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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) ON REVISED TERTIARY TUITION FEE SUBSIDY (TTFS) SCHEME FOR MALAY STUDENTS
1) What is TTFS? The Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) scheme is an education subsidy for Malay students, which covers their tuition fees at tertiary institutions. The TTFS is established through an annual government grant to Yayasan MENDAKI (YM).
safeguard, support, foster and promote the educational interests of the Malays. Education is seen as the most effective lever towards securing the progress and socio-economic advancement of the Malay community.
TTFS replaced the automatic waiver of tertiary tuition fees for Malay students
in AY91/92. In 1989, Malay Members of Parliament (MMPs) had initiated the idea of revising the system of financing Malay students in tertiary institutions, and suggested replacing the automatic waiver of tuition fees with a criterion that would include means-testing. This idea was supported by then-Prime Minister (PM) Goh Chok Tong. TTFS was thus founded on two key principles:
i) To build a self-reliant community standing tall with other communities in
Singapore;
ii) For the better off within the community to help the less well-off.
The Government grant is based on the total enrolment of Malay students in local universities and polytechnics, and Yayasan MENDAKI disburses the grant to eligible students. Any Education Development Fund (EDF), which is used for educational assistance schemes and other educational programmes run by MENDAKI. The money saved from the better-off segment of the community will thus benefit students at all educational levels, not just in tertiary institutions.
Beneficiaries of EDF programmes range from families with toddlers, children attending madrasahs, and students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. This enables optimal utilisation of funds to help those who require it through developmental educational programmes, such as tuition classes for primary and secondary school students, and preparatory workshops / programmes for primary school entrance or major examinations e.g. PSLE. In 2010, more than 13,000 Malay and Muslim students and families benefitted from EDF programmes. 2) How does the revised set of income eligibility criteria for TTFS differ from
the current criteria?
The amount of subsidy that each student receives is contingent on a set of income criteria. A comparison table of the current and revised TTFS criteria is as follows:
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Current Criteria Revised Criteria
Eligibility Criterion Monthly Household Income (MHI) Monthly Per Capita Household Income (PCI)
Eligibility Levels 100% subsidy 70% subsidy: MHI $2,001 - $3,000
100% subsidy PCI $1,000 75% subsidy: PCI $1,001 - $1,200 50% subsidy: PCI $1,201 - $1,500
Tiers Two-tier Three-tier
With an upper bound of PCI $1,500, which corresponds to a household
income of about $6,000 for a four-member household, this revised income eligibility criteria will allow a higher proportion of Malay households to qualify for TTFS. 3) When will the Government next review the income eligibility criteria for
TTFS?
The Government will review the TTFS income criteria regularly to ensure that eligibility coverage does not fall below two-thirds of Malay households. 4) Who is eligible for TTFS?
A student is eligible for TTFS if he/she satisfies all of the following conditions:
a) The student is a Singapore Citizen (SC) or a bona fide resident of Singapore
and one of his/her parents (including adoptive parent and step-parent), living or deceased, is a Singapore citizen;
b) 1;
c) es not exceed
$1,500, where the student will enjoy:
(i) 100% subsidy if his/her PCI is $1,000 and below; (ii) 75% subsidy if his/her PCI is between $1,000 and $1,200; (iii) 50% subsidy if his/her PCI is between $1,200 and $1,500.
d) The student is receiving the MOE tuition fee grant;
e) The student is pursuing a first diploma or degree on a full-time basis at the
following local government tertiary institutions or programmes:
(i) Local universities (NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD) (ii) Polytechnics (NP, NYP, RP, SP, TP) (iii) Polytechnic - Foreign Specialised Institution (Poly-FSI) programmes
(offered by polytechnics and the Singapore Institute of Technology); and
1 Including Acehnese, Ambonese, Batak, Bugis, Baniarese, Boyanese, Butonese, Dusun, Dayak, Iban, Indonesia, Javanese, Kadazan, Kelabit, Minangkabau, Murut, Makasarese, Melanau, Sumatran, Sundanese, and Other Indonesian.
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(iv) Technical Engineering Diploma (TED) offered by Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs)
Students pursuing their degrees / diplomas in private tertiary institutions in Singapore or who are studying overseas are not eligible for TTFS.
5) I have two races registered under the double-barrelled race policy. Am I
eligible for TTFS? mponent race at the point of admission to Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) are eligible, subject to the other eligibility criteria indicated under Q4. 6) I do not qualify under the TTFS revised criteria as my monthly household
per capita income (PCI) is above $1,500. My family still finds it financially challenging to fund my tertiary education. Are there other avenues which I can tap on?
Yayasan MENDAKI currently exercises flexibility in approving subsidies for
students from families with extenuating circumstances, e.g. those supporting more than one child for tertiary education and families with members suffering from chronic medical problems. This appeal mechanism will continue.
