These scholarships are open to all PhD graduate students. It is tenable for 1 year in the first instance and is renewable annually, subject to satisfactory progress. Each scholarship carries:

• The monthly stipend for Singapore citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners are currently S$3,500, S$3,100 and S$2,700 respectively
• A monthly top-up of $500 for PhD candidate upon passing the PhD Qualifying Exam
• No travel or other allowances are provided

In return, scholarship recipients are required to render a nominal 6 hours of work per week without remuneration. The work rendered will be in the nature of research or teaching or department work as dictated by Thesis Advisor and Vice-Dean (Research).

More details are available at:
NUS Research Scholarship (with GAP)
NUS Research Scholarship (GAP exempted)

The Commonwealth Scholarship (“Scholarship”) is awarded to outstanding graduate students from Commonwealth countries for research leading to a higher degree at the University. This Scholarship is for new, incoming students who are not Singapore citizens or permanent residents. The Scholarship consists of a monthly stipend plus a tuition fee subsidy. A number of students are selected each semester by the University for the award.

Eligibility

The Scholarship is open to candidates who meet the following criteria:

1. Nationals from any Commonwealth countries except for Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents;
2. Have graduated with an undergraduate degree with at least Second Class Honours (Upper Division)/Honours (Distinction) or equivalent;
3. At the time of award of the Scholarship, candidate must have been offered admission to a full-time graduate research programme at NUS; and
4. Must be eligible for MOE Subsidy*
   *Please click here for Eligibility Guidelines for MOE Subsidy 

More details are available here.

The President’s Graduate Fellowship (”Fellowship”) is awarded to PhD candidates who show exceptional promise or accomplishment in research. A number of PhD candidates are selected each semester by the University for the award. The following Fellowships are donor-funded: President’s Graduate Fellowship (funded by Lee Kong Chian Scholarship) and President’s Graduate Fellowship (funded by Jasmine Scholarship).

Eligibility

The Fellowship is open to new, incoming PhD candidates who meet the following criteria:

• Exemplary academic record. Top performance in undergraduate/postgraduate studies, graduation from top programs, and other academic/research achievements.
• Strong research potential. Potential to be a future leader in their respective fields based on the strength and originality of research proposal, credible signs of research ability, and expertise/interests that might lead to a path-breaking piece of work. Research interests that are aligned and/or complementary with the strengths of NUS faculty is a plus.
• Strong ethical character and high potential to succeed in our PhD programme.

More details are available here.

Details of Tuition Fee Loan Scheme can be found here.

Other Financial Aid information can be found here.

An official transcript of academic records is required from each university you have attended. You are responsible for requesting the transcript(s) from the relevant University. Please use the prescribed form for such request.

Transcripts must be enclosed in an official SEALED with its flap bearing the security seal of the university and the signature of the Registrar or representative.

All except applicants from universities in Singapore, the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines are to submit evidence of English language proficiency.

• TOEFL - Minimum of 580 (paper-based score), 237 (computer-based score), and 85 (internet-based score)

• IELTS - Minimum of 6.5 (overall score) and 6.5 (writing component score)

Aggregate minimum score of 320 is set for the GRE Verbal (V) and Quantitative (Q) sections and a minimum score of 3.5 is set for the Analytical (A) section.

With effect from August 2023, all PhD applicants will be required to submit their GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores. However, students with an excellent academic track record from renowned universities may request a waiver of this requirement.

Recommendations from 2 academic referees are to be submitted via the online admission system. You should check with your referees and obtain their institutional e-mail address.

E-mail addresses from domains other than ".edu" may be subject to additional screening and filtering. Once your online application is submitted, an automated e-mail will be sent to your referees.

Please submit a copy of each of your publication(s), if any. The journal’s “Impact Factor” field (which allows input of up to one decimal point) is essentially a measure of scientific impact that is based on citation rates for an article or other citable item. It also takes into account the significance of the journals in which result has been published. Please leave it blank if you are unsure.

International applicants who are not applying for our Research Scholarship or have indicated their wish to be considered for admission in the event that their Research Scholarship application is unsuccessful, must submit documentary evidence of their ability to support their study (e.g. a bank statement). Applicant must show documentary proof that they are able to support their study for at least 2 years [estimated cost of living (S$36,000) plus Tuition Fees]. Click on Fees to see Other Expenditure.

Applicants who are sponsored by an individual or organization will need to submit a letter from the sponsor with details/documentary proof of the sponsorship.

Those who are working in Singapore and applying for admission to our part-time programme may submit a copy of their recent pay slip.

MDG5108 Biostatistics for Basic Research or IE6002 Advanced Engineering Statistics

The DY5190 Graduate Seminar course is designed to promote a strong research culture among the research students and to improve their communication skills through presentations and conference attendance. It is a compulsory course for graduation. The grading is “Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory” on the basis of student’s participation and presentation at conferences/seminars and workshops.

It is mandatory for all research students to make a pre- or post-conference presentations to the Faculty every time they attend conferences for poster/oral presentation.

NG5001 Academic Communication for Graduate Researchers

NG5002 Research Ethics for Graduate Researchers (compulsory for PhD students enrolled from AY2024/2025 onwards)

At level > 5000 and ≥ 4 Units. Elective course must be credit based i.e. graded.

Not exceeding 80,000 words.

Those deemed weak in English by Faculty would have to sit for the Diagnostic English Test and take additional English Language courses administered by the Centre for English Language (CELC).

