Scholarships and Financial/Aid Schemes

Explore the range of Singapore government-funded financial and bursary schemes you can use to support your tuition fees at NAFA.

CPF Education Loan Scheme

The CPF Education Loan Scheme is a loan scheme.

Diploma Foundation Programme (DFP) Bursary

Singaporeans who are pursuing the 35-week NAFA Foundation Programme may apply for the Diploma Foundation Programme (DFP) Bursary.

Government Loan Schemes

Funded by the government and administered by DBS Bank, the Tuition Fee Loan (TFL) and Study Loan (SL) schemes will be extended to eligible subsidised Singapore Citizens (SC) and Singapore Permanent Residents (PR). They must be pursuing MOE-subsidised diploma and degree programmes in NAFA. The loan is interest-free during the student's programme duration.

View more about this scheme

Higher Education Bursary

The Higher Education Bursary is funded by the Government (Ministry of Education) to provide financial assistance to students from the lower to middle income groups. This is part of the Government’s commitment to ensure that no able students are deterred by the cost of post-secondary education due to financial circumstances.

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Higher Education Community Bursary

The Higher Education Community Bursary is co-funded by the Government, Community Development Council (CDC) and Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC). The bursary scheme is introduced to keep tertiary education within reach of all able students and to provide financial assistance for needy students in the arts institutions.

Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Progression Award (IPA)

From 2024, the ITE Progression Award (IPA) supports Singaporean ITE graduates aged 30 and below to upskill to a diploma earlier in their careers, to secure more progression prospects in their chosen professions.

Post-Secondary Education Scheme

The Post-Secondary Education Scheme helps parents save for their children’s post-secondary education by maintaining a Post- Secondary Education Account (PSEA) for each eligible child.

SkillsFuture Credit

SkillsFuture Credit aims to encourage individuals to take ownership of their skills development and lifelong learning. Introduced in 2015, all Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above will receive an opening credit of $500. The credit is claimable for all SkillsFuture Credit-eligible courses which includes all NAFA diploma and degree programmes, as well as courses offered by the Centre for Lifelong Education.

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SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme

The new SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme will provide greater structural support for mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 years and above to pursue a substantive skills reboot and stay relevant in a changing economy.

View more about this scheme

SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy

All MOE-Funded NAFA diploma and undergraduate degree programmes are eligible for the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced subsidy.

Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy Scheme for Malays

The Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) scheme is an education subsidy for Malay students, which covers their tuition fees at tertiary institutions.

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Tuition Grant Scheme (TGS)

There are tuition grant schemes for degree and diploma programmes.

If you have excellent academic results or a strong track record in the arts and design sector, apply for our range of in-house scholarships and merit awards. Bursaries are also available to support students from low income households with their tuition fees.

NAFA/Donor-funded Scholarships, Merit Awards and Bursaries

Students with outstanding academic results and an excellent track record of achievements in related arts industry may apply for NAFA’s in-house Scholarships and Merit Awards.

NAFA Talent Scholarship

The NAFA Talent Scholarship is the most prestigious award offered to new diploma students at the point of admission in each academic year.

NAC-UAS Arts Scholarship

The NAC-UAS Arts Scholarship is a joint scholarship established between the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) and the National Arts Council (NAC) to nurture outstanding students enrolled in UAS undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, to develop the next generation of arts leaders in Singapore.

NAC Arts Scholarship (Diploma)

The NAC Arts Scholarship aims to nurture outstanding individuals to contribute to the arts and cultural development in Singapore.

Dare to Dream Scholarship

The Dare to Dream scholarship at NAFA is extended to deserving special needs students with limited financial resources to complete their education.

Graduate Assistantship Award

Students who are pursuing full-time Master’s Degree programme may apply for the Graduate Assistantship Award.

View more about this award

External Scholarships, Grants and Bursaries

There are a lot of external financial schemes available to fund your studies.

If you require financial aid, alleviate the financial burden of your studies with schemes offered by NAFA and external organisations. These include notebook subsidies, overseas programme subsidies, student assistantships and more.

NAFA-Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Student Relief Fund

This financial assistance scheme aims to help students whose families are in sudden financial crisis (for example, the breadwinner falls critically ill or is retrenched).

