The College of Technology and the Institute of Technology will raise tuition fees, further widening the tuition gap between citizens and non-citizens.
A statement released yesterday by the Institute of Technical Education indicated that citizens enrolled in the Technical Education Certificate courses (Nitec) and the Higher Technical Education Certificate courses (Higher Nitec) will have their annual tuition increased by SGD 10 starting this April. The annual tuition for the Technical Engineer Diploma program, which admits only Singaporean students, will also rise by SGD 50 to SGD 2,150.
The adjustment for non-citizens is significantly larger.
Meanwhile, this year, Singapore citizens enrolling in polytechnic diploma programs will pay an annual tuition of SGD 2,150, which is SGD 50 more than before. Additionally, tuition fees for undergraduate degree programs jointly offered by Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and Nanyang Polytechnic in collaboration with foreign institutions will also increase by 3%, with new tuition for Singapore students ranging from SGD 4,830 to SGD 8,040.
Overall, the tuition increase for non-citizen newcomers enrolling in polytechnic programs will range from SGD 480 to SGD 800; the tuition increase for international students will range from SGD 480 to SGD 1,070.
The statements released yesterday by the Institute of Technical Education and the five polytechnics also noted that existing non-citizen students will have to pay higher tuition starting this year. However, the increase will not be as large as that for new students.
Chen Xi, a 22-year-old international student from Liaoning, China, who is a third-year student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, stated in an interview: “For international newcomers, an increase of over SGD 1,000 is too much. Although the Singapore government keeps saying it wants to attract foreign talent, the recently announced measures have not narrowed the gap between citizens and non-citizens; instead, it has widened it, making people feel uncomfortable. At this rate, it's more cost-effective to become an immigrant in Singapore and enjoy the benefits of the Singapore government as a citizen.”
Data from the Ministry of Education indicates that major universities in Singapore prioritize admissions for Singapore citizens. Currently, the number of permanent residents studying at the Institute of Technical Education and polytechnics does not exceed 5% of the total student population, while the proportion of international students does not exceed 10%.
