Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Located in the West of Singapore, NTU is ranked 13^th of the world’s top 100 universities and the 1^st amongst the world’s best young university in 2015. In late June 2016, NTU jumps to No.2 in latest ASEAN University ranking by Times Higher Education.

Home to to about 33,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, the university has colleges of Engineering, Business, Humanities, Arts, & Social Science and Interdisciplinary Graduate School. There is also the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine which is set up jointly with Imperial College London.

Hailing from 80 countries, the university's 4,300-strong faculty and research staff bring dynamic international perspectives and decades of solid industry experience.

School's Main Website | For international / exchange students |  For local exchange students

GPA requirement:

Please check with your home university for guidelines. 

Language of instruction:

English

Courses:

NTU offers summer exchange, winter exchange and semester-long exchange programme for international students. Different programmes have different academic requirements. Please check out the following links on this matter:

Winter exchange programme

Summer exchange programme

Semester-long exchange programme

Course registration process:

All inbound exchange students must select 10 courses during the application process. This is to make sure that you have enough number of matched courses approved by both your home university and NTU.

Whether a course is offered to you will depend on whether your level of education satisfies the prerequisites, available vacancies in the module and clashes in timetable. For more information on course registration and restricted courses for exchange students, click here!

Attendance policy:

There is no specific attendance policy. However, attending lessons is counted towards your class participation grades.

Campus map:

NTU map allows you to search for the all locations in NTU and the direction from one place to another.

Selected facilities:

The Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC), including indoor facilities such as gym, outdoor facilities and aquatic facilities that cater to the sporting and recreation needs of NTU community. All these facilities are free of charge!

Flying Chalks' tip: Online booking is required for certain facilities. You also need to present NTU matriculation card to enter certain places such as the swimming pool.

Map of the Sports and Recreation Centre, NTU

Nanyang House (NYH)
NYH has various facilities and equipments available for students' usage such as meeting rooms, function rooms, dance studio, shooting room, billiard room, music room.

Student's Activity Center (SAC)
Located at Lee Wee Yam library, SAC also has various facilities such as: meeting rooms, cafe, billiard table etc.

Booklink
Booklink is the NTU bookstore and is located at Block S4, level B5

Campus Clubhouse
Near Hall 8, next to National Executive Center (NEC), Campus Clubhouse is a good place to relax with friends!

Food on campus:

NTU offers various good food places around the campus.

The North Spine food court offers the widest variety of F&B including local favourites, international cuisine or famous fast food. The new opening of North Spine Plaza in 2016 also provides more F&B options such as Dunkin’Donuts, +39 Gelato village or Jollibean U+, McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, along with a supermarket for those who like cooking.

Another main food court at NTU is the South Spine’s Koufu which offers more affordable food options. The most prominent ones being Japanese, Indian, malay, and chicken rice. Besides that, there are 8 hall canteens suitable for students who live in campus, as well as a number of cozy cafes and eateries all over NTU. Spruce is one that can satisfy your sweet tooth and coffee cravings, apart from Startbucks and Coffeebean.

Flying Chalks' recommendations:

• Canteen 2 is the usual hangout for exchange students at night where they plan their next adventure or just sit and chill. The canteen serves alcohol and hosts one of the best waffles and malay food!. Moreover, there is  a seven-eleven (24 hour) and a supermarket nearby!
• For North Indian food, the best places are canteen 16, canteen 9, canteen 11, and the recently opened canteen 18.
• Canteen 14 has good Western food and affordable rice options.
• Canteen 13 has a good Korean/noodles stall.

More information on NTU F&B is available here!

Campus transportation:

Three shuttle bus routes serve the campus. Campus Loop - Blue (CL-B) & Campus Loop - Red (CL-R) circle the campus with Campus Rider (CR) venturing off-campus to and from Pioneer MRT station. On weekends and holidays, Campus Rider becomes Campus Weekend Rider with an extended route.

View real-time movement of the shuttle buses on your computer using the Internal Shuttle Bus Service Map.

Public bus company SBS Transit has services 179, 199 & 179A starting from and returning to Boon Lay Bus Interchange which also ply campus roads

Click here for more information on transportation.

University life in NTU is more than just learning within the curriculum. Currently, there are more than 100 student organisations which enrich your student life experience here in NTU and provide a platform for knowledge and culture sharing.

Flying Chalks' recommendation: “One Big Family” is a group that organizes weekly events for exchange students! Become a member and enjoy special discounts on events and more. You can take a look at their Facebook page here!

Orientation program:

A half-day orientation organised by the International Students Support will usually be held 3 days before the commencement of semester. The exact date shall be advised in your E-Welcome Package.

Buddy program:

As of June 2016, there is no Buddy Program available. However, you can connect with both local and international students at NTU on our Flying Chalks platform for any support you may need!

Student clubs:

Student organisations in NTU fall into three main categories: Students’ Union and its Constituent Clubs, Junior Common Room Committees and Clubs & Societies.

Under the first category, there are 15 Academic Constituent Clubs for our colleges such as Accountancy & Business Club, Materials Science and Engineering Club, Arts, Design & Media Club. 3 Non-academic Constituent Clubs include Cultural Activities Club, Welfare Service Club and Sports Club, which consist of various sub-clubs.

Junior Common Room Committees are created to look after the welfare of students residing in all NTU halls.

Finally, the Clubs & Societies feature a myriad of student clubs; from religious clubs and Arts & Cultural, to that of special interests like Wine Society. The full list of student clubs can be found here!

