The SMU Global Impact Scholarship Award is a premier flagship scholars’ award that is dedicated to nurture a new generation of leaders, committed to helping to solve complex global and local challenges, thus making an impact on society.
The SMU Global Impact Scholarship Award is designed to help realise each scholar’s leadership potential, ignite the desire and hone the ability to make meaningful impact on society. The programme will provide a transformative learning experience that will nurture and hone the scholars’ capacity for:
- Critical, creative and innovative thinking
- A global mindset
- Leadership
- Social responsibility
- Commitment to excellence
In short, the SMU Global Impact Scholarship Award seeks to develop action leaders with a global perspective for the public, private and people sectors.
Interdisciplinary and immersive education is critical to our work in management consulting. We are looking for thinkers and doers who can bring structure, creativity, logic and human understanding to the very complex business problems we tackle every day. The Global Impact Scholarship Award represents a cutting edge way of cultivating that kind of talent and we fully endorse its mission.
Allan Schulte, VP, Bain & Company Southeast Asia, Head of Recruiting
SCHOLARSHIP FEATURES
The transformative learning experience offered by the scholarship programme includes 4 key drivers - Strong Global Exposure, Exceptional Infusion of Experiential Learning, Robust Scholars’ Core Curriculum, and Multiple Dual Degree Options. Through SMU’s signature interactive pedagogy and technology-enhanced learning, scholars will be transformed to global leaders with an excellent capacity for critical, creative and innovative thinking. These key drivers will set our Global Impact Scholars apart and equip them to lead globally and locally, making an impact on the future of an evolving and volatile world.
The 4 key drivers of the SMU Global Impact Scholarship Award are:
- Strong Global Exposure
- Exceptional Infusion of Experiential Learning
- Robust Scholars’ Core Curriculum
- Multiple Dual Degree Options
Through the Global Learning Opportunities Worldwide (GLOW) framework, our scholars will:
- Develop strong international perspectives
- Acquire intercultural fluency and a keen understanding of contemporary issues
The GLOW framework will provide our scholars with opportunities for overseas student exchange programmes and overseas community service projects. Scholars can curate their experiences by charting their own destinations for these exchanges and community service projects.
Scholars are accorded priority to participate in exchange programmes with top universities around the world which include the University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Southern California, Australian National University, Sciences Po and Kyoto University. They can also choose from many other exchange programmes from SMU’s 200+ university partners.
Scholars can also opt to participate in special summer programmes with the Pembroke-King’s summer programme at the University of Cambridge or the Exeter Summer Programme at the University of Oxford.
SMU-X
SMU-X is a paradigm shift in pedagogical delivery. It places a deliberate emphasis on the learning experience as opposed to a mere informational transfer through teaching. It inspires a mindset shift towards a collaborative approach both internally as well as with external stakeholders. The SMU-X curriculum is innovatively crafted to favour an experiential learning process that is interdisciplinary and hands-on. It encourages the SMU community to collaborate and breakout from their silos by working in groups to solve complex issues. All SMU-X courses are characterised by four principles:
- interdisciplinary content and activities
- experiential learning via an actual problem or issue faced by an organisation
- active student-mentoring by faculty and industry
- a tripartite learning loop for the faculty, student and industry
Each SMU-X course challenges and inspires our undergraduates to use their disciplinary knowledge and skills in tackling complex issues faced by the partner organisations. By delving into current and actual problems and constraints, SMU-X courses can accelerate the learning experience of students to go beyond hypothetical classroom exercises. Courses span across different disciplines and students are empowered to help improve individual well-being, contribute to society, or design innovative new business models for partner organisations
The SMU Global Impact Scholarship Award is offered to eligible students enrolled in one of SMU’s six schools.
Besides the discipline-specific courses for each degree programme, scholars will have the opportunity to read specially designed Scholars’ Core modules which will have a strong focus on experiential learning to develop leadership, decision making and complex problem solving skills, cognitive flexibility and effective communication.
All Global Impact Scholars will be enrolled into at least one SMU-X module as part of the scholars’ core curriculum.
Scholars will be given the option to participate in a Bachelor’s and Master’s Combined Degree programme. Scholars undertaking Master’s programmes in related fields may double count relevant courses so as to complete both their Undergraduate degrees and Master’s degrees in as short a time as four years. Scholars will also be given the option of enrolling in an SMU Master’s programme that requires prior work experience, within five years upon graduation. Students will have the option of the following:
- Single undergraduate degree
- Double undergraduate degree
- Integrated SMU Bachelor-Master programmes
- Sequential SMU Bachelor-Master programmes
- Enrol in an SMU Master’s programme (full time or part time) within five years upon graduation
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Applicants must:
- Be Singapore Citizens
- Possess outstanding Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ level, local Polytechnic Diploma, International Baccalaureate Diploma, NUS High School Diploma or equivalent qualifications
- Demonstrate strong leadership capabilities and potential
- Possess excellent record in co-curricular and/or community activities
- Be applying for admission to a full-time undergraduate degree programme at SMU
BENEFITS
- Waiver of annual subsidized tuition fees for regular terms, (i.e. semesters 1 and 2), for up to 4 years, starting from Academic Year 2028-29.
- S$14,000 Global Learning Opportunities Worldwide (GLOW) grant to fund part or combination of the following:
- An overseas Student Exchange/Summer Programme,
- An overseas Community Service Project,
- Overseas School Study Missions,
- Overseas Case Competitions and presentations at conferences. - S$5,000 annual living allowance.
- S$1,800 one-time computer allowance upon enrollment.
- S$9000 Enhanced Flexibility Grant for on-campus accommodation at Prinsep Street Residences, an overseas exchange or approved professional certifications
- The option to pursue a concurrent or sequential SMU Master's programme of up to S$40,000.
- Participation in development opportunities offered by the Student Success Centre.
- This scholarship is bond-free.
APPLICATION PROCESS
- If you would like to be considered for this scholarship, please indicate your interest in the Scholarship section of the online application form for admission. There is no separate scholarship application form. Click here to apply to SMU.
- Applicants are required to submit a scholarship personal essay (to be completed and submitted online when applying for admission). Letters of recommendation by their tutor or principal are optional but applicants are strongly encouraged to obtain such recommendations to support their scholarship application. Details on how to nominate your referee can be found in the online application for admission (under Scholarship section). Please ensure that you give sufficient time to your referee to submit his/her recommendation online.
- Applicants will be shortlisted based on their academic qualifications and the strength of their non-academic records.
- Shortlisted applicants will be invited to SMU for a panel interview.
Our SMU Stories
