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spexEducation Undergraduate Scholarship

The spexEducation Undergraduate Scholarship will be added to the current suite of support for Team Singapore athletes under the Sports Excellence (spex) framework. Application starts from 1 September 2024.

This new scholarship aims to:
  • Give more support for active national athletes who wish to continue pursuing their sporting aspirations while furthering their studies at the same time;

  • Provide greater assurance to active national athletes who wish to focus on pursuing their sporting aspirations first, before furthering their academic pursuits for their professional development; and

  • Grow the capabilities of the sport sector, in areas such as sport science, coaching, management and administration, by encouraging potential scholars to take up sports-related courses in university.

Eligible athletes will receive financial support for their academic pursuits under one of the two tracks:

Tracks Description
Dual Career Active athletes who are completing or have completed post-secondary education and will commit to their sporting pursuits while studying in university
New Career Active athletes who will only pursue their university education after retiring from competitive sports

We recognise the diverse academic aspirations of our athletes and will consider all courses of study under this scholarship. However, we encourage our prospective scholars to consider pursuing sports-related courses such as sport science and sport management to contribute to the sports sector, and in doing so, build up our own local capabilities and capacities that would put us in a better position to achieve our next bound of sporting excellence.

Eligibility & Criteria

Active athletes are welcome to apply prior to pursuing their full-time undergraduate degree.

Current active athletes who are pursuing their undergraduate studies may also apply. 

The evaluation panel will assess the suitability of the scholarship track after application. The decision will be based on various factors, including the athlete's short and long-term goals, recommendations from the National Sports Association (NSA), and other considerations that support the athlete's sporting pursuits.

Applicants must:
  • Be a Singapore Citizen
  • Demonstrate strong ethical values, unwavering commitment to purpose, and character qualities reflective of the standards expected of Team Singapore athletes
  • Meet the following eligibility criteria
Criteria Scholarship Tracks

Dual Career New Career
Sports Performance or Potential Carded spexPotential and above and supported by their National Sports Association (NSA) at point of application
Academics
  • Possess Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level, local Polytechnic Diploma, International Baccalaureate Diploma, NUS High School Diploma or equivalent qualifications
  • Applying for admission into local Autonomous University (AU) that provides athlete-friendly practices or overseas university assessed to provide excellent Daily Training Environment (DTE)#; or
  • Currently pursuing undergraduate studies in a university with excellent DTE
Athletes must apply to the universities on their own.
  • Possess Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-Level, local Polytechnic Diploma, International Baccalaureate Diploma, NUS High School Diploma or equivalent qualifications
  • Applying for admission into local Autonomous University (AU) or overseas university^

Age Applicants are welcome to apply at any age, prior to pursuing their undergraduate degree or up until the penultimate year of their undergraduate degree. Open for applications at any age, with provisional scholarship awarded during the year of application, and allowed to commence studies at appropriate time, if prevailing conditions are met.
Other Considerations
  • I• If awarded, athletes without pre-university qualification to apply for university may be supported to attain the pre-requisite qualifications before their undergraduate studies. • Applicants may choose to study any undergraduate course of study although sport-related courses are preferred, especially for those applying for the New Career Track

#Athlete to obtain NSA’s support for the proposed choices of universities from the NSA’s Technical Director (TD) and Head Coach. The DTE should have a track record of producing Olympians and World Champions.

^Overseas university fees for sport science or sport management courses will be fully covered. For other courses, shortlisted candidate will have to bear the additional cost of pursuing a degree at an overseas university, beyond the equivalent of local university course fees.

Value of the Award

Components Scholarship Track
  Dual Career New Career
Cost of Degree
  • For scholars pursuing degrees in local AUs or overseas universities with good DTE (any course of study):
    • Full tuition fees and other approved charges
  • For scholars pursuing degrees in local AUs (any course of study):
    • Full tuition fees and other approved charges
  • For scholars pursuing non-sports science or sports management degrees in overseas universities:
    • Cover tuition fees and other approved charges up to equivalent for local AU degree*
  • For scholars pursuing sports science or sports management degrees in overseas universities:
    • Full tuition fees and other approved charges
Stipend Scholar will continue to be provided a monthly stipend under the spexScholarship or spexPotential programmes Scholar will continue to receive their last drawn monthly stipend under spexScholarship or spexPotential for the duration of the scholarship
Other Allowances Scholars studying in local universities:
  • Pre-studies allowance
  • Local hostel stay, only if it offers better support for sport development. Not applicable for New Career scholars
  • Academic-related expenses
Scholars studying in overseas universities for those on the Dual Career Track, or scholars on the New Career Track and are sponsored for overseas sports science or sports management courses:
  • Pre-studies allowance
  • Monthly maintenance allowance (based on the country of study) to cover accommodation and other academic-related expenses
  • Return airfare