For the better-off families who do not qualify for TTFS, there is a wide range of schemes that can be tapped on. The Supplementary Assistance Scheme (SAS) provides more interest-free loans to students ineligible for the full TTFS, while the Special Malay Bursary (SMB) supplements the living allowances of deserving Malay tertiary students.
Non-Malay Muslims are also eligible to apply for all other financial assistance schemes under YM, subject to selection criteria (e.g. income level, academic
- s
and the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Scholarship. For more information on these http://www.mendaki.org.sg).
7) What other schemes are available for students to tap on for educational
assistance?
The Government and the tertiary institutions are committed to ensuring that no deserving student, regardless of race, is denied a tertiary education because of financial difficulties. The Government and the tertiary institutions already provide schemes in the form of bursaries, loans and work-study assistance. With a combination of the government bursaries, Post Secondary Education Account (PSEA), study loans and work-study assistance, tertiary students from within the bottom 66% of households by income will not require any cash outlay to complete their tertiary education. These schemes are listed in Annex. Students who wish to find out more about the financial assistance schemes offered by the Government
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In addition to national-level educational assistance schemes, each of the Self-
Help Groups2 (SHGs) have their own plethora of education awards, study loans, bursary schemes, scholarships and educational development programmes to ensure that students from their respective communities are sufficiently assisted where needed. For instance, non-Malay Muslims -free study loans.
2 The SHGs include Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), Yayasan MENDAKI (YM), Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), and Eurasian Association (EA).
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Annex
List of National-Level Financial Assistance Schemes for Tertiary Education There is a wide range of financial assistance schemes offered by the
Government, tertiary institutions, foundations and professional organisations, community groups and self-help groups. These include loans, bursaries and work-study schemes.
2 The government financial assistance schemes available at the AUs, polytechnics and SIT are listed below:
Scheme Application Eligibility Quantum per
year [for diploma
students]
Quantum per year [for
undergraduates]
Tuition Fee Loan (TFL) Scheme
All full-time diploma students and undergraduates
Up to 75% of tuition fee
Up to 90% of tuition fee
Study Loan (SL) Scheme
Full-time diploma students who are Singapore Citizens (SC) or Permanent Residents (PR); and undergraduates of all nationalities
Should have taken up the maximum TFL
Monthly household per capita
students
Up to 25% of tuition fee plus living allowance of $2,000 per annum
Up to 10% of tuition fee plus living allowance of $3,600 per annum
CDC/CCC Bursary
Full time students who are Singapore Citizens
Monthly household per capita income
$1,800 $2,900 Full-time students who are Singapore Citizens
Monthly household per capita income between $301 and $850
MOE Bursary
Full-time students who are Singapore Citizens
Monthly household per capita
$1,350 $2,150
Full-time students who are Singapore Citizens
Monthly household per capita income between $1,201 and $1,700
$450 $800
Notes:!1. All full-time students who are CPF members or dependants of CPF members can also tap on the
CPF Education Scheme, which can cover up to 100% of tuition fee. 2. Gross monthly household per capita income is defined as the total gross monthly income of
immediate and non-immediate family members over the total number of immediate and non-immediate family members.
2
Sec
tio
n 2
: F
amily
Inco
me
Dec
lara
tio
n
S/N
Fu
ll N
ame
(as
in N
RIC
)A
ge
NR
ICR
elat
ion
ship
Occ
up
atio
nM
on
thly
Gro
ss
Inco
me
($)
Nam
e o
f S
cho
ol /
Em
plo
yer
(if
self
-em
plo
yed
, sta
te c
om
pan
y n
ame)
1A
pplic
ant
Stu
dent
2F
athe
r
3M
othe
r
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tota
l Mo
nth
ly G
ross
Inco
me
(A)
$
No
. of
Fam
ily M
emb
ers
(B)
PC
I (A
/ B
)$
For
fam
ily w
ith n
il in
com
e, p
leas
e st
ate
sour
ce o
f fun
ds fo
r da
ily e
xpen
ses.
Hou
se –
ren
tal $
____
___
Mar
ried-
sibl
ings
$__
____
_ F
reel
ance
jobs
$__
____
__
Oth
er, p
ls s
peci
fy: _
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
____
_
No
te:
1.
For
sin
gle
appl
ican
t, th
e fa
mily
is
to in
clud
e yo
urse
lf, y
our
pare
nts
/ gua
rdia
n, n
on-m
arrie
d im
med
iate
fam
ily m
embe
rs (
e.g.
sis
ters
& b
roth
ers)
, non
-mar
ried
non-
imm
edia
te
fam
ily m
embe
rs (
eg, a
unts
, unc
les,
gra
ndpa
rent
s) li
ving
in th
e sa
me
hous
ehol
d. It
exc
lude
s m
arrie
d fa
mily
mem
bers
eve
n if
they
sta
y in
the
sam
e ho
useh
old.
