An annual survey by BrightSparks showed that scholarships issued by local universities SMU, NUS and NTU remained the top picks for scholarship applicants in Singapore. These scholarships saw a five-year-high popularity since 2009, garnering 22.4 per cent votes from ‘A’ level and International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma graduates and Polytechnic final year students. While NUS and NTU scholarships continued to hold first and second place among ‘A’ level and IB diploma graduates, SMU made a quick debut into the top five scholarship provider rankings, rising over 16 notches to fifth rank.