Full article at http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/03/most-expensive-colleges-business-0203_colleges.html
Singapore: National University of Singapore
2008-2009 estimated tuition cost: $24,000 (non-resident)
The Times of London ranked the National University of Singapore as one of the top 20 best universities in the world in 2006. But NUS doesn't come cheap, especially compared with its Asian peers. The tuition cost is higher for international students, but residents of Singapore only pay a few thousand less. NUS students benefit from a relatively low cost of living, just $5,100 per year. Still, a total price tag of more than $31,000 per year makes an NUS education one of the most expensive in Asia.
My alma mater has become very expensive. My dad used to say all the taxes he has paid was more than worth it because all his three children paid such low tuition fees at NUS then.
Our politicians have oft repeated that no citizen will be denied a place at our universities and polytechnics because of financial impediments. They must have made a mistake on this one because you will time and again find reports in the papers of students leaving school to support their families. There will be more such stories in this hard times on top new graduates having a hard time landing jobs.
Dubai national schools are cheap but of pathetic quality and only for the locals. Many emiratis send their children to international school which are not cheap. Unfortunately the academic standards are nothing to shout about according to the latest TIMSS results. This is confirmed by our experience too. The school fees for my two children come up to USD 27K per school year. The food in the canteen is limited and very pricey; approximately four to five times more than Singapore's schools. School bus transport is about USD 1.8K per school year per child. Meanwhile one school has been making the news for a few consecutive days already because they are going to up school fees by more than 100% over the next two years. See The National's article: "Silent treatment over school fees"
3 comments:
A friend who is familiar with university fees because her children are of that age told me that local students typically pays much less - S$7,000 instead of S$30,000 per academic year.
I didn't expect Forbes to make this mistake or is anti-Singapore like some publications, as they have Lee Kuan Yew as a regularly contributing articles.
Sorry, typo error. I mean Lee Kuan Yew as a regular articles contributor to Forbes magazine.
NUS has finally commented on that Forbes article. In the interest of fair play, I feel that given the opportunity to my blog entry, I ought to publish NUS point of view. Here it is.
"When contacted by local Chinese paper Lianhe Wanbao, a spokesperson for NUS said they were "honoured" to be on Forbes’ list of best universities in the world, but wished to refute its claim about NUS being one of the most expensive colleges in Asia.
According to the NUS’ spokesperson, all local students are awarded a tuition grant and subsidy by the S'pore government. After the subsidy, most students pay between $6,000 to $8,000.
However, foreign students pay a higher fee, which is about 50 per cent more. The amount ranges between $9,000 to $20,000. Even then, he said, this is much lower than the fees of other top universities.
Foreign students keen to study at NUS are also eligible for financial aid. NUS has a comprehensive subsidy scheme designed to provide financial aid for overseas students. These include, study loans, bursaries and scholarships, he said."
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