University events:

School calendar is available here!

NTU is located in the far West of Singapore, away from the city centre. The well known, beautiful, modern campus of NTU is rather isolated with lots of greenery around. While it may be inconvenient for students to get to most attractions around Singapore, it offers a quiet and peaceful experience in return.

Flying Chalks' tip: Stay away from the jungle at night! There is a chance that you might get attacked by a snake/wild boar!!!

For food:

You can head to Jurong Point shopping mall, right outside Boon Lay MRT for a good meal! The full list of eateries at Jurong Point can be found here. You can also go to the malls at Jurong East for food. The various food outlets at each of the different malls can be found here: Jem, Westgate, Jcube, and IMM. 

For nightlife and entertainment:

There are quite a few really nice locations around campus that you may want to explore such as the garden terrace on top of Art, Design and Media (ADM) building and the greenhouse near National Institute of Education (NIE), especially at night!

The nearest cinema is at Jurong Point, located outside Boon Lay MRT station.

For bowling and karaoke, you can head to Bukit Batok/Jurong East. There is also an ice skating rink at JCube, Jurong East!

For a vibrant nightlife scene, you can take the MRT to Clarke Quay Station (North East Line) – a place with many bars and pubs by the Singapore River!

Flying Chalks’ recommendations:

• Holland Village is the to-go place if you are in search for live music and bars at night.
   
• Apart from Holland Village, you can take the Downtown Line towards Telok Ayer MRT. Across the street from Telok Ayer MRT is Club Street that links up to Cross Street and Ann Siang Hill where an alcove of bars and restaurants can be found.
   
• Bistro bars with good food, drinks & music: Timbre, Switch
• Affordable bars: FIV五 Izakaya Bar (16 Collyer Quay #01-05B or 25 Cuppage Road, Cuppage Terrace); Harry’s @ Boat Quay (28 Boat Quay); Orgo Bar & Restaurant – more pricey but with an Alfresco concept on the roof terrace of The Esplanade (8 Raffles Avenue #04-01 Esplanade-Theaters on the Bay, Roof Terrace)
• Clubs: Zouk Club (17 Jiak Kim Street); Attica (3A River Valley Road #01-03 Clarke Quay); Club Kyo (133 Cecil Street); Home Club (20 Upper Circular Road), The Butter Factory (1 Fullerton Rd)
• Karaoke: Teo Heng KTV Studio @ 9 Bras Basah Road #02-03 Rendezvous Hotel Gallery is highly popular amongst students for its affordability. It has outlets located all around Singapore.
• Top ten Clubs in singapore
• Top ten Rooftop bars in Singapore

For daily necessities and groceries:

On campus:

• Giant Supermarket: Hall 2, Daily: 8am to 11pm
• Prime Supermarket: North Spine Plaza, Daily: 7am to 9pm
• Buzz: North Spine Plaza, Mon-Fri: 9am to 9pm, Sat: 9am to 1pm, Sun and Public holidays: Closed
• 7-Eleven: Hall 2, Daily: 24x7; Hall 14, Mon-Fri: 9am to 9pm, Sat: 9am to 1pm, Sun and Public holidays: Closed

Off Campus: You can go to various convenient stores at Jurong Point shopping mall such as NTUC Fairprice, which is open 24/7, or Cold Storage. 

For shopping:

Located outside Boon Lay MRT station/Boon Lay Bus Interchange, Jurong Point shopping mall is the nearest shopping centre to NTU. The next shopping heaven for NTU students would be at Jurong East. You will be spoilt for choices with 5 big malls around this MRT station: Jem, Westgate, Jcube, Big Box and IMM.

Flying Chalks’ recommendations:

• For more shopping outlets, head down to the heart of Singapore – ORCHARD! It is a paradise for all shopaholics out there. From clothes to shoes, bags to accessories, there is definitely something out there for you! Starting from ION Orchard shopping mall, you can go via underground walkways to other malls like Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City, 313@Somerset and Orchard Central.
   
• Bugis street is the shopping haven for youths, especially if you are on a tight budget! It features the latest and trendiest fashion at affordable prices and is easily accessible via the East West line.

NTU is located in the West of Singapore and most commonly accessed via public transport by alighting at Boon Lay or Pioneer MRT station, followed by bus 179, 179A, 199 or campus rider.

Getting from Changi Airport to NTU:

Via Public Transport
Take the train from Changi Airport MRT station to Boon Lay MRT station, followed by bus 179, 179A or 199, depending on your destination. This entire journey can take up from 1.5 hours to 2 hours.  You can also alight at Pioneer MRT station, take 179 or campus rider (free of charge).

Rides can be paid through a stored-value EZ-Link Card which can be purchased from ticketing counters in train stations. Otherwise, single ride tickets can be purchased at all train stations.

Flying Chalks’ recommendation: This option is recommended for students who are on a tight budget but it might get burdensome with luggage as you are not assured a seat on the train. Do also note the train timings in order not to miss it:

By taxi
Taxi is the most convenient way to get from the airport to the NTU campus (especially when you have lots of luggage) but is also the most expensive. Taxi fares range from $30-$50, depending on the pick-up time. Journey duration to NTU is about 30 minutes, subject to the traffic condition.

Taxi services can be acquired from the Arrival Halls of any airport terminal. Fares are metered and there is an additional Airport surcharge for all trips originating from the Airport: