SINGAPORE : Top students prefer scholarships by local universities according to an annual survey by JobsFactory.
According to the survey of close to 3,000 'A' levels and
International Baccalaureate (IB Diploma) graduates, the National
University of Singapore undergraduate scholarship is the most popular
scholarship.
Other than the NUS undergraduate scholarship, two other NUS scholarships
- the merit scholarship and the faculty scholarship -- are among the
top five scholarships of choice for top students.
The Nanyang Scholarship offered by Nanyang Technological University
(NTU) is in 5th place.
The only scholarship within the top five that is not offered by a local
university is the FIREfly scholarship in 3rd place.
Director of JobsFactory, Lim Der Shing offered two reasons for the
popularity of local scholarships.
Firstly, these scholarships usually do not come with a bond, allowing
scholars to have the freedom to decide their own career paths and
employers upon graduation.
Secondly, they are tenable for most courses of study and students
appreciate this flexibility.
The Public Service Commission is once again the most popular scholarship
provider among top students, receiving votes from 51.7 per cent of
those interested in scholarships, as compared to 50.1 per cent for
second-placed NUS.
Top students have higher expectations for starting salaries this year,
which could be due to the economy picking up.
Close to a third expect a gross starting monthly salary of between
$2,501 and $3,000.
Another third is expecting between $3,001 and $3,500.
Eight in 10 top students considering an overseas tertiary education
indicated an interest to apply to universities in the UK.
This is significantly higher than the second most popular study
destination, the US, with 51.7 per cent of the votes. Australia/New
Zealand is the third most popular foreign study destination.
- CNA/jy