Quick Eligibility Checker
Answer 7 questions from published official materials. This is a planning tool, not an official A*STAR decision. Criteria are not exhaustive.
1. Are you an international BSc/MSc student or graduate (not a Singapore-citizen NSS track)?
2. Do you hold, or are you on track for, a Bachelor's or Master's in a relevant science/engineering field?
3. Are you applying for a research PhD — not a standalone Master's?
4. Are you proficient in written and spoken English?
5. Can you provide strong academic references?
6. Are you applying for SINGA — not AGS, NSS, ARAP, or SRAP?
7. Will you apply via the current official A*STAR scholarship website / applicant system (not an old blog link)?
You meet these published planning gates
Next: confirm the live 2027 call on A*STAR, then start the official file.
You may not be eligible on these rules
One or more published gates failed, or you may belong on AGS / NSS instead. Confirm on A*STAR.
This is a planning tool, not an official A*STAR decision. The 2023 brochure says criteria are not exhaustive.
What official materials publish
The 2023 A*STAR SINGA brochure (accurate as of 1 November 2023) lists these gates and then says they are not exhaustive. Complete criteria sit on the official website. On 22 September 2026 that dedicated page 404'd. Use the current scholarships site and [email protected] until A*STAR republishes the SINGA page.
Open to current Bachelor's or Master's students and to graduates. Current students can apply. The brochure frames SINGA as a unique award to pursue a PhD in science and engineering in Singapore.
Selection, per the same brochure, looks at academic record, publications, referee recommendations, personal achievements, and the ability to excel in research. Shortlisted applicants may be interviewed.
The brochure requires proficiency. It does not publish a TOEFL or IELTS floor on that page. Host universities may still ask for a test. Confirm on the live call.
The current applicant-portal FAQ treats referee emails as a live field. Wrong referee addresses are corrected by emailing [email protected] with your application number.
SINGA is not AGS
The live A*STAR scholarships listing still publishes AGS in detail. AGS funds a PhD or EngD at a Singapore autonomous university for up to four years. International AGS applicants must have completed, or be on track for, a degree at a Singapore AU. Non-SPR foreigners serve a three-year service commitment in a Singapore-based company. AGS also publishes a stipend table. None of that is SINGA.
Do not send a SINGA file into the AGS form, or the reverse. The portal FAQ uses a separate SINGA declaration and a separate enquiry inbox ([email protected] versus [email protected]).
Hosts — only as A*STAR lists them
The 2023 brochure names A*STAR, NTU, NUS, SMU, and SUTD. An official A*STAR Research article says SINGA began with NUS and NTU and later added SUTD and SMU. Indexed A*STAR pages also had supervisor directories for A*STAR, NUS, and SUTD. Those talent URLs 404'd on 22 September 2026. SIT appears on some A*STAR material; do not treat SIT as a current host unless A*STAR lists it on a live page.
NUS still names SINGA on its Service Obligation page. NTU's Asian School of the Environment still lists SINGA for international applicants on its graduate page.
Confirm the current wording on the official scholarships site. Enquiries: [email protected].