In Focus: Spread Your Wings Confidently with LKCMedicine

By Sanjay Devaraja, Editor, The LKCMedicine

Medical education can be extremely expensive, with tuition fees, living expenses, and the cost of resources like textbooks and equipment adding up quickly. Supporting medical students financially is crucial for ensuring the accessibility and diversity of the medical profession. At LKCMedicine, students are rest assured that financial barriers do not prevent them nor their passion from pursuing careers in medicine. This is where LKCMedicine upholds the University's dedication to an admissions policy that is needs-blind and merit-based, ensuring that every deserving student has access to education regardless of financial background.

Scholarships and bursaries play a crucial role in supporting medical students in various ways namely, in offering financial support, reducing student debt, encouraging excellence, as well as attracting talent. These ensure all students have equal opportunity to pursue a career in medicine. Students offered a place at LKCMedicine will be pleased to know that the medical school provides its own scholarships and bursaries to support students in need, on top of those offered by the NTU Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

These scholarships are tailored to meet the specific requirements of students. As always, every applicant is evaluated for scholarship consideration, and this is done while taking into account his or her performance during the Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI). This year, there will be no separate interviews for scholarship consideration. Those selected for scholarship awards will be asked to confirm their acceptance of both the scholarship and admission offer simultaneously. Merit-based scholarships are granted to individuals who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, leadership skills, and exemplary conduct.

Both the LKCMedicine Scholarship and the Ong Hok Tien Scholarship are offered to outstanding students aiming to pursue their undergraduate MBBS programme at LKCMedicine. It is tenable for five years, subject to consistently good academic performance and satisfactory conduct.

Koh Heer Lin, a Year 1 student (AY2023-24) who received the LKCMedicine Scholarship said, “I am very grateful to have received the LKCMedicine Scholarship. The scholarship covers my financial worries and gives me the space and energy to put more focus in my schoolwork and also school life. It also motivates me to keep working hard to become the doctor I wish to be.”

The School also offers needs-based scholarships that take into account academic excellence, qualities and conduct, with one additional requirement: financial circumstances. Applicants who meet the income criteria will be offered the needs-based scholarship.

The Toh Kian Chui Scholarship, Irene Tan Liang Kheng Scholarship, and the Sim Yung Chong Medical Scholarship fall under this category of scholarships, and are tenable for five years, subject to consistently good academic performance and satisfactory conduct. The Irene Tan Liang Kheng Scholarship is offered to provide opportunities specifically to deserving Singaporean students.

“I am extremely grateful for the Toh Kian Chui Scholarship. It has empowered my academic focus by alleviating financial constraints arising from my background. Beyond financial aid, it offers avenues for university representation, such as DiscoverNTU. The scholarship provides exposure to scholar-exclusive workshops that promise invaluable personal growth opportunities, which I am eager to participate in,” said Narasimamorthy Tamilmathi, a Year 1 student (AY2023-24) at LKCMedicine.

There is also on offer the Temasek Foundation Scholarship, which honours the legacy of three outstanding union leaders who tirelessly championed for the welfare of lower-income workers and advocated for access to certified training and skills upgrading. The Scholarship supports students (and their families) from lower income backgrounds by providing annual living expenses and a family incentive component for the duration of study.

On top of the scholarships offered by LKCMedicine and NTU, LKCMedicine students can also apply for scholarships offered by external agencies, such as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Medicine Scholarship and the Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship (Medicine/ Dentistry).

Adding to the wide range of scholarships are various other financial aid schemes to support LKCMedicine students in need.

These include bursaries that support a student’s living allowance and tuition fees. Singapore Permanent Residents (SPR) and International students (IS) who meet the income eligibility also qualify – their awards form a percentage of the tuition fees paid by a Singaporean student.

Here is a list of bursaries/ grants for living allowance and tuition fees:

• Higher Education Community Bursary
• Higher Education Bursary
• School and Donor Bursaries:
  - Lee Kong Chian Bursary
  - E I Parrish Bursary
  - GGV Capital Award
  - Yi Xuan Medical Bursary

Grants for living expenses
- Irene Tan Liang Kheng Student Financial Assistance Grants
- MHC Asia Group Bursary
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Bursary Fund

Meanwhile, students can also apply for financial aid offered by external organisations such as the Singapore Medical Association Medical Students’ Assistance Fund.

LKCMedicine also offers financial aid that caters to the various needs that students may have throughout their course of studies:

Conference Funding - Funding for students participating in conferences locally or overseas for attending or presenting their projects during the course of studies.

Transport allowance for clinical years for bursary recipients - Alleviate transport fees for bursary recipients to travel to medical institutions for postings.

Overseas Elective Travel Grants for bursary recipients - To assist Year 5 bursary recipients with expenses incurred from their Overseas Electives. Student has to be a Lee Kong Chian Bursary recipient in the year of the Overseas Elective (i.e. Year 5) to qualify for the travel grant.

Students with sudden/unexpected personal crisis affecting their financial situation can apply for the Emergency Grant during their course of studies, where they can receive up to $10,000 per year. 

To further recognise outstanding students and support their studies, LKCMedicine presents a slew of named awards and prizes. These recognise students who have performed well in various aspects, such as achieving excellent academic performances, promoting inspirational teaching or being an exceptional role model, in the course of their studies. These awards and prizes are made possible by generous contributions from donors:

• Academy of Medicine, Singapore Medal for Outstanding Leadership

• Anthony SC Teo - Gordon Johnson Gold Medal

• Chay Oh Moh Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Paediatrics

• Chee Choong Seng Prize for Most Outstanding Year 4 Students

• Chee Yam Cheng Gold Medal in Professionalism, Ethics, Law, Leadership and Safety (PELLS)

• Chew Chin Hin Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Medicine

• College of Family Physicians Singapore Prize in Family Medicine

• College of Ophthalmologists National Ophthalmology Academic Prize

• College of Ophthalmologists National Ophthalmology Research Prize

• College of Physicians Prize in Internal Medicine

• Feng Pao Hsii Rheumatology Prize

• Ho Tew Hong Prize in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

• Kanwaljit Soin Prize in Orthopaedics

• Koh Boon Hwee Scholars Award

• Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal

• Low Cheng Hock Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Surgery

• Ong Hok Tien Gold Medal

• Singapore Medical Association Prize for Best Scholarly Project

• Society of Infectious Disease (Singapore) Prize

• Toh Kian Chui Gold Medal

Applications for the aforementioned scholarships and bursaries are accepted from October to April each year as part of the admissions process. For more information on these and financial aid, contact the LKCMedicine Student Life & Support at [email protected]. Alternatively, click here for more information on the Scholarships and Financial Aid available at LKCMedicine.

LKCMedicine views supporting students financially as part of its responsibility to ensure that aspiring doctors have the resources they need to succeed in their training and ultimately serve their patients effectively. Supporting students financially is an investment in the future of healthcare. By facilitating the education and training of competent and compassionate doctors, LKCMedicine remains committed to producing quality medical graduates, thus contributing to the overall quality of healthcare delivery.