Slightly higher polytechnic and ITE Nitec fees for incoming 2022 batch of Singaporean students

Tuition fees for Singaporean polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Nitec students will increase slightly for the 2022 incoming batch, according to the institutions' websites.

Fees for two-year Higher Nitec Singaporean students remain unchanged.

This is the first rise in fees for Singaporeans studying in polytechnics since 2019, as the past two years' increases affected only foreign students.

All the tuition fee increases will affect only incoming students in the new academic year and not students who are already enrolled.

The polytechnic school year begins in April while ITE has two intakes — in January and April.

Singaporeans entering the five polytechnics here will pay an annual tuition fee of $3,000, up from $2,900. The last tuition fee rise in 2019 was also $100.

Permanent residents (PRs) will pay an extra $200 as their tuition fee rises to $6,200, while the fee for international students will go up by $400 to $11,400.

New Singaporean students taking the Nitec diploma will have to pay an annual tuition fee of $430, up from $410.

PRs will pay $300 more, as their annual fee rises to $5,850. International students will see an increase of $900 to $16,350.

The annual tuition fee for Higher Nitec students on the two-year programme remains unchanged at $590, $7,760 and $20,360 for Singaporeans, PRs and international students respectively.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Education said the Government provides "substantial" subsidies for polytechnic and ITE education, at about 85 % and over 90 % respectively, for Singaporean students.

She said: "The institutions face rising cost pressures in the provision of quality education.

"Hence, the subsidised tuition fees are reviewed annually and adjusted where necessary to defray the cost of education at these institutions, taking into account factors such as the need for inflationary adjustments, and enable our institutions to invest in capability building to continue to deliver high-quality education."

Notwithstanding the fee increases for the 2022 academic year, the Government is committed to ensuring that no citizen is denied an education at local polytechnics or the ITE due to financial difficulties, said the spokesman.

She added that there is a wide range of financial assistance schemes to support students from low- to middle-income families, such as government bursaries or loans.

Institutions also provide additional financial support where needed. These help with the payment of tuition fees and to defray costs of living during the duration of study, she said.

The quantum for government bursaries for eligible polytechnic and ITE students was also increased in the 2020 academic year to support those from low- to middle-income families.

The ministry will continue to review tuition fees annually and make adjustments in future years, where necessary, the spokesman added.

The provisions under the government bursaries would also be reviewed regularly to ensure they remain adequate.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.