New study horizons: Why more Singapore students are skipping Britain, US and Australia

SINGAPORE – For decades, Britain, the United States and Australia have been the dominant destinations for Singaporeans looking to study abroad.

However, this trend is shifting as more students explore alternative countries to do their degrees.

While student numbers in these traditional destinations have plateaued or declined, data collected by The Straits Times from more than 20 education statistics organisations worldwide shows a growing number of Singaporeans are enrolling in universities in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Japan.

What guides this gravitation, say students, is a combination of cost and post-graduation prospects.

Meanwhile, the traditional big three study destinations – Australia, Britain and the US – have seen flat or declining Singaporean university entrants over the past decade.

Despite rising affluence here, the number of Singaporean degree seekers in Australia dropped from 8,406 in 2013 to 5,896 in 2024, according to Australia’s Department of Education.

Find out more : StraitsTimes