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Singapore Assessed within SUSS PhD admissions — confirm the current intake and interview dates with the SUSS graduate admissions office before planning around it

SUSS PhD Scholarship

The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) is one of Singapore's six autonomous universities, focused on applied social science, business, law, human development and public policy. Its PhD Scholarship is the one funding route at SUSS that a Sri Lankan applicant can actually win — and it is worth stating the limit plainly, because it is the single most common misunderstanding about SUSS: the university's full-time undergraduate scholarships are open only to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, so an international undergraduate cannot apply for them at all. At doctoral level the picture changes. The SUSS PhD Scholarship covers tuition fees, miscellaneous fees and a monthly stipend for the minimum period needed to complete the degree, capped at four years. Stipend rates are tiered and step up after you pass the qualifying examination; published rates differ for Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and international students, so read the current terms and conditions on the SUSS site rather than assuming the citizen rate. International scholars must also fulfil the Graduate Assistantship Programme requirement, and those hours are unpaid — they are part of the scholarship, not extra income. You do not submit a separate scholarship contest entry: candidates are identified and nominated during the PhD admissions interview, so the interview is where the award is effectively decided.

Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)

University-funded

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Coverage

Tuition + Miscellaneous Fees + Stipend

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Duration

Up to 4 Years

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Obligation

Graduate Assistantship (unpaid hours)

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The Only SUSS Award Open to Sri Lankans

SUSS undergraduate scholarships are restricted to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents — an international student cannot apply for them. At graduate level, the PhD Scholarship is the route open to international applicants. Do not plan a SUSS undergraduate move around scholarship funding.

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2nd Upper Class Honours Minimum

You need outstanding academic results — at least a 2nd Upper Class Honours degree from a reputable university, or an equivalent qualification. A strong Second Upper or First from Colombo, Peradeniya, Moratuwa or an equivalent institution is the baseline, not the ceiling.

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Awarded Through the Admissions Interview

There is no separate scholarship competition. Eligible PhD applicants are evaluated on merit during the admissions interview and nominated for the scholarship from there. Treat the interview as the scholarship assessment.

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Stipend Rates Are Tiered — Check the Current Terms

Monthly stipend rates differ by residency status and step up after the qualifying examination. The published international-student rate is set separately from the citizen and PR rates; read the current SUSS PhD Scholarship terms and conditions rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere.

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Match your research to a SUSS focus area

SUSS states that the proposal must align with the university's research focus. Read the school's active research clusters and shape your proposal around them — a strong proposal in an area SUSS does not work in will not be nominated.

Apply for PhD admission

Submit the SUSS graduate-by-research application with transcripts, research proposal, referees and English evidence. Sri Lankan applicants should have IELTS or TOEFL ready unless their prior degree was English-medium and SUSS accepts a medium-of-instruction letter.

Interview — this is the scholarship assessment

Shortlisted applicants are interviewed, and scholarship nominations are made from that pool. Prepare to defend the proposal's methodology and its practical relevance, which fits SUSS's applied orientation.

Accept and arrange your Student's Pass

On award, confirm the stipend tier, the Graduate Assistantship hours and any service conditions in writing. SUSS initiates your Singapore Student's Pass through ICA.

Why SUSS?

SUSS is Singapore's applied social science university, built around lifelong learning and practice-relevant research in social work, public policy, business, law and human development. For a Sri Lankan researcher working on social policy, ageing, education systems or applied economics, SUSS offers a Singapore-based doctorate with a strong applied-policy orientation and access to Southeast Asian field settings, at a four-hour flight from Colombo. Its research scale is smaller than NUS or NTU, so fit with an existing supervisor's cluster matters more here than raw ranking.