Application Process

MIX Application

Spring Semester: Opens: January 1 Deadline: May 1

Fall Semester: Opens: August 1 Deadline: December 1

Basic Qualifications:

Full-time UH Manoa student
Have at least two semesters completed at UHM prior to departure with at least 24 credits completed
Maintain GPA of 2.5, preferably 3.0 GPA before studying abroad

The MIX application will ask for your personal information (financials included), top 5 university choices, essay questions, and one academic letter of recommendation.

More Info

Meet with MIX Advisor

Nomination & Next Steps

Nomination

According to MIX, being nominated means that you are qualified and selected to for an exchange spot to attend that university. It does not mean you have been accepted into the university. You will have to directly apply to that university as an exchange student to be officially accepted to exchange. This is referred to as the "Secondary Application".

*Note: I submitted my MIX application on April 30 and received my nomination on August 9.*

Next Steps

I received my Next Steps in less than two weeks following my nomination. The Next Steps email provides you information on your partner university exchange application, course selection, accommodation, immigration & insurance, student's pass/visa, and the university's exchange program.

*Tip: Don't worry about going through this alone! MIX will send out an email by country. That way you all can help each other out with VISA and other applications requested by that country. *

NUS Application

Full Application Process

Application Timeline

Application: NUS Online Application Portal

User Guide to Application (helped me tremendously!)

After Applying

See this link provided by NUS to learn more.
If your offer is successful, you will receive an official offer letter by the end of November.

After Acceptance

More registration! See this guide for more info.
- Registration Part 1: Student ID Registration
- Registration Part 2: Completed on campus for student id formalities

If you are a Shidler student, then you're in luck! Shidler provides a spreadsheet with all the pre-approved courses that you can transfer back to Shidler without needing to petition.

NUSMODS is a must-have source for NUS students. It is a database of all the courses available. Per course, it provides basic course info, workload in hours, and student comments! Not only that, this website provides a timetable where you can plan your schedule!

For business students, the Bizad Club provides course reviews here. I HIGHLY encourage you to use this source when selecting your classes. Past students provide detailed descriptions of the class, workload, and difficulty rating. I have used their reviews to help me choose classes and I can definitely say they are correct. Most of these course reviews also provide a breakdown of the grading scale (so basically a syllabus without needing to wait till the first day of class!).

Tips:

1. Do not take more than 12 credits. Academics in NUS are more rigorous than UHM. If you can handle it, then jiayou!

2. For 3-hour classes, your professor should give you at least a 10 min break. Do not worry :)

3. There is no need to leave a gap between two continuous classes. Professors would let you out ~30 min to allow time for you to get to your next class.

*Note: ON-CAMPUS HOUSING IS NOT GUARANTEED! It is highly competitive. I missed the first round of applications since I did not get all the classes I wanted, therefore, did not get approved. Luckily, I was still able to get housing during round two. See below for off-campus options.*

On-Campus Accomodations

There are four different types of hostels: Halls of Residences, Houses, Residential Colleges, and Student Residences. Each type of hostel has their own unique feature and culture.

Recommendations for Hostel Selection

AC is a must-need. The humidity in Singapore is quite difficult to deal with.
Get a meal plan to save money and time deciding what to eat.
Select a hostel in UTown. All main NUS events are hosted in the town and they have the busiest bus stop. Since it is the busiest, then there is a better chance of getting a spot on the bus.

Housing Application

Hostel Options

360 Virtual Dorm Tour

Halls of Residences

Far from UTown, however, is closer to the business school. Majority of the rooms here do not have AC. If you want a more peaceful dorm, these are the ones.

Houses

I do not know much about the Houses, but they are near PGP! There are hostel activities and are only single rooms available.

Residential Colleges

All located in UTown! Strong community where you can also make friends with other exchangers and locals as well. Graduating NUS students who stay in these dorms are very intelligent since they had to apply for these dorms (ex: interview).

Student Residences

Less social events hosted. Most of the students living here are graduate students especially UTown Residence. These residences have many floors, almost apartment like.

Off-Campus Accommodations

Hostel Search

Other Accomodations (NUS)

Flat & Flatmates in SG

University Living

MetroResidences

Suggested Hostels

NovenaHall

VillageResidence West Coast

Please check and follow the entry requirements listed on the ICA website.

Complete the SG arrival card within three days before arriving in Singapore. At the immigration checkpoint, you will be asked to present your biometrics.

Students will be registered under the University Health Scheme. This means that you will receive:

Free consultations
Free standard drugs (non-standard will be chargeable)
And more!

If you are feeling sick, please do not hesitate to get it checked! If you need anything else health-related, there are drug/health stores and the university hospital at Kent Ridge Station.

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You will need to apply for the Student Pass (STP) to study in Singapore. This student pass has to be approved by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore. The Office of University Registrar will send an instructional email to apply for STP after you receive your offer of admission to NUS.

The Student Pass application will be conducted in two parts. There is the online application and in-person verification.

The online application will have multiple points where you have to wait for approval before being able to access the next step. For example, ICA will have to approve your uploaded documents before you can proceed to payment. Therefore, you must monitor your application regularly.

Once approved, ICA will generate an In-Principle Approval (IPA) letter. Please PRINT THIS and keep it with you when traveling to Singapore.

The in-person verification is known as Offsite Enrollment (OSE) conducted by the ICA on NUS campus to complete Student Pass formalities and register biometrics. See the image on the left to see requirements of what you need to bring.