2.
For
mar
ried
appl
ican
t , th
e fa
mily
is
to in
clud
e yo
urse
lf, y
our
spou
se a
nd c
hild
ren
only
.3.
E
ach
wor
king
fam
ily m
embe
r in
the
sam
e ho
useh
old
mus
t sub
mit
a ph
otoc
opy
of h
is/h
er la
test
inco
me
advi
ce. I
f the
adv
ice
is n
ot a
vaila
ble,
ple
ase
subm
it a
phot
ocop
y of
a)
a)
End
orse
d st
atem
ent o
f gro
ss m
onth
ly in
com
e fr
om e
mpl
oyer
; or
b)
La
test
CP
F a
ccou
nt s
tate
men
t; or
c)
In
com
e ta
x as
sess
men
t ret
urns
If
you
have
han
dica
pped
fam
ily m
embe
rs li
ving
in th
e sa
me
hous
ehol
d, le
tter
of c
catio
n m
ust b
e at
tach
ed to
this
app
licat
ion
form
4.
If in
com
e ad
vice
is u
nava
ilabl
e du
e to
une
mpl
oym
ent,
self-
empl
oym
ent,
wor
king
on
ad-h
oc o
r pa
rt-t
ime
basi
s, th
e fa
mily
mem
ber
mus
t sub
mit
a si
gned
sel
f-de
clar
atio
n le
tter
alon
g w
ith p
hoto
copy
of t
he fo
llow
ing:
a)
La
test
CP
F a
ccou
nt s
tate
men
t; or
b)
Inco
me
of ta
x as
sess
men
t ret
urns
5.
Ple
ase
note
that
tota
l mon
thly
gro
ss in
com
e in
clud
es o
nly
the
basi
c in
com
e, M
onth
ly V
aria
ble
Com
pone
nt (
MV
C),
Non
-Pen
sion
able
Com
pone
nt (
NP
C),
Non
-Pen
sion
able
Var
iabl
e P
aym
ent (
NP
VP
),
mon
thly
allo
wan
ces
and
othe
r re
late
d co
mpo
nent
s (if
any
) bu
t exc
lude
all
othe
r al
low
ance
s su
ch a
s ov
ertim
e pa
y, le
ave
allo
wan
ce, b
onus
es, e
tc.
6.
NS
allo
wan
ces
will
be
excl
uded
from
the
mon
thly
inco
me
com
puta
tion.
Section 3: Parent’s Particulars
Father’s ParticularsFull Name (in block letters):
Status (Attach copy ofNRIC or death cert):
Living Deceased Status (Attach copy ofmarriage or divorcecert):
Married Divorced
Citizenship (Attach copy of NRICor citizenship, if any):
Singapore Citizen Singapore PR Others:________________
Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY): Country of Birth:
NRIC No.: Race as stated in NRIC:
Mother’s ParticularsFull Name (in block letters):
Status (Attach copy ofNRIC or death cert):
Living Deceased Status(Attach copy ofmarriage or divorcecert):
Married Divorced
Citizenship (Attach copy of NRICor citizenship, if any):
Singapore Citizen Singapore PR Others:________________
Date of Birth (DD/MM/YYYY): Country of Birth:
NRIC No.: Race as stated in NRIC:
Section 4: ChecklistPlease use the following checklist to ensure that the following documents have been submitted.Forms with incomplete documents will not be processed.1. I have enclosed a copy of each of the followings together with this application form: Yes No NAMy photograph
My birth certificateMy identity card (NRIC)
My father’s identity card
My mother’s identity card
My spouse’s identity card (if applicable)If not a Singapore Citizen by birth:
ngapore Citizenship certificate
father’s Singapore Citizenship certificate
her’s Singapore Citizenship certificate
Letter of certification of handicapped brother(s)/sister(s) (if applicable)
Latest pay-slips/income advice/official statements of monthly gross income/incometax assessment returns for self-employed and working family members (whereapplicable)Certificate(s) of death (if applicable)Certificate of marriage/divorce/remarriage (if applicable)
Widowed
Widowed
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HP:
HP:
Section 4: Checklist
Please use the following checklist to ensure that the following documents have been submitted. Forms with incomplete documents will not be processed.
I have enclosed a copy of each of the followings together with this application form:
1. My photograph
2. My Birth cate
3. My identity card (NRIC)
4. My father’s identity card
5. My mother’s identity card
6. My spouse’s identity card (if applicable)
7. If not a Singapore Citizen by birth:
- My Singapore Citizenship c cate
- My father’s Singapore Citizenship c cate
- My mother’s Singapore Citizenship c cate
8. Letter of c cation of handicapped brother(s)/sister(s) (if applicable)
9. Latest pay-slips/income advic cial statements of monthly gross income/income tax assessment returns for self-employed and working family members (where applicable)
10. cate(s) of Death (if applicable)
11. cate of Divorce/Custody (if applicable)
12. Breakdown of tuition fees have been indicated in Section 1
Yes No NA
never
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SUPPLEMENTARY ASSISTANCE LOAN Only for MALAY students who are not receiving any subsidy or in receipt of less than
(100%) subsidy under the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) Scheme.
