Fee hikes at polys, ITE and universities

The three universities, five polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) announced separately last Friday that they will raise tuition fees for the academic year starting this year. The institutions all said the increased cost of providing a quality education has forced the fee hikes which, as with previous hikes, will be bigger for permanent residents and foreigners than for citizens. Singaporeans starting at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will pay 4 to 6 per cent more than their seniors; those starting at the Singapore Management University (SMU) will pay 3 per cent more. At SMU, one in six first-year students is on some kind of financial aid, which can take the form of financial grants, bursaries, study-abroad loans, book allowances or computer loans.