“No one is left behind” — SMU’s financial aid scheme to benefit over 3,000 students annually, up from the previous 200

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Management University (SMU), which introduced a financial aid programme in 2017 to cover the full tuition fees for financially disadvantaged undergraduate students, will expand the scheme in August 2025 to also include allowances for living costs and international experiences, as reported by The New Paper.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the university announced that under the updated SMU Access Plus scheme, it will remove criteria like housing type and focus on per capita income and citizenship instead.

This change is expected to help over 3,000 students yearly, a significant increase from only about 200 students who previously qualified for the programme.

Since 2018, the university has required all of its students to gain some form of international exposure, whether through an overseas exchange programme, an international internship, or overseas community service.

SMU President Lily Kong said, “Experiencing the world through the lens of university education is a transformative opportunity – one that fosters international networks, broadens horizons and opens doors to new possibilities.

Such opportunities for global exposure should be accessible to every student, regardless of financial circumstance.”

She noted that this is why the university is enhancing the SMU Access scheme to help students gain global experiences, ensuring that “no one is left behind.” /TISG