Please note that if your tuition fee is already covered by a scholarship/NUS Bursary/MENDAKI TTFS/ Higher Education Community Bursary, the Tuition Fee Loan will not be applicable. For Medicine/Dentistry students, the Higher Education Community/Higher Education Bursary will be used to offset your tuition fee first (before the Tuition Fee Loan).
Value
The value of the loan is up to 90% of the subsidised tuition fee payable by Singapore Citizens for the same undergraduate programme.
The loan is tenable for the entire duration of the undergraduate programme.
Who is eligible?
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All full-time undergraduates will be eligible EXCEPT international undergraduate students who had rejected the MOE Tuition Grant or was offered admission without the MOE Tuition Grant.
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The percentage of coverage will be based on the subsidised tuition fee rate of a Singaporean citizen for the same undergraduate degree programme and applies to:
- International undergraduate students who have used up their MOE Tuition Grant subsidy and have to pay full tuition fee
- 5th Year undergraduate students taking Double-Degree Programmes
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Students who are reading the Concurrent Degree Programmes will not be eligible for the loan once they are charged graduate tuition fee. Please check your eligibility here.
- Undergraduate students reading the iBLOC course and Special Term course (only tuition fee portion is applicable).
- Part-time undergraduates who satisfy the following criteria:
- Must be a Singapore Citizen;
- Pursuing the first undergraduate degree;
- Depending on the assessed level of neediness.
Repayment
Interest computation is deferred until after graduation. Thereafter, average prime rate of DBS, OCBC and UOB applies. Repayment can be in one lump sum or in fixed equal monthly installments (minimum of $100 per month), commencing not later than 2 years after graduation. The maximum repayment period is 20 years.
Students may use their PSEA balance for the repayment of their loan after they have graduated. To apply and find out more about the scheme, please click here. Please note that the application form should be submitted to MOE directly.
Requirement
A guarantor is required. He or she must be an adult between 21 and 60 years of age and is not a bankrupt. Only Singapore Citizen guarantors are acceptable for Singapore Citizen students; Singaporean/SPR guarantors are acceptable for SPR students and Singaporean/SPR/non-Singaporean guarantors are acceptable for international students
Application
Students and their guarantors can apply for the TFL with either DBSupdate or OCBC.
Please note that it is compulsory to indicate your Student ID (e.g. A0123456Z) in the TFL application form, or your application will be rejected by the banks. Prospective students should apply for the TFL only after they have received their Student ID.
For Part-time students pursuing the Bachelor of Technology Programme and Bachelor of Science (Nursing Practice), please apply for Financial Aid to be considered for this loan. An email invitation to apply for Financial Aid will be sent by your faculty in July or December each year. Please follow the instructions in the email to apply for Financial Aid accordingly.
| Semester |
Application Deadline* |
|
| Semester 1 |
2nd Friday of July |
Local students |
| 3rd Friday of July |
International students |
| Late applications are still accepted. |
| Semester 2 |
3rd Friday of January |
All students including iBLOC students |
* If the deadline falls on a public holiday, it will be extended to the following Monday.
Students who have successfully applied for the TFL but were subsequently awarded scholarships or any other awards, may no longer require disbursements from the TFL Scheme to pay for their tuition fees. Such students are required to inform the TFL-Administering Bank at any bank’s branch to cancel/terminate their TFL. For suspension of TFL only, students can either inform the TFL-Administering Bank or the Office of Finance by logging a ticket in NUService Hub, under “Loans”.
Existing Tuition Fee Loan recipients who have changed their degree programmes and are charged new tuition fee amounts are required to inform the TFL-Administering Bank of their change in degree programmes so that the bank may update their information accordingly.
Undergraduates who have transferred from other local universities and had taken up the Tuition Fee Loan for their previous undergraduate degree programmes are required to submit a new application if they are interested to apply for the Tuition Fee Loan to cover their undergraduate degree programmes in NUS.
Update on TFL with DBS
Please note that from 1 June 2023, only online TFL applications will be accepted and hardcopy TFL application forms will no longer be accepted at all DBS Banks. The link for the DBS online TFL application will be made available from 16 June 2023 onwards. In the meantime, please read through this guide to learn more about what you need to prepare in advance to submit your TFL application online.
Important Note: The Digital TFL Application is only applicable to applications with guarantors who are Singapore Citizens/Permanent Residents and foreigners who are pass-holders (residing or working in Singapore). If your guarantor is neither residing nor working in Singapore, you will not be able to apply digitally. Please refer to the guide for more information on how to apply for your TFL. The application form can be downloaded here.
TFL with OCBC
Please note that you can apply for TFL at any OCBC Bank branch in Singapore, excluding Frank stores. To apply for AY2023/2024, please complete the application form here.
For the execution of the TFL, first-time applicants and their guarantors are required to go to the relevant bank with the completed Application Form, their identity cards/passports and NUS Student Card. For new students who have not received their NUS Student Card, they can provide a screenshot of the ‘Confirmation Page for Completion of Registration (Part One)’ from EduRec, showing their Student ID (an example of the screenshot can be found on page 8 of 15 in “Undergraduate Students” Figure 2).
For the execution of TFL overseas (OCBC only), both applicants and guarantors will need to get their signatures witnessed and original documents* sighted at ONE of the following places in their home countries:
- Singapore Embassy
- Notary Public (an English translation of the Notary Public seal is required)
Please note that your loan application will be rejected if the following are not adhered to:
- The borrower is required to sign and date the loan agreement in the presence of the Singapore Embassy or Notary Public
- Under the section “Declaration by Borrower” (page 3)
- Point 3 (page 4)
- Bottom of every page
- The Singapore Embassy or Notary Public has to sign/seal beside every signature.
- The guarantor is required to sign and date the loan agreement in the presence of the Singapore Embassy or Notary Public
- Under the section “Declaration by Guarantor” (page 3)
- Point 3 (page 4)
- Bottom of every page
- The Singapore Embassy or Notary Public has to sign/seal beside the signature.
- Amendments to the loan agreement should be done in the presence of the Singapore Embassy or Notary Public. The Singapore Embassy or Notary Public has to sign/seal beside each amendment.
- Photocopies of original documents* should be signed/sealed by the Singapore Embassy or Notary Public.
- Applicants are required to provide a Singapore address to OCBC upon arrival in Singapore.
Overseas applicants will then have to mail their original documents* and Notary Public seals (if any) to OCBC Singapore at the following address:
Consumer Loan Operations (TC2)
31 Tampines Avenue 4
#01-01/03 OCBC Tampines Centre Two
Singapore 529680
Attention: Person-in-charge, Secured Loan Non-Mortgage
*Original documents refers to the completed Application Form, identity cards/passports, a copy of the University’s Letter of Offer for Admission for new prospective students or NUS Student Card for current students.