SINGAPORE – Students at local universities can expect to pay up to $80 more each month to stay on campus in the new academic year, which starts in August.
According to the latest figures from the websites of the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University, hostel prices have been rising over the last few years.
The increase applies to various room types, Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao first reported on July 10.
For example, at NTU’s Hall of Residence 1 built in 1955, students last year paid $558 a month for a non-air-conditioned single en-suite room, where facilities are shared with another room. For the upcoming academic year, fees have gone up by almost $50 to $602.
Non-air-conditioned double en-suite rooms will see a similar 8 per cent increase, rising from $381 to $412 per person per month.
Fees for air-conditioned single room units at Hall of Residence 14, built in 2001, will similarly increase from $593 to $642 over the same period, while those for air-conditioned double rooms will rise from $436 to $472.
At NUS, weekly fees for on-campus accommodation are determined by the students’ year of matriculation.
Four years ago, first-year students residing at NUS’ oldest student hostel, King Edward VII Hall, which was built in 1916, would have paid $86 a week for a non-air-conditioned double room. In the new academic year, students will pay $114, an increase of $28 a week. In the previous year, the fee was $104 a week.
At Eusoff Hall, which opened in 1988, fees for a non-air-conditioned single room have gone up from $151 a week to $165 in the last year – an increase of about 9 per cent.
Meanwhile, an air-conditioned double room at NUS’ UTown Residence will cost $275.50 per week, up from $255 last year. This translates to a monthly increase of more than $80, or about 8 per cent.
The Singapore Management University is also expected to raise hostel fees for the 2027/2028 academic year.
According to its website, the room rate for a small single room is $873 a month for the academic year 2026/2027. It will increase to $917 in the academic year 2027/2028, up by $44, or 5 per cent.
The Straits Times has reached out to all three universities for comments.