Singapore, September 23, 2022 – Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) has established the SUSS Education Access Initiative, under which all financially disadvantaged full-time students will have access to a tuition-free education from July 2023 onwards.
This is made possible with a seed fund of SGD2.6 million from Quantedge Foundation, under its University Access Initiative, which seeks to help financially disadvantaged Singaporean undergraduates gain access to a holistic education experience in an autonomous university. Launched in conjunction with the SUSS Education Access Initiative is the Quantedge Foundation – SUSS Education Access Award[1], which ensures that students’ financial backgrounds do not impede opportunities to receive a tertiary education.
The SUSS Education Access Initiative will ensure that from the academic year 2023/2024, students who meet the following criteria will have their tuition fees fully covered:
- Full-time undergraduate students of SUSS pursuing their first Bachelor’s degree;
- Singapore citizen;
- Household monthly per capita income of SGD690 or less; and
- Live in no larger than a 4-room HDB flat and whose family does not own private property.
Each Award covers a maximum of four academic years.
Awardees remain eligible to receive scholarships, bursaries and grants from other donors and the government.
Launch and Cheque Presentation Ceremony
To mark the establishment of the SUSS Education Access Initiative, SUSS President Professor Cheong Hee Kiat launched the initiative with Quantedge Foundation CEO, Mr Xie Yao Quan, today. Mr Xie also presented the donation on behalf of Quantedge Foundation to SUSS. President of the Republic of Singapore, Mdm Halimah Yacob was the Guest of Honour at the event.
Professor Cheong said, “Amongst our cohort of full-time students, about half of them come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. With the generous donation from Quantedge Foundation, up to 260 full-time students will benefit annually from having their tuition fees fully funded. These students will be greatly encouraged by this initiative that champions inclusive education for all from all walks of life.”
Mr Xie said, “Quantedge Foundation is delighted to support SUSS to establish its Education Access Initiative. This is an important milestone in the Foundation’s broader efforts to partner with the autonomous universities in Singapore towards offering a tuition-free guarantee to all deserving Singaporean full-time undergraduate students faced with demonstrated financial need, and contribute to our mission to enhance social mobility in Singapore.”
[1] The Quantedge Foundation – SUSS Education Access Award is the first Award to be set up under the SUSS Education Access Initiative.
For media queries, please contact:
Ms Valerie Ng
Senior PR Manager
Communications & Marketing
Singapore University of Social Sciences
Email: valeriengww@suss.edu.sg
Mr Tian Zhiyuan
Manager
Communications & Manager
Singapore University of Social Sciences
Email: ztian@suss.edu.sg
About the Singapore University of Social Sciences
SUSS is a university with a rich heritage in inspiring lifelong education, and transforming society through applied social sciences. We develop students and alumni to be work-ready and work-adaptive, aspiring to reach their full potential, through our 3H’s education philosophy – ‘Head’ for professional competency with applied knowledge, ‘Heart’ for social awareness to meet the needs of the society, and ‘Habit’ for passion towards lifelong learning.
We offer over 80 undergraduate and graduate programmes, available in full- and part-time study modes, which are flexible, modular and inter-disciplinary, catering to both fresh school leavers and adult learners. SUSS also offers a broad range of continuing education and training modular courses for the professional skills upgrading of Singapore’s workforce.
Our programmes and courses are offered by our five schools:
- S R Nathan School of Human Development
- School of Business
- School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences
- School of Law
- School of Science and Technology
To date, over 42,000 graduates have experienced our unique brand of education, and each year, about 17,000 students are pursuing their full- and part-time studies with us.
The Institute for Adult Learning (IAL), as part of SUSS, leads in the field of research on adult and workplace learning and training of adult educators to build capabilities of the training and adult education sector in Singapore and beyond.
For more information on SUSS, please visit www.suss.edu.sg.
About the Quantedge Foundation
Quantedge Foundation is a philanthropic foundation that supports a wide range of charitable causes in Singapore, with a strong focus on improving social mobility. Established by the principals of Quantedge Capital, the Foundation is registered as a Charity and has been an Institution of Public Character in Singapore since February 2016.
Quantedge Foundation believes that every youth should have an equal opportunity to succeed. Therefore, our current programmes focus on equalising access to education and other developmental opportunities, and improving social mobility. We work with partner organisations such as SUSS to design programmes that alleviate unfavourable starting conditions in life and expand the opportunity set for underprivileged youth, as a pathway to lifting them and their families out of inter-generational poverty.
The Foundation has also supported efforts to promote a more inclusive and caring society, by raising awareness of vulnerable communities in Singapore and seed-funding projects to meet their diverse needs.
For more information on the Quantedge Foundation, please visit: www.quantedge.org.