NTU Nanyang President Graduate Scholarship 2027–2028: Preparation and Application Guide
A strong final-year research project could be the starting point for a funded PhD in Singapore. Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has announced its Nanyang President’s Graduate Scholarship (NPGS) for academic year 2027–2028, with applications opening in November. Applicants of all nationalities can compete for this full-time doctoral award.
NPGS recognises academic achievement, research potential and leadership. Your first task is to find an NTU research programme that fits your question, then build the evidence for scholarship consideration. What does “nomination only” mean for an applicant, and which documents should you prepare before the window opens? This guide takes you from choosing your research direction to completing the application.
01 — Who should prepare an NPGS application?
NPGS requires a bachelor’s degree with Honours (Highest Distinction), or equivalent. Final-year applicants need official university confirmation that they are on track for that classification. Request this evidence early rather than relying on your own explanation of your grades.
The distinction matters: NTU’s general research admission threshold is Honours (Distinction), or equivalent, so being eligible for PhD admission does not automatically establish NPGS eligibility. A master’s degree is required where the chosen programme specifies it; do not assume one admission rule covers every school.
Start with the schools and programme requirements linked from NTU’s Research Programmes Admission Guide. Research routes span computing, engineering, sciences, medicine, business, humanities, arts, communication and social sciences, with arts, education and sciences also available through NIE. Choose an actual PhD programme and suitable supervision rather than treating NPGS as a subject-specific course.
My recommendation is to shortlist supervisors before polishing your proposal. Read their recent work and identify the question you could investigate with them. Any compulsory supervisor-contact or consent requirement comes from your chosen programme’s instructions.
Return to the NTU preparation guide
02 — What does the Nanyang President’s Graduate Scholarship cover?
The published package covers annual tuition and a monthly stipend: S$4,300 for international students, S$4,800 for permanent residents and S$5,300 for Singapore citizens. These are the rates effective from January 2026; NTU reserves the right to revise award terms.
- Overseas conference support: up to S$5,000 per financial year.
- Books: S$500 annually.
- IT: S$1,500 once.
- Thesis: S$600 once, disbursed during final-year scholarship renewal.
The award is initially for one year, renewable subject to progress, with a maximum of four years. Campus accommodation priority does not mean free housing. Budget for rent and living expenses from your stipend, and keep an arrival reserve rather than assuming every relocation cost is separately reimbursed.
NPGS has no bond, but international scholars must fulfil Graduate Assistantship Programme duties. Teaching or laboratory supervision is therefore part of the commitment. The School of Social Sciences’ graduate FAQ also explains an important planning distinction: permission to continue a PhD beyond the scholarship period does not extend its funding.
Return to the NTU preparation guide
03 — How should you prepare and apply for NPGS?
Prepare a PhD admission application for NTU; scholarship nomination is part of the university’s selection process. For example, NTU Economics explains that its school reviews candidates and recommends an appropriate scholarship on merit. Expressing an NPGS preference does not secure nomination.
I would prioritise the proposal and referee arrangements now: both benefit from time for other people to read and respond. Use the following preparation checklist to make your application coherent.
| Prepare | Make it useful to the reviewer |
|---|---|
| Passport and academic records | Gather legible records, grading information and official English translations where needed. |
| Research proposal | Explain the problem, research gap, question, methods and feasibility; follow your programme’s format. |
| CV and personal statement | Connect research experience, skills and leadership to the project you want to undertake. |
| Two academic referees | Ask people who can explain your contribution and research potential with concrete examples. |
| Language and other evidence | Arrange required test results or English-medium evidence, publication abstracts where applicable, and any programme-specific submissions. |
NTU’s general guidance requires TOEFL/IELTS when the bachelor’s degree was not taught in English; programme-specific rules determine scores and exemptions. For example, Biological Sciences allows documentary evidence of English-medium tertiary study to support a waiver. Engineering and Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme applicants also need a video essay under the current central guide.
- Select your PhD and school. Read its academic, language, supervision and additional-document requirements before choosing the application route.
- Use the official application system. For NTU research programmes, enter the Graduate Admissions portal. NIE applicants should use the NIE exercise linked in the deadline section.
- Complete admission and funding information. Select full-time doctoral study and indicate your scholarship preference where requested. Supply the prepared evidence and complete any school-specific questions.
- Arrange referee submission. NTU requires institutional referee email addresses and sends online report invitations. Monitor completion in the portal rather than assuming a CV attachment replaces a referee report.
- Resolve the fee and submit. The standard research fee is non-refundable. NTU automatically waives it for listed eligible nationals who have resided in their eligible country since birth; nationality alone is insufficient.
- Prepare for selection. Shortlisted NPGS candidates are interviewed. Practice explaining your research question, methodological choices and personal contribution to earlier work; distinguish your ideas from your team’s achievements.
Return to the NTU preparation guide
04 — NPGS questions that affect your preparation
Does a strong master’s result remove the bachelor’s requirement?
The published NPGS criteria do not state such an exemption. If your qualifications use a different classification system, seek an equivalency assessment from the receiving school before treating a later degree as a substitute.
Is GRE compulsory for every NTU PhD applicant?
No. NTU’s central guide treats GRE/GMAT/GATE as optional while allowing individual programmes to require them. Read your chosen programme’s rule before spending time and money on a test.
Can a referee use Gmail or another personal email?
NTU’s central application instructions require an official institutional email and exclude free-email providers. Obtain the correct address before entering your referee’s details so the report request reaches an accepted account.
Return to the NTU preparation guide
05 — NPGS 2027–2028 application dates
The Nanyang President’s Graduate Scholarship application period at NTU is 1 November 2026 to 31 December 2026. The last date to apply for this announced 2027–2028 cycle is therefore 31 December 2026, according to the official NPGS notice. As of 19 October 2026, this scholarship window has not opened.
For the National Institute of Education, the application period is 2 November 2026 to 30 December 2026. The last date to apply through NIE is 30 December 2026. Its August 2027 Graduate Programmes Application Exercise confirms this research-programme window.
NTU asks referees to complete their online reports within 14 working days of receiving the invitation. I recommend submitting early enough to follow up on those reports and any missing evidence. A later general programme deadline should not be treated as an extension of the NPGS window; plan against the scholarship dates above, using Singapore time (UTC+8).