Singapore is often seen by many as one of Asia’s education hubs, which is why many international students flock the country for their studies. Its climate, welcoming people and developed infrastructure also adds to its appeal to international students.
However, since it is seen as a top education hub, there are a lot of schools, colleges and universities in Singapore, it can be hard to pick.
Besides picking the course of your choice, and deciding whether to go for a public or private university in Singapore, here are some areas you need to consider:
Accreditation of the School by CPE
When choosing a school at any level, it is important that it is recognised by the Singapore government.
If you ended up in a school that is not recognised by the government, your degree may not be recognised by future employers and you may end up having to retake your course and pay thousands of dollars again.
To know if a private university is recognised by the government, you can check out their Edutrust certification which is issued by the Council for Private Education or CPE.
The CPE started regulating the country’s private schools since 2009 and have issued certification to various universities in the country.
Reputation of the School and its partners
Aside from Edutrust, you can also check the reputation of the school and their relationship with key partners to help you see if you should consider them as your dream university.
When it comes to the reputation of the school, you can easily see if they are good through their history. If they have been established for years, you can definitely say that they have supported many Singaporean and international students for years. However, if they are a new private university, their reputation is still not as secure as old private schools.
You can also look into the news to see if the university you are considering is making key steps in improving the education of its students or collaborating with other partners. It is also a great indicator of the school’s other initiatives that you also support such as charity or social initiatives.
If they advertise that they are partnered with overseas universities, you can check with them to see if the university you are considering is really affiliated with them.
You can also check the university reputation (and their partner universities) in international or regional rankings as a way to see how well they are doing.
Some of the most important rankings that you can check out include the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. If you will be using rankings, make sure that you check the parameters that these rankings follow because it may not support your search.
School Environment
Even if a university has the best curriculum for the choice course you want to pursue, you have to make sure that you love the school environment.
Will it be easy to commute to the university from your accommodations? Is it far from city centres? Is the campus a mini community or a simple campus building?
Lecturers
Private universities vary when it comes to the composition of their lecturers. Some private universities have foreign staff to support key classes, while others have a full local staff.
Regardless of this fact, these lecturers still follow global standards when it comes to teaching their respective fields.
Ideally, lecturers in your chosen private school must have a master’s degree or higher to be reassured that they are experts in the field you want to explore. Even with the right lecturers, you need to know if you are choosing the right course. Otherwise, you may end up dropping the course and wasting your efforts.
School Facilities
Aside from the school environment offered by the private university, you have to check if they have the right facilities to support your studies.
Most private universities now come with photos of their facilities so prospective students can check them out while deciding if they should enrol in the school or not.
Of course, you must consider if these facilities fit your course requirements. For example, if you will be taking Fashion as a course, it should have a fashion studio for training.
Student Culture
Joining any new school is an experience that may shock you if you come from a school that does not have the same student culture. However, it is an important part of student life that you can’t really ignore.
Check out what clubs or co-curricular activities are available in the private university that you are considering and see if you see yourself taking part in them. Sometimes, the longer history a private university has, the more established their clubs and organisations are.
If you want to undergo exchange programs, you can also check if the private university you are in does have partnership with overseas universities.
Some of them may even offer financial assistance if you want to join the program but couldn’t because of the price. You must take note however, that overseas education is changing landscape and it may affect your exchange program.
A university’s student culture will also be influenced by the community that is in the campus.
Does the university you want to sign up for come with a more international community or are they mostly Singaporeans? Consider what kind of environment you want to expose yourself into as you study to see if the private university you are looking at is ideal.
School Fees
Finally, if you are choosing the right private university for you in Singapore, you have to consider the fees you have to pay for your education.
Enrolling in any private university is no joke because they come with high tuition fees, which even varies depending on the course you selected.
There are some leeways for students as private universities are now partnered with several banks and financial institutions so students can request for interest-free student loans for their education.
Scholarships and other financial assistance are also offered to students to help them with their studies. Find out here if you should take up scholarships and how to apply for one.
See if you will be able to apply for these services and plan accordingly to be able to pay them after you graduate.
Conclusion
Learning in Singapore is a huge investment, especially if you enrol in one of its top private universities. This is the reason why it is important that you take the time to research about the school and see if they are the right one for you.
We hope that this guide helps you pick the best university for your career goals and we wish you good luck!
For more University related articles, check out these:
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