Student Assistantship Scheme

Students may apply to become a Student Assistant and work on-campus to earn extra pocket money.

Student Notebook Subsidy Scheme

The Student Notebook Subsidy Scheme provides financial subsidy to students from the lower income household to purchase a personal notebook for their studies at NAFA.

Overseas Programme Travel Subsidy

The Overseas Programme Travel Subsidy scheme is meant for full-time diploma students who are participating in approved overseas programmes or study trips organised by NAFA.

International Placement Travel Grant

The International Placement Travel Grant scheme helps needy full-time degree students defray the expenses of the overseas International Placement programme organised by NAFA and the partner university.

External Study Loans

Students who need study loans may approach the various organisations, private financial institutions or banks for the latest loan application information.

The table below shows the available financial aid schemes and the application timelines that students may expect throughout the academic year.

Students are advised to review the relevant scheme details carefully, take note of important deadlines, and prepare all required documentation in advance to ensure timely submission and processing.

^*Refer to the corporate website and Studentnet portal for the exact deadlines and eligibility criteria.

No.	Financial Scheme	Nationality criteria	Application Timeline	Mode of disbursement	Frequency of application
PRIOR TO ACADEMIC YEAR COMMENCEMENT
1	NAFA In-house Scholarship, Merit award & Bursaries	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents International Students	Incoming Diploma: January - March Incoming Bachelor & Masters: January - May Existing NAFA students : January - March	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Academic Year
2	Government Loan (Tuition Fee Loan/Study Loan)	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents	May - June (Semester 1)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
3	Mendaki Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS)	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents	May - July (Semester 1)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
4	Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents	June (Semester 1)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
5	Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) (Standing Order)	Singaporean	June (Semester 1)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
DURING ACADEMIC YEAR
6	Government Bursary (Higher Education Community Bursary/ Higher Education Bursary)	Singaporean	August (Semester 1) January (Semester 2)	Offset tuition fees & miscellaneous fees. Any balance credited via PayNow (NRIC) by October & March.	Once per Academic Year
7	NAFA Student Assistantship	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents International Students	August	Credited to student via PayNow (NRIC)	Once per Academic Year
8	NAFA Student Notebook Subsidy	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents	August (Semester 1) January (Semester 2)	Copay: Offset notebook price directly with vendor Reimbursement: Credited to student via PayNow (NRIC)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
9	Government Loan (Tuition Fee Loan/Study Loan) ^For students yet to apply*	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents	November - December (Semester 2)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
10	Mendaki Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) ^For students yet to apply*	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents	September - November (Semester 2)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
11	Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme ^For students yet to apply*	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents	December (Semester 2)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
12	Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) (Standing Order) ^For students yet to apply*	Singaporean	December (Semester 2)	Offset tuition fees (excluding admin & health services fee)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
13	International Placement Grant	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents International Students (Bachelor students going for International Placement only)	September	Credited to student via PayNow (NRIC/FIN)	Once per Diploma/Bachelor programme
14	Overseas Programme Travel Subsidy	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents International Students	Throughout Academic Year (8 weeks prior to departure)	Offset billed travel costs and/or Credited to student via PayNow (NRIC/FIN)	Once per Academic Year
15	Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Student Relief Fund	Singaporean Singapore Permanent Residents International Students	Throughout Academic Year	Offset tuition fees and/or study expenses	Once per Academic Year

Fund disbursement timelines are subject to completion of all pre-conditions and submission of required documentation. Please respond and comply with any instructions given promptly to avoid delays. Please contact Office of Student Services (Financial Aids & Awards) at [email protected] if assistance is required.

Payment Sequence
The order of priority of payment by the various financial aid schemes for the payment of tuition fees and miscellaneous fees is shown below.

NAFA In-house Scholarships, Merit awards & Bursaries & NAFA Administered donor awards^*
Mendaki Tertiary Tuition Fee Scheme (TTFS)^*
Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA) Scheme^*
Central Provident Fund (CPF) Education Loan Scheme (CELS)^*
Higher Education Community/Higher Education Bursary
MOE Tuition Fee Loan (TFL)^*
ePayNow/NETS/VISA/Master

^*These schemes cover only the payment of tuition fees and not miscellaneous fees