Students in research-based graduate programmes are required to submit a research progress report bi-annually.

For more information and resources on student matters, click here.

A Thesis Committee is to be formed within 6 months of enrolment. Thesis Advisor is to submit the application form for Formation of PhD Research Thesis Committee (RTC) via DD to Vice Dean Research Office.

The committee comprises thesis advisor and 2 other members. At most, one co-thesis advisor can be a member of the RTC. The other must not be involved with supervision of student. Thesis Committee Members need not be restricted only to staff members of the Faculty of Dentistry. Staff members and investigators from national Research Institutes/Centers and other faculties within NUS may be included.

1. Attend DY5190 Graduate Seminar course
2. Complete other 3 modules with minimum GPA 3.5 
3. The same applies for those upgrading to PhD

Candidates must register at least 2 months before the date of PQE.

• The recommendation to take PQE is from the PhD Research Thesis Committee through VDR Office.
• The candidate must submit an abstract of more than 250 words with the application form.

Thesis advisor is to complete two forms: (i) Registration for PhD Qualifying Examination and (ii) Nomination of Examiners for PhD Qualifying Examination.

The Vice Dean Graduate Studies (VDGS) will decide application based on completion of coursework requirements and time from start of PhD candidature.

Candidate is to submit protocol (maximum of four A4 pages) Adobe PDF format one month before PQE to Dean’s Office.

The research protocol should give an indication the nature of research, and what candidate have done, found out and intend to do for the remaining time of his/her PhD.

The general format is:

1. Title
2. Concise review of literature (= 3 A4 pages, single spaced, size 12 font or smaller)
3. Gap in knowledge
4. Proposed materials and method
5. Initial findings
6. Initial conclusions

Protocol must receive approval from all PhD RTC members before submission to the Dean’s Office.

The Qualifying Examination comprises a 30-minute oral presentation and a discussion between examiners and candidate for 30-45 minutes. The examiners will then decide whether candidate has sufficient background knowledge to pursue the PhD research project.

Candidate will be informed of the decision of examining panel within two weeks of the exam.

A second attempt, if any, must be completed within 6 months after the first attempt.

Candidates who passed the QE will be awarded a monthly top-up of $500 for a max of 24 months but not more than 48 months of their candidature.

The oral examination will only be convened if candidate passes the thesis examination. It will be scheduled within 6 weeks when the thesis result is known.

PhD candidate is to give an Oral Presentation for 30 - 45 minutes with visual aids e.g. PowerPoint.

The presentation should highlight the objectives & scope of research project, methodology, conclusions and original contributions to the research area.

Discussion will last for at least 45 minutes.

Chair of panel to communicate result to PhD candidate immediate after the exam. A consolidated report consisting of pre-oral report and the recommendations from oral panel will be sent to candidate.

There are two intakes per academic year: August intake (semester 1) and January intake (semester 2).

No pre-admission examination is required, except for the language examinations which are taken at the applicant’s expense. You will be contacted if you are shortlisted for an interview.

Yes, all applicants except those who have a degree (either Bachelor's or higher) from universities in Singapore, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines are required to sit for the TOEFL/IELTS test.

Yes. You just need to indicate the test date in your application and provide us with the test scores after your exam.

With effect from August 2023, all PhD applicants will be required to submit their GRE (Graduate Record Examination) scores. However, students with an excellent academic track record from renowned universities may request a waiver of this requirement.

First of all, you must decide which area you have an inherent interest and potential competency. You may contact a potential Thesis Advisor for an initial discussion. Otherwise, you could just key in the research topic in the online application form. The Faculty will circulate your application among the relevant faculty members. Remember, you should not apply for a research programme just because you think it is a way of getting an additional qualification. Interest in the research topic should take priority as it will determine your success of your learning.

We only accept online applications. Applicants will need to submit physical copies of supporting documents. Click here for the checklist of supporting documents.

The outcome timelines for applications for August and January intakes are 31 May and 31 October respectively.

The University has not engaged any external agencies to undertake graduate student recruitment on its behalf. Candidates interested in our graduate programmes are advised to apply directly to the University and not through any agents. Candidates who apply through agents will not have any added advantage in gaining admission and the University reserves the right to reject such applications without giving reasons.

Yes, you can re-apply for the next intake.

The number of research scholarships is not fixed and it is dependent on the budget given to the faculty. All the applications will be evaluated on a competitive basis. The most outstanding candidates (academic and suitability) will be awarded research scholarships.

Each NUS Research scholarship carries a monthly stipend for Singapore citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and foreigners at S$3,500, S$3,100 and S$2,700 respectively, and a full research fee subsidy. No travel or other allowances are provided. For PhD students who have passed their PhD Qualifying Examinations, they receive a top-up of $500 per month. No bond is required.

Please refer to Immigration & Checkpoint Authority (ICA)'s website for the list of countries that require an entry visa. The Office of the University Registrar will help to apply for a single-journey visa cum in-principle student pass approval on behalf of international students. The original approval letter issued by the ICA and the valid passport must be presented to the Duty Officer at the Immigration checkpoint upon arrival in Singapore. No deposit is required by Immigration Office.

To practise clinically in Singapore, your BDS degrees must be registrable with Singapore Dental Council.

Yes, subject to availability of research positions. For clinical positions, registration of your degree rest with Singapore Dental Council.

The recognition of our research degrees varies from country to country. Please check with the country concerned.