Enhanced bursaries for post-secondary students will cost the Government $134mn per year

The MOE will increase the quantum and extend the coverage of existing bursaries to benefit Singapore Citizens from two-thirds of all households in Singapore.

According to the Ministry of Education, the increases in bursary amounts will cost the Government about $134 million more per year.

ITE Students

For ITE students, MOE will broaden the coverage of the current CDC/CCC Bursary of $750 per annum to those in the 33rd percentile of household incomes. This is a further enhancement to the 25% increase in the CDC/CCC Bursary Scheme for ITE students announced in January 2011.

Currently, ITE students above the 20th percentile do not receive any Government bursaries. From Academic Year 2011, MOE will extend the MOE Bursary Scheme to ITE students from the 34th to 50th percentile at $360 per annum, and to the 51st to 66th percentile at $150 per annum. This will enable more students to benefit from the enhanced bursaries.

Diploma Students

For diploma students, those from the bottom 33rd percentile of households will receive 50% more through the CDC/CCC Bursary, up from the current $1,200 to $1,800. This will cover about 80% of the average polytechnic tuition fees. Students between the 34th to 50th percentile will receive $550 more through the MOE Bursary. This will cover 60% of the tuition fees.

Presently, diploma students from the 51st to 66th percentile of households do not receive any bursaries. MOE will extend the MOE Bursary to these students. They will receive $450, which will cover 20% of the tuition fees.

Undergraduates

For undergraduates, the Government will broaden the coverage of the CDC/CCC Bursary Scheme up to the bottom 33rd percentile and increase the bursary by 80% from the current $1,600 to $2,900 a year. This will cover about 40% of the average university tuition fees. Undergraduates from the 34th to 50th percentile will also receive $950 more, from the current $1,200 to $2,150, through the MOE Bursary Scheme. This will cover about 30% of the average university tuition fees.