The Complete Guide To Singapore Medical Schools

If you are looking to enrol in a medical programme in Southeast Asia, Singapore offers 2 strong programmes from NTU and NUS – both are top universities in Asia and the world.

The NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine alternates between being #1 or #2 in Asia, whereas the NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine has a partnership with National Healthcare Group, a leader in public healthcare in Singapore recognised for delivering high value patient care.

As such, the two schools only admit a select few to their programmes each year. While top grades are of paramount importance to gaining admission, they are not enough. A prospective applicant needs to have extensive volunteering, medical shadowing, leadership experiences, as well as be able to speak persuasively about their knowledge of and desire to study medicine in the interview stage.

The competition for spots in these schools pays off: according to the Graduate Employment Survey, 100% of NUS Medicine graduates find employment. In the newer NTU medical programme results are just coming in, but students are vying for a chance to train at NTU’s various healthcare partners in Singapore and overseas.

Pre-requisites

From AY2026, the following subjects will be taken into consideration for UAS (University Admission Score) computation:

Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ level Certificate

• 3 H2 content-based subjects (A good H2 pass in Chemistry and H2 pass in either Biology or Physics)
• General Paper (GP)
• A pass grade in Project Work
• H1 Mother Tongue Language and/or the fourth H1/H2 content-based subject may be considered if it improves the overall candidate profile.

Polytechnic Diploma

• Good GPA in a Health Science-related and relevant diploma.

NUS High School

• Major CAP of at least 2.0 in Chemistry and either Biology or Physics, and CAP of at least 1.0 in one other major and in English Programme and Research Project.

International Baccalaureate

• A good pass in Higher Level Chemistry and either Higher Level Biology or Physics.

International Qualifications and others

• Year 12 or higher-level pass in Chemistry and Biology or Physics.
• Submission of supplementary qualifications (UCAT, SAT/ACT with Writing, AP Exams) on top of the Final High School Results.

Application Requirements

Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare for if you are looking to get into NTU/NUS medical programmes:

National University of Singapore (NUS)

Proclaimed the best medical school in Asia in 2017, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine offers students an active, collaborative, and engaging curriculum with top-notch practical and theoretical experiences.

Academics & Entry Requirements

• Min. Grades: AAA (A Levels) | 42+ (IB)
  Standardised Testing: None for local qualifications
  UCAT required for International Qualifications & IB forecast results.

Application Deadlines

• Main Deadline: Mid-March (Standard Scheme)
• Special Route: EBAS (Excellence Beyond Academics Scheme)
  Opens Jan-Mar, deadline early March

Assessment / Interview

• Format: Focused Skills Assessment (FSA)
  End of March / April: 90-120 mins
• Structure: 5 to 7 standardised stations. Examiners include faculty, doctors, allied health professionals & alumni.
  SJT Discontinued from 2026

Required Documents

• Format: Up to 10 achievements & activities, Official testimonial, Personal statement (500 words), 2 referee reports*
  (*1 must be Civics Tutor / Form Teacher / Mentor)
• Special Route Docs: Additional supporting documents for EBAS route

Tuition Fees And Financial Aids

• For full-time programmes in 2026, the tuition fees (covering Semesters 1 and 2 of the Academic Year) for NUS Medicine MBBS is $32,200 for Singapore Citizens and $47,900 for Singapore Permanent Residents.
• NUS offers more than 90 needs-based scholarships and bursaries to assist students with financial difficulties. You can put in one application via the Office of Financial Aid’s Application Portal to be considered for both the NUS Financial Aid Schemes and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Financial Assistance. In AY2025/26, students with monthly per capita income (PCI) ≤ S$2,500 will be given priority.
• You may apply for financial aids from 15 January to 30 June each year.

Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), Singapore’s second medical school established in 2017, partners with Imperial College London to offer an innovative curriculum with many practical opportunities.

Academics & Entry Requirements

• Min. Grades: AAA (A Levels) | 42+ (IB)
  Standardised Testing: UCAT required for all applicants
  Must be taken within 12 months prior to application

Application Deadlines

• Main Deadline: Mid-March
• Special Route: ABA (Aptitude-Based Admissions)
  Submitted as part of main application

Assessment / Interview

• Format: Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
  First half of April · ~2 hours
• Structure: 8 one-to-one mini interviews with faculty & healthcare professionals. Designed to assess aptitude & suitability.

Required Documents

• Format: Academic qualifications + UCAT scores, Personal statement (<300 words), 2 referee reports*
  (*1 must be Civics Tutor / Form Teacher / Mentor)
• Special Route Docs: Essay of achievements (≤600 words, different from personal statement)
  1–2 appraisals online

Tuition Fees And Financial Aids

• For full-time programmes in 2026, the tuition fees (covering Semesters 1 and 2 of the Academic Year) for NTU LKCMedicine is $36,100 for Singapore Citizens and $51,850 for Singapore Permanent Residents.
• From the new academic year starting in August 2024, NTU Singapore will enhance its financial aid scheme so that all undergraduate bursary recipients from the two lowest income tiers will have their tuition fees fully subsidised.
• The enhanced financial aid scheme to fully fund tuition fees is available to full-time Singaporean undergraduates who are from households with Per Capita Income of up to S$1,100.
• Other financial aid options are available. Scholarships and bursaries are open for application as part of the admissions application from October to April each year.

Ideal Application Timeline (From JC1/IB Year 1)

Your standard applicant can start preparing as soon as JC1/IB Year 1, if not earlier. This is because profile building activities work better over a longer period of time.

If your eyes are set on medical schools, you can start preparing as early as Sec 3.

1. Profile Building

Medical programmes require a good profile that showcases strong and relevant interests in medicine and sciences.

If you are keen on applying to medical programmes, you should start your profile building activities as soon as possible and polish your portfolio prior to application submission.

We recommend the latest 3-year achievements of profile building at least, starting from your JC1 or IB year 1.

Some profile building activities can include, but not limited to, shadowing healthcare professionals, regular volunteering at hospitals and/or other healthcare facilities, etc. But remember: Quality over quantity – choose high-impact activities, long-term community services and volunteer opportunities.

2. Standardised Test Preparation

A good pass in Higher Level Chemistry and either Higher Level Biology or Physics.

Supplementary qualification is not required where actual IB results are submitted in the application (eg. UCAT).

Supplementary qualifications are required for those presenting IB Predicted /Forecast results and refer to standardised tests that set a global benchmark for various high school qualifications to be considered fairly.

These are the supplementary qualifications currently accepted for application to NUS Medicine:

• UCAT – UK or ANZ
• SAT/ACT with Writing and AP Exams

3. Personal Statement

NUS

• Personal statement required (500 words)
• List of 10 achievements (medicine or non-medicine related; connect each to how it suits your degree)

NTU

• 300-word personal statement
• Highlight teamwork and leadership skills in the PS

Your personal statement should narrate your motivation for medicine as well as any academic, extracurricular, and professional experiences you had that make you a suitable and exceptional candidate for consideration.

You should start working on your personal statement in December, in preparation for submission in March.

4. References (Recommendations)

References or recommendations should be prepared in advance, before your JC2 prelims. We recommend starting in July or August. References are submitted alongside your personal statement, due in March; inform your teacher before January.

5. Interviews

Assuming your application goes well, you will be notified by the schools to prepare for your interview.

• For NUS, you will have to sit for the Focused Skill Assessment (FSA).
• For NTU, you will have to take part in the Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI).

The interviews will happen in April – so best to practise for them right after your IB/JC in December.

6. Admissions!

Congratulations, your application is a success! Your enrollment will happen in July or August!