Instructions to applicants: You have to furnish us with 2 guarantors for the loan application. Please ll-up the form on page 6 and enclose a copy of
the guarantors’ recent payslip and NRIC (the information will be kept c l). Kindly update the guarantors’ latest address during the l disbursement of the cheque by submitting a photocopy of
their NRIC. Below are details of the loan scheme for your reference. Please do not leave any items blank. INCOMPLETE FORMS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.
Pre- requisites of GuarantorsYou must sign an agreement with MENDAKI for the repayment of the loan. Applicants are required to furnish 2 guarantors acceptable to MENDAKI. The acceptability of the 2 guarantors will be at the discretion of the Loans Committee. The guarantors must ful ll the following requirements:
SingaporeanBetween the age of 21 and 55 years oldGross monthly income of at least $1,500 and aboveGainfully employed for the past 1 yearMust not be the applicant’s parents, siblings or staying in the same householdThe and second guarantor must not be from the same householdSelf-employed guarantors must submit their latest IRAS form or CPF statement
Loan AgreementSuccessful applicants and their guarantors are required to sign a loan agreement, which is also known as the loan deed. The schedule for the signing of agreement will be informed through the cation letter sent to applicant when the loan is approved. As per the loan deed, the borrower needs to observe and ful ll the following conditions:
o Complete the course of study o No change in the agreed length of studyo No change in the course of studyo No withdrawal from or termination of the course of studyo No deferment without any valid reasons
If the borrower did not ful ll one of the above conditions or any of the terms in the loan agreement, the borrower will be considered to have breached the contract of the loan agreement. The full amount of the loan will have to be repaid immediately.
Loan Quantum
Category Loan Amount
Students receiving 75% TTFS 25% of the tuition fees
Students receiving 50% TTFS 50% of the tuition fees
Students not receiving TTFS 80% of the tuition fees
The loan will be given for the entire course of study and the loan amount is given at the discretion of the Loans Committee, after taking into consideration the cial circumstances of the applicant, the course of study and any other relevant criteria. The decision of the Loans
Loan Disbursement
The disbursement of the loan cheque for the year will be made upon completion of the loan deed. The loan cheque will be made payable to the student or institution. Subsequent loan disbursements will be given only after the submission of the l exam result slip from each academic year.
Loan Repayment
Repayment of the loan will commence 6 months after the completion of the course. For the purpose of repayment, students must sign a GIRO form upon signing the loan deed. The minimum monthly repayment amount is as follows:
a) Diploma courses - $100 b) Degree courses (excluding Medicine) - $250 c) Degree (Medicine) - $500
This is subject to an annual progressive increment of $100.
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Particulars of Guarantors (Please furnish a copy of the guarantors’ recent payslips and NRIC)
Guarantor 1 :
Full Name (as per NRIC)
Address :
Contact No : (Residence) (Hp) (Office)
NRIC No :M/F:redneG:htriBfoetaD
Occupation :Years of service in current occupation :
Name & Address of Employer :
Gross Monthly Income :
Are you a standing as guarantor for any other person? Yes / No
If yes, please furnish details: _________________________________________________________
Have you ever been made bankrupt or become insolvent : Yes / No
Are there any outstanding judgement / court cases against you? Yes / No
If yes, please furnish details : ______________________________________________________
Declaration by Guarantor 1I hereby declare that the information given in this application is true and correct, that I have not willfully suppressed any material fact.
___________________________ _________________ Signature of Guarantor 1 Date
Guarantor 2 :
Full Name (as per NRIC)
Address :
Contact No : (Residence) (Hp) (Office)
NRIC No :M/F:redneG:htriBfoetaD
Occupation :Years of service in current occupation :
Name & Address of Employer :
Gross Monthly Income :
Are you a standing as guarantor for any other person? Yes / No
If yes, please furnish details: _________________________________________________________
Have you ever been made bankrupt or become insolvent : Yes / No
Are there any outstanding judgment / court cases against you? Yes / No
If yes, please furnish details : ______________________________________________________
Declaration by Guarantor 2I hereby declare that the information given in this application is true and correct, that I have not willfully suppressed any material fact.
___________________________ _________________ Signature of Guarantor 2 Date__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I understand that the acceptance of my loan application by Yayasan MENDAKIdoes not bind MENDAKI to approve the loan applied for and that MENDAKI is ata liberty to reject the application without assigning any reason for doing so. _________________________________
Relationship to applicant :
Relationship to applicant :
Signature of Loan Applicant / Date