Dates & Application Deadline
STEER India: New Delhi & Agra

Community and cultural development in India

Programme fee 
SGD 2,500

STEER Award
SGD 1,200

Programme Dates
15 - 23 December 2024

Application Deadline
11 November 2024

Past programmes

Past STEER programmes have brought our students to:
  1. Southeast Asia (e.g. Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.)
  2. Asia (e.g. China, India, Kazakhstan, etc.)
  3. Latin America (e.g. Costa Rica, Brazil, Panama)
  4. Middle East (e.g. Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, etc.)
  5. Eastern Europe (e.g. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, etc.)
  6. Southern Africa (e.g. Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, etc.)

The NUS STEER programme can be organised by the NUS units either as a standalone programme or as a part of a regular course.

For students

NUS STEER Award

STEER programme participants may apply for the NUS STEER Award to help defray their programme expenses.  

The value of the STEER Award and minimum programme duration is as follows: 

  • Southeast Asia
    • Value of the STEER Award: S$1,000
    • Minimum duration: 7 days 6 nights*
  • Rest of the world**
    • Value of STEER Award: S$1,500
    • Minimum duration: 10 days 9 nights

*The minimum duration is calculated from the first item of the programme to the final item of the programme, excluding the time spent travelling to/from the destination.
**Only for emerging markets/economies (e.g. developing countries, countries in Middle East, countries in Latin America, countries in Africa). Not applicable to developing countries e.g. countries in Western Europe, countries in North America, South Korea, and Japan. 

Eligible students may only receive the NUS STEER Award once during their candidature at NUS, regardless of the value of the award.

Application for the STEER Award is administered via EduRec:

  • The student must apply to, receive an offer, and accept the offer for the relevant STEER programme on EduRec.
  • Then, the student may submit their application for the STEER Award via EduRec.

 

Other Financial Aid Options

Needy full-time Singapore Citizen undergraduate students whose monthly household per capita income (PCI) is not more than S$750 for Academic Year 2023/2024 in any of the semesters during their candidature, may apply for Opportunity Enhancement Grant (OEG) via the Office of Financial Aid: https://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/financial-aid/schemes-for-hostel-fees/opportunity-enhancement-grant 


Students may also utilize their Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) to fully or partially fund their trip. The application process may be found here:

https://www.nus.edu.sg/oam/financial-aid/schemes-for-tuition-fees-and-or-living-costs/post-secondary-education-account

For organisers

Requirements and Criteria

NUS STEER programme can be organised by NUS units either as a standalone programme or as a part of a regular course. For a study trip to be considered a STEER programme and for participants to receive the STEER Award, the programme must:

  1. Be led by an NUS department, faculty, school, college or residential unit (programmes led by NUS clubs, societies and interest groups are not eligible),
  2. Last a minimum of 7 days with 6 nights on foreign grounds for trips in SEA or 10 days with 9 nights on foreign grounds for trips to the rest of the world,
  3. Take students to emerging markets or economies (programmes to developed countries are not eligible), and
  4. Include:
    1. Networking opportunities with industry and/or interactions with industry leaders,
    2. Customised visits and/or field trips to companies, government organizations and NGOs to learn about their business operations, goals and challenges,
    3. Cultural activities to foster awareness and appreciation, and
    4. (optional) Joint project opportunities with partner universities including presentations to classmates and/or lectures and panel discussions with academics and students in the country they are visiting.

How to Apply

Organisers who are interested in organizing a STEER programme are required to submit the completed STEER Programme Proposal Form to grostp@nus.edu.sg (attn: Jasper) for review. Please ensure that the document is submitted in a Word doc (.docx) format. 

Queries

For further queries, please email groprogrammesteam@nus.edu.sg (attn: Jasper).