Each year, many students in Singapore consider overseas universities for their undergraduate studies, drawn by the promise of global exposure and diverse academic options. 

But with so many choices available, how do you decide where to apply?

In this guide, we address three key questions:

• Is there an official list of approved overseas universities in Singapore?
• How to make sense of international university rankings like QS, Times, and the Shanghai rankings?
• Which foreign universities are Singaporeans most actively searching for today?

We hope this offers some clarity as you explore your options!

Is there an official list of overseas universities that are “approved” in Singapore?

No. Singapore’s Ministry of Education has stated that it does not have a list of accredited overseas universities. There is also no central authority in Singapore that assesses or grants recognition for degrees obtained from overseas universities.

Employers in Singapore have the liberty to decide if a potential employee has the qualification most relevant to their needs.

Since there is no official list of approved overseas universities in Singapore, students are responsible for checking whether the institution they choose is legitimate. This means avoiding degree mills — fraudulent organisations that offer degrees with little or no academic study. These degrees may be awarded quickly and are typically not recognised by official education authorities, making them effectively useless for employment or further study. Some degree mills even adopt names that resemble those of reputable institutions to appear credible. 

To avoid such pitfalls, students should check whether the university is accredited by the relevant education authority in its home country and whether its programmes are widely accepted. Embassies or high commissions can help verify this information.

Professional degrees — such as those in engineering, medicine, law, and accountancy — should be recognised by the relevant professional bodies in Singapore. For example, an individual with an overseas engineering degree must first check whether the qualification is recognised by the Professional Engineers Board, before registering as an engineer in Singapore.

If an overseas university offers its courses in Singapore through a local partner or agent, the university and its agent are fully responsible for the quality and delivery of the programme. Students considering such courses should research the institution and course structure thoroughly before enrolling.

To discover trusted alternatives beyond our local tertiary institutions, look out for education seminars to attend. For instance, Quill Learning is holding a free seminar on 28 June 2025, where you can find out how globally recognised diplomas offer flexible progression to good universities, and get a one-to-one consultation with their advisors. 

How are universities ranked in the world? Which university ranking system is the best?

There are three main global university ranking systems, each using a different approach to evaluate universities. These are the QS, Times, and Shanghai rankings, which we’ll outline below:

➤ The QS World University Rankings are published by Quacquarelli Symonds, a UK-based company that specialises in higher education analysis. The 2025 QS rankings were based on five main categories:

• Research and Discovery (50%): Includes “Academic Reputation” (30%) and “Citations per Faculty” (20%), measuring how universities are viewed by academics and how often their research is cited.
• Employability and Outcomes (20%): Includes “Employer Reputation” (15%) and “Employment Outcomes” (5%), showing how well universities prepare graduates for the workforce.
• Global Engagement (15%): Based on the International Faculty Ratio, International Research Network, and International Student Ratio — each weighted at 5%. International Student Diversity is also tracked but not given a score.
• Learning Experience (10%): Measured by the Faculty-to-Student Ratio, which gives an idea of how much attention students might receive.
• Sustainability (5%): Looks at how committed the university is to environmental and social impact.

Do note that QS might update their ranking methodology; you can get the latest information on their website.   

A common criticism of the QS system is that nearly half of the score is based on survey responses — “Academic Reputation” and “Employer Reputation” together make up 45%. This tends to favour long-established, well-known universities, and it may not fully reflect student experience, teaching quality, or campus life.

One final note: if you see an equal sign next to a rank on the QS website (e.g. =25), it means that two or more universities share that position.

➤ The Times World University Rankings is produced by Times Higher Education, a UK-based organisation known for evaluating research-intensive universities. The 2025 rankings use 18 indicators across five main areas:

• Teaching (29.5%): Includes teaching reputation, student-staff ratio, postgraduate training, and institutional income. 
• Research Environment (29%): Looks at how much research a university produces, how well it is funded, and how it is regarded by academic peers.
• Research Quality (30%): Measures the influence and excellence of research through citation counts, research strength, and global impact.
• International Outlook (7.5%): Assesses the university’s global engagement, based on international students, staff, and collaborative research. 
• Industry (4%): Evaluates how well a university works with industry — based on research income from commercial partnerships and how often its research is cited in patents.

Compared to QS, which gives 45% weight to reputation surveys, Times places more emphasis on measurable research outcomes and funding. This can result in significant differences between the two rankings, especially for newer universities that are research-strong but less globally famous. Both rankings are UK-based and widely used, and students may benefit from consulting both for a fuller picture.

➤ The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) — often called the Shanghai Ranking — is published by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, an independent organisation based in China.

This ranking focuses mainly on research strength and academic achievement. It uses six indicators, grouped into four areas:

• Quality of Education (10%): Looks at how many of a university’s alumni have won Nobel Prizes or Fields Medals.
• Quality of Faculty (40%): Considers both the number of Nobel or Fields Medal winners among staff (20%) and the number of researchers listed as Highly Cited Researchers (20%).
• Research Output (40%): Measures how much high-level research a university produces, including papers published in Nature and Science (20%), and papers indexed in major research databases like the Science Citation Index (20%).
• Per Capita Performance (10%): Adjusts the total score based on the size of the university’s academic staff, so smaller universities aren’t penalised.

For universities that focus mostly on humanities and social sciences — such as the London School of Economics — the Nature and Science metric is skipped, and the points are redistributed to the other categories.

The Shanghai Ranking doesn’t include surveys, teaching quality, or international student life. It focuses primarily on research and awards, which means it tends to favour large, science-focused universities. For students choosing a degree course, this ranking is most useful if you’re looking at research-focused institutions or planning a career in academia.

Which overseas universities do Singaporeans search for?

According to OverseasEducation.sg, an education consultancy based in Singapore, these are some universities that Singapore-based students are keen on:

• Adelaide University 
• Australian National University 
• Cardiff University 
• Monash University
• University of Birmingham 
• University of Bristol
• University of Edinburgh 
• University of Glasgow 
• University of New South Wales 
• University of Nottingham 
• University of Western Australia 

Based on search data, we've also compiled a list of overseas universities that users in Singapore have been looking up. We’ve included the global rankings for these universities, so you can have added perspective on how they are viewed internationally.

Use this information to explore your options, compare institutions, or simply see what’s capturing the most attention right now:

Want to seek advice or share your views on overseas universities? Join the conversation on the KiasuParents forum!

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