*For other non-sport courses at an overseas university, New Career Track Scholars must bear the additional costs of pursuing the degree at the overseas university, less the cost of an equivalent degree at a local autonomous university.

Bond and Duration

Scholars on the “New Career” Track who are sponsored for an overseas sports-related course will be required to serve a 6-year bond. The bond period may be served with Sport Singapore, including but not limited to its sport institute(s), the Singapore Sports School and/or national sport associations.

For scholars on the “Dual Career” Track, and those on the “New Career” Track who are not sponsored for a sports-related course, their scholarship will be bond-free.

Where suitable, all scholars will be offered internship and work-related opportunities with Sport Singapore, National Youth Sport Institute and Singapore Sports School as well as with spexBusiness partners.

Duration of Scholarship
Dual Career Awarded for full duration of full-time undergraduate studies, up to the maximum duration of the undergraduate course or 6 years, whichever is shorter.
New Career Awarded for full duration of full-time undergraduate studies, up to the typical duration of the undergraduate course. (e.g., 4 years for an Honours programme or 5 years for Medicine/Dentistry)

Terms and Conditions

Scholarship recipients may not concurrently hold any other scholarship, fellowship, bursary, grant, award, allowance, waiver or free aid without the approval from the spexEducation Scholarship Office.

If the scholarship recipient decides to withdraw from the university and/or terminate the scholarship prematurely, the spexEducation Scholarship Office reserves the right to impose repayment of all scholarship monies (with interest) disbursed to the scholar and liquidation damages as appropriate.

Important Dates

Track Key Dates

Applications open Applications close Notification of outcome
Dual Career
1 September 2024 30 September 2024 End January 2025
New Career 1 September 2024 15 March 2025 Latest by June 2025

How to Apply

You will need to submit an online application complete with the necessary supporting documents. Shortlisted candidates will be informed of the interview dates and follow-up actions.

Steps Description
Step 1 Prepare Your Supporting Documents
Please have all your supporting documents ready before working on your application form.

Documents required for undergraduate scholarships are:
  • Sports related results that support your current carded status for scholarship application
  • Support letter from your National Sports Association
  • Secondary 4 or equivalent academic results, e.g. GCE O level results
  • Secondary 4/Year 4 Co-curricular Activities (CCA) and Values-in-Action (VIA) Records
  • Pre-tertiary or post-secondary CCA and VIA Records
  • School Leaving Certificates of Academic Qualification Obtained (e.g., GCE O-level, GCE A-level, International Baccalaureate Diploma, NUS High School Diploma, Polytechnic Diploma, other high school diploma or equivalent). You need not include your preliminary examination results.
Step 2 Login Via Singpass App

Click here to login
Step 3 Submit Your Application
Please indicate your:
  • Preferred local or overseas university with the preferred course option (rank-ordered);
  • Interest in career in sports sector
Note: Your application is only considered complete when you have:
    1. furnished all the details required in the application form and submitted it;
    2. uploaded and submitted all your supporting documents.
*For Dual Career application, applicant to obtain NSA support for proposed choices of university from the NSA Technical Director and Head Coach
Step 4 Receive Application Outcome
For Dual Career Track applicant, you will receive the application outcome by 30 October 2024.

For New Career Track applicant, you will receive the application outcome by 15 April 2025.
Step 5
(If Shortlisted)
Undergo Interview If shortlisted, you will receive information to attend up to 2 rounds of interviews.
Step 6 Receive Your Interview Outcome
You will receive the interview outcome by 31 January 2025 (for Dual Career) and 30 June 2025 (for New Career).

Contact Us

For any questions about the spexEducation Undergraduate Scholarship,
email: spexeducation@sportsschool.edu.sg