Prospective students should have a relevant Bachelor's degree with at least Second Class Lower Honours or its equivalent. Candidates applying for EngD/PhD programmes orĀ University's Scholarships (NUS Research Scholarships or President Graduate Fellowships) are expected to have a Bachelor degree with at least Second Class Upper Honours or its equivalent.
Note that possession of these qualifications does not guarantee admission. Admission decisions are based on multiple considerations, including the number and quality of applicants and the capacity of the programme applied to.
GRE and TOEFL/IELTS Tests
Academic work at NUS CDE cannot be completed satisfactorily without adequate proficiency in English. This point is deliberately emphasized because graduate students at NUS CDE submit regular reports, take written examinations and are expected to participate actively in classroom discussions. International applicants must demonstrate their English proficiency as part of the application for the respective programmes.
Doctor of Philosophy / Doctor of Engineering
From AY2023/2024 onwards, all applicants of the Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Engineering programmes* are required to submit their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores, as part of the application. Candidates are to obtain the following minimum scores for GRE:
- GRE score of 320 (Verbal & Quantitative Total) and 3.5 (Analytical)
*For a small number of exceptional cases who are very strong candidates with excellent academic track record from renowned universities, applicant may request for a waiver of GRE requirements. The admissions committee will evaluate these exceptions on a case-by-case basis. With limited numbers for exceptions to be considered, we encourage all applicants to submit GRE scores with their applications.
Candidates who graduated from universities where English is not the language of instruction must take the TOEFL or IELTS. Candidates are to obtain the following minimum scores:
- TOEFL score of 85 for Internet Based Test (IBT); or
- IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0.
Masterās by Research [Master of Engineering / Master of Arts (Architecture) / Master of Arts (Industrial Design) / Master of Science (Built Environment)]
Candidates who graduated from universities where English is not the language of instruction are required to submit at least one score of TOEFL or IELTS, as part of the application. Candidates are to obtain the following minimum scores:
- TOEFL score of 85 for Internet Based Test (IBT); or
- IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0.
Candidates whose Bachelor/Master degree is not awarded by a Singapore university may require theĀ GRE for selected programmes.
Other tests (including the TOEFL Institutional Test) and those that claim to be predictions, estimations, equivalents, simulations, etc. (e.g.MyBestscores) of the TOEFL or IELTS are unacceptable.Ā
Applicants can either:Ā
- upload a copy online and produce the original TOEFL/IELTS/GRE scoresheets during matriculation; orĀ
- upload a copy online and request Educational Testing Services (ETS) or testing institutes to send original TOEFL /IELTS/ GRE scores to NUS. (Scores should be sent to the Department in which the applicant is interested in pursuing his/her research. Institution code of NUS is 0677 (for GRE) and 9084 (for TOEFL) and with specific department code).Ā
Tests score submission validityĀ period :Ā
- GREāÆValidity: 5 years (after test date)Ā
- TOEFLāÆValidity: 2 years (from date of test)Ā
- IELTSāÆValidity: 2 years (from date of score issued)Ā
Applicants who graduated from English-medium universities and have yet to sit for the tests, may be required at the discretion of the Head of Department or Vice Dean (Graduate Programmes) to undergo such tests to assess their suitability for University study and to appear for interviews.Ā