Private universities in Singapore are referred to those foreign and international universities with a local campus and also the local private education institution offering external degree programmes.
Besides the six local public universities, Singapore also the home of some world reputed universities’ Asia campus. Those foreign and international universities are offering a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree at their Singapore campuses.
Singapore Private University Ranking Comparison List
| Name of University | Parent University Rankings (QS 2020) | Parent University Ranking (ARWU 2019) | EduTrust Certification (by CPE Singapore) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtin University | 230 (Overall) | 201-300 | EduTrust |
| DigiPen Institute of Technology | N.A | N.A | EduTrust |
| ESSEC Business School | N.A. | N.A | EduTrust |
| German Institute of Science and Technology – TUM Asia | 55 (Overall) | 48 | EduTrust |
| INSEAD | N.A. | N.A | EduTrust |
| James Cook University | 377 (Overall) | 201-300 | 1st private institute to be awarded EduTrust Star |
| LASALLE College of the Arts | N.A | N.A | 2nd private institute to be awarded EduTrust Star |
| Sorbonne-Assas International Law School – Asia | N.A. | N.A | EduTrust |
| S P Jain School of Global Management | N.A | N.A | EduTrust |
*University ranking comparison is based on QS world university ranking 2020 and Academic Ranking of World Universities 2019.
**CPE Singapore stands for the Committee for Private Education Singapore. The committee is in charge of ensuring academic standards and quality of service to students in the private education sector in Singapore.
Curtin Singapore
Curtin University Singapore campus was officially open in 2008 and is managed by the Curtin Education Center of the Navitas Education Group. It offers degrees in commerce, communication, management and health practices related degrees.
The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2019 ranked Curtin University in the top 2% of university worldwide.
Curtin Singapore is one of the private institutions who received the Singapore Education Trust Certification awarded by the Committee of Private Education Singapore. This award is for the Singapore private institution which provides their quality education and improvements leading to a good education outcome.
DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore
By invitation by Singapore Economic Development Board, DigiPen Institution of Technology set out its 1st international campus in Singapore in 2008.
DigiPen Institution of Technology ranked 4th in the Top 50 Games Design Undergraduate in 2019 and remain top 5 in the same ranking by Princeton review for last 10 years.
As of today, DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore offers five digital entertainment focusing bachelor’s degree programs in the areas of enterprise software, virtual reality, finance, digital entertainment, and automotive technology.
ESSEC Business School
ESSEC Business School set up its first overseas college in Singapore, the ESSEC Business School Asia-Pacific campus in 2015. They offering graduate programs offered include business administration, management, finance, international business, and healthcare management.
The programs have been offered in ESSEC Business school consistently recognised worldwide. ESSEC ranked 4th in Master of management and 5th in Master of finance by Financial Times. Also ranked 4th for Management and Business Analytics degrees by QS Business Masters Rankings 2019.
Students who enrolled in the ESSEC Global Business Management program must complete at least one year in Singapore and France, and do internships in a third country.
German Institute of Science and Technology – TUM Asia
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) was invited by the Singapore Economic Development board and set up their branch campus subsidiary – the German Institute of Science and Technology – TUM Asia in 2002.
TUM ranked within top 2 Germany university in the World University Academic Rankings (ARWU) for consecutive nine years from 2011. It also ranked within the top 25 worldly in the engineering and technology field for consecutive three years(QS World University Rankings by Faculty 2017-2019).
TUM Asia offers five masters of science programs in partnership with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Two bachelors of science courses in the partnership the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).
INSEAD
The European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD) opened its Asia campus in Singapore in 1999.
INSEAD ranked 1st in International MBA Programme by Bloomberg Businessweek 2017, Also ranked 2nd at QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019 – Business & Management Studies.
INSEAD Asia campus offers a range of business programmes in degree and PhD programmes, also provides executive education for management and leadership programmes.
James Cook University Singapore
James Cook University Australia established its Singapore campus in 2003 and offering a series of excellent degree programs suits Singapore campus. James Cook University Singapore offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the field of Business, Information Technology, Psychology, Education, Accounting, Arts, Aquaculture, Environmental Science, Games Design, Tourism and Hospitality.
In 2015, JCU Singapore was the 1st institution received the Singapore Education Trust Certification Star Rating (Edu Trust Star), and obtain it again in 2019. This is the highest level of award in the non-public university sector to the institutions who were managing their institutions and providing an outstanding quality of education and welfare for their students.
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) has ranked James Cook University top 2% of universities worldwide for the past seven years (2013 – 2019).
JCU Singapore provides an opportunity for students to study in both Singapore and Australia. Students have opportunities to choose to complete their degrees in Singapore, or start their degree studies in Singapore first and complete their degree in Australia later.
LASALLE College of the Arts
LASALLE College of the arts founded in 1984, It is a non-profit private educational institution funded by the Singapore Ministry of Education and the only pure arts institution in Singapore that providing master degree programs.
In 2015, Lasalle College of the Arts had become the second institution to win the Singapore Education Trust Certification Star Rating that awarded to the private education sector for meeting all key areas of management and providing quality education services.
LASALLE has eight art and design schools that offer more than 30 contemporary arts and design education programmes in diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Sorbonne-Assas International Law School – Asia
University Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas launch a range of law programmes in Singapore and branded as Sorbonne-Assas International Law School – Asia in 2011.
Sorbonne-Assas International Law School – Asia offers LL.M in international business law, and two short programmes aim for preparing the future financial and legal directors, managers of holdings or big companies, or their counsels, to their positions.
S P Jain School of Global Management
By the invitation of the Singapore government, S P Jain School of Global Management established their Singapore campus in 2006.
S P Jain School of Global Management’s Global MBA program has been ranked 4th in the world in the Times Higher Education-Wall Street Journal Business School Rankings of one year MBA degrees.
S P Jain School of Global Management Singapore campus offers one undergraduate program in Bachelor of business administration, and three postgraduate programs in Master of global business, Global MBA, and Executive MBA.
