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An academic experience that invites you to co-create the curriculum.
Because we believe the best learning isn't delivered, it's shaped together through curiosity and shared aspirations.
Tailored Learning
Second major, minor, specialisation or an interdisciplinary programme – take your pick. Whether you want to combine Biomedical Engineering and Economics or Finance with Anthropology, you’ll have the flexibility to customise your learning to your interests.
nus.edu/specialprogrammes
Industry 5.0 Skills
You’ve probably heard of Industry 4.0. Now go one up – think Industry 5.0, where human-machine collaborations takes centre stage. If you want skills that will truly stand you in good stead, our General Education Pillars are your answer.
- Digital Literacy
- Critique and Expression
- Cultures and Connections
- Singapore Studies
- Communities and Engagement
nus.edu/generaleducation
Grade-free Scheme
Your free pass to try out courses without worrying about grades. Exercise the Satisfactory /Unsatisfactory (S/U) option for up to 32 units in your first two years of study* – where ‘S’ is awarded for D grades and above, while ‘U’ is awarded for F grades. Best part – neither S nor U grades count towards your grade point average.
* If you have any S/U units left after your first two years, you can still use them in subsequent semesters – up to 12 units.
nus.edu/gradefree
Design-Your-Own-Course
Pretty much what it says – design how deep or wide you want to learn, and co-craft the learning outcomes under the guidance of a faculty supervisor. Just one thing – you will need to gather nine other friends to do the course with you (the more the merrier, right?).
Examples of what's been done previously:
- The Art and Science of Photography
- Dialects in Singapore: Hokkien
nus.edu/dyoc
• Starts every year in August and ends in July the following year.
• It consists of two semesters with 13 weeks of academic instruction and 2 weeks of exams.
• You probably see things like AY2026/2027 – which refers to the AY starting in August 2026 and ending in July 2027.
Note: The Faculty of Dentistry and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine operate on a slightly different academic calendar
• Your main subject of study at NUS, with over 60 majors to choose from.
• In most cases, you get to mix and match with second majors, minors and specialisations – creating a curriculum that syncs up with your interests.
– Primary major: Main field of study
– Second major: Different field of study from primary major, with less depth
– Minor: Similar to second major, but less in-depth
– Specialisation: Sub-discipline within primary/second major
• Measured in units, with one unit equating to 2.5 hours of work (such as lectures, tutorials and assignments) per week.
• Students typically take 20 units each semester, which is about 50 hours every week.
• Courses are represented by a unique course code, such as RB1101 Fundamentals of Robotics I. In this case, the alphabets ‘RB’ refer to the discipline (Robotics), and the first number ‘1’ refers to the course level.
• Level 1 courses are typically introductory courses, with difficulty increasing as the levels go up. RB2101 Fundamentals of Robotics II would therefore be more advanced than RB1101.
• The system of instruction used here, where you can choose from the courses on offer by the various Colleges, Faculties and Schools.
• Giving you the flexibility to pace your learning by taking up as many courses as you can handle (overloading subject to approval).
• How academic performance is tracked.
• You will receive a grade (each with a corresponding grade point) for each course you take, from 5 points for A+/A grades to 0 points for an F.
• GPA can then be calculated using this formula:
| Four Year Honours Degree Programmes | GPA Criteria |
| Honours (Highest Distinction) | 4.50 and above |
| Honours | 4.00 - 4.49 |
| Honours (Merit) | 3.50 - 3.99 |
| Honours | 3.00 - 3.49 |
| Pass | 2.00 - 2.99 |
| Three Year Degree Programmes | GPA Criteria |
| Pass with Merit | 3.00 and above |
| Pass | 2.00 - 2.99 |
