SINGAPORE: Higher income eligibility ceilings across financial assistance schemes offered by the Ministry of Education (MOE), and bigger transport subsidies for primary and secondary students from next year.
These are some of the upcoming enhancements announced by the ministry on Thursday (Oct 16), which could benefit an additional 31,000 students from lower- and middle-income households by providing support for education-related costs, and access to school and post-secondary programmes.
This also brings the total number of students who would benefit from MOE’s financial assistance schemes annually to about 133,000, it said.
“These enhancements will give students from lower- and middle-income households greater support to manage education costs, and ensure every Singaporean child and youth can continue to access school and post-secondary programmes,” said Education Minister Desmond Lee in a Facebook post.
Most of the changes will commence from 2026 when the academic year starts, but the revised income criteria for the Edusave Merit Bursary will take effect from November to coincide with the upcoming bursary exercise that month and December.
MOE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEMES
In order to support more students and familities, the income eligibility crtieria will be revised for these six means-tested schemes:
- MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) for Government and Government-Aided Schools (GGAS) and Specialised Schools (SS)
- Special Education (SPED) FAS for MOE-funded SPED schools
- MOE Independent School Bursary (MOE ISB) in Independent Schools and Specialised Independent Schools (ISSIS)
- UPLIFT Scholarship for ISSIS
- Edusave Merit Bursary for GGAS, SS, ISSIS, Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and Polytechnics
- Government bursaries for Post-Secondary Education Institutions (PSEIs)
For example, the gross household monthly income ceiling in relation to MOE FAS and SPED FAS will be raised from S$3,000 (US$2,316) to S$4,000, and the per capita income ceiling will go up from S$750 to S$1,000.
In addition, MOE and PSEIs will implement the Household Means Eligibility System (HOMES) to streamline applications and means-testing processes starting in the 2026 Academic Year.
“With HOMES, most applicants no longer need to submit supporting documents, such as income documents, thus making the application process more convenient for them,” said the ministry.
Means-testing for MOE financial assistance will consider the household income of all family members living with the student and the average household income over the past 12 months.
“This approach provides a fair and representative indication of the family’s household income,” said the ministry.
All income from employment and trade, including bonuses and allowances, will also be included in the income assessment. This also applies to other sources of administrative income, such as rental income, as reflected in the Notice of Assessment issued by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
The financial assistance schemes for GGAS, SS, ISSIS, and SPED will also be enhanced to provide more financial support.
The school bus subsidy for primary school students under financial assistance will be raised from 65 per cent to 70 per cent of the monthly school bus fare. Public transport subsidy for these primary and secondary school students will also increase from S$17 to S$21 per month.
Subsequently, the annual pre-university bursary quantum will increase from S$1,200 to S$1,600, with the monthly S$21 public transport subsidy, which is currently distributed separately, to be folded in. This change will also apply to pre-university students receiving assistance under the MOE ISB.
In addition, the annual UPLIFT Scholarship amount will increase from S$1,000 to S$1,200 to better support students from lower-income households in ISSIS who have performed well academically or demonstrated strengths in specific talent areas.
PSEIS BURSARY QUANTA
MOE will raise the bursary quanta for both full-time and part-time students at publicly-funded PSEIs.
Full-time Singaporean ITE Nitec and Higher Nitec students from lower-income families who qualify for the highest bursary tier will continue to have 100 per cent of their tuition fees subsidised and a cash bursary to cover other education-related expenses.
MOE will also increase the cash award for the merit-based ITE Community Scholarship from S$1,800 to S$2,050 per year.
Furthermore, full-time Singaporean diploma students from lower-income families who qualify for the highest bursary tier will continue to benefit from bursaries valued at about 95 per cent of the subsidised tuition fees.
The annual bursary quanta for full-time Singaporean undergraduates, excluding medicine and dentistry courses, will remain unchanged. Those from lower-income families studying general undergraduate courses who qualify for the highest bursary tier will continue to benefit from bursaries valued at about 75 per cent of their subsidised tuition fees.
Meanwhile, the government bursary for medical and dental undergraduate students will be revised so that those who qualify for the highest bursary tier pay no more than S$5,000 per year in tuition fees for the 2026 academic year. This amount takes into account the financial assistance provided by their university.
