SINGAPORE: A Reddit post by an international student claiming that missing out on a place at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) or the National University of Singapore (NUS) may actually be “a blessing in disguise” has sparked discussion online.
The student argued that those who were rejected, couldn’t afford the tuition fees, or were still weighing up their university options, may have unknowingly dodged a difficult experience.
According to the poster, Singapore’s top universities have been facing growing criticism in recent months, and from his perspective, much of it is justified.
“Over the past six months, I’ve seen a lot of negativity behind SG and their top universities (a lot of the current alumni complaining). Well, I’m also a current alumnus and let me tell you, pretty much all of the negativity behind these universities is justified, and to all the people who got rejected/don’t have the money to go/considering between universities, trust me, y’all lucked out.”
He went on to claim that many international students, particularly those not receiving a tuition grant, were treated as “cash cows.”
“To most of the students who got in (most of you are again non-Tuition grant students) – well, you’re basically gonna be treated as cash cows and at the end of your degree, they’ll give you a big fat ‘f off to your hometown’ for which also you’re gonna get absolutely no support for.”
He then outlined three main reasons why he believes studying at Singapore’s top universities may not be as appealing as many prospective students think.
Job market
The foreign student claimed Singapore’s job market is “beyond cooked.”
He alleged it was so bad that career counsellors had told international students to return to their “motherland,” as the NTU name would be enough to help them find work there.
“I had one of my counsellors telling me to become a construction worker (yeah, that’s how bad things are getting here). And oh yeah, did I mention no special programs for us -> less chance for us to upskill -> lesser likelihood of getting a good job (anyways, I’m not gonna rant since plenty of students have already done that).”
Tuition grant
The student also speculated that fewer tuition grants are now being offered because the employment outlook has worsened.
They argued that with many local and bonded graduates already struggling to find jobs, the government may have become more cautious about awarding grants to international students, as they would have little chance of securing employment in Singapore after graduation.
At the same time, the student claimed the opposite had been true just a few years ago, arguing that tuition grants were handed out far more generously before and shortly after the pandemic, with “every Tom, Dick, and Harry” seemingly receiving one.
To support this point, he shared: “I had a senior 2 years ago who got around 87% and got into NTU computing with a Tuition grant (which heavily undermined the quality of students coming in). Obviously, this sucks because those guys are barely smart enough to do anything and they give a bad reputation / ruin the chances for actually talented students.”
Campus concerns
Beyond the job market and tuition grants, the student said the universities had made several decisions over the past few years that “genuinely boil his blood.”
He claimed the universities made research mandatory instead of work experience or internships and gave student buildings to large corporations.
“They gave out student buildings to big corp simply because they donated a ton of money to the uni (students get no benefits by the way, internationals have it worse).”
He added that those who failed to get into NTU or NUS “should be grateful” they never had to experience them.
On top of that, the student complained about the steady rise in food prices and hall rental fees.
He claimed accommodation costs have climbed so sharply that living on campus now costs almost as much as renting elsewhere.
“[They increased] the rent of all the halls by a drastic amount every year to the point that getting housing outside of campus now would almost be the same (usually the difference between prices outside and within campus used to be like 50% cheaper on campus). And there’s quite a bit more, but you get the point.”
Lastly, the student criticised the universities’ administration, stating, “Admin is extremely inefficient, and even if you get an internship, they’re gonna bog you down with a bunch of unnecessary stuff (other NUS/NTU students have spoken in greater depth about this).”
“Nobody owes you a job or a living”
The post has since drawn criticism, with some Redditors saying the post author sounded rather “entitled.”
One argued that Singapore had no obligation to hire inexperienced graduates.
“Why would Singapore need to hire inexperienced graduates? I find it a common problem with Indian students, especially, where they expect jobs to be handed to them on a silver platter because they’re used to the placement system back home. It’s pretty hilarious. You’re right. You’re here to study, not to get a job. If you need to go into a huge amount of debt, then don’t.”
Another said, “Do you realise how entitled you sound? Nobody owes you a job or a living.”
A third pointed out, “Bruh, if I pay to study in the US, I ain’t expecting them to give me a job. Very entitled to think that paying for education is a guaranteed means of getting a job.”
A few others, however, defended the post author, with one arguing that those criticising the post did not fully understand how challenging the situation is for international students.
For one, the Redditor pointed out that some companies, particularly multinational corporations, explicitly state that they only hire “Singapore citizens or permanent residents.”
They added, “The commenters also need to realise it is significantly harder for international students to break into the local unis in Singapore, and if we assume that most of us keep the same level of intelligence and hard work going forward, it definitely will not be a skill issue on our part.”
“I also don’t understand how people are justifying the incompetence of the career counsellors and the overall teaching body with the argument that these are top universities. If their education is bad, career support is horrible, and there is zero help on either side, then am I supposed to praise y’all for your services? No.”/TISG
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