SG · Master's
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS
Master in Public Administration
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS
Course Overview
The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS opened in 2004 and is Asia's flagship policy school — designed in partnership with Harvard Kennedy School and named after Singapore's founding Prime Minister. The Master in Public Administration (MPA) is its mid-career flagship: a 1-year programme for working professionals with 5+ years of experience, admitting roughly 80 students per cohort drawn from across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. Core modules cover policy analysis, economics for public policy, leadership, public management, and global governance — with electives in finance, technology policy, urban governance, and Asian political economy.
Sri Lankan applicants choose LKYSPP because the school is built around an Asia-centric policy curriculum (rare among top policy schools) and its alumni network is uniquely strong across Asian governments — recent Sri Lankan alumni include senior officials at the Treasury, the Central Bank, and the President's Office. Tuition is SGD 60,000 — substantially less than Harvard Kennedy School (USD 120,000+) or Oxford Blavatnik (£48,000) — and the school is exceptionally generous with scholarships for emerging-market mid-career applicants.
Entry Requirements
Academic
- check_circle Sri Lankan Bachelor's (Hons) in any discipline — minimum Upper Second-Class (2:1 / GPA 3.3+).
- check_circle MINIMUM 5 years of full-time professional work experience by programme start — typical admit has 7-10 years; this is a mid-career programme and is rarely accessible to fresh graduates.
- check_circle GRE OR GMAT score required (median admitted GRE: 320; GMAT: 660). // VERIFY 2026 testing requirement — LKYSPP has waived in selected cycles.
- check_circle Three references; personal statement (1,000 words) with a Policy Memo response; CV.
- check_circle January 15 deadline for the July 2026 intake; rolling decisions issued by mid-March.
English Proficiency
- check_circle TOEFL iBT: 100 Overall.
- check_circle IELTS Academic: 7.0 Overall.
- check_circle Waived if your Bachelor's was taught and assessed entirely in English (most Sri Lankan applicants from UoC, UoP, UoM, SLIIT, NSBM, or international universities qualify).
Estimated Cost of Study
| Expense Category | Amount (SGD) | Approx. LKR |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fee (full 1-year programme) | SGD 60,000 | Rs. 14,400,000 |
| Living Expenses (12 months, Singapore) | SGD 18,000 | Rs. 4,320,000 |
| Student Pass, Insurance & Fees | SGD 1,500 | Rs. 360,000 |
| Total Programme Investment | SGD 79,500 | Rs. 19,080,000 |
*LKR conversion based on current bank rates. Subject to change.
Career Outcomes & PR
Mid-career MPA grads typically return to senior roles in their home governments or transition into international organisations. LKYSPP MPA alumni place into the ADB Manila HQ, World Bank, IMF, UNDP, UNESCAP, UN Women, the Singapore Civil Service, Temasek Foundation, and into senior advisory roles at Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey Public Sector, and Bain Singapore. Sri Lankan returnees route into the Treasury (Department of External Resources), Central Bank (Economic Research Department), Ministry of Finance, the President's Policy Development Office, and into IFI / development-bank Country Director-level roles. Median post-MPA salary: SGD 9,000/month (LKR 25.9M/yr).
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