31,000 more students to benefit from MOE financial support

Total of 133,000 students eligible after raising of income cap of assistance schemes

- Gabrielle Chan

About 31,000 more students will be eligible for financial help to defray their school expenses from 2026, after the Ministry of Education (MOE) raised the income eligibility cap of its financial assistance schemes.

In total, about 133,000 students are expected to receive MOE financial support each year, said the ministry on Oct 16.

The monthly gross household income ceiling for the MOE Financial Assistance Scheme for government, government-aided and specialised schools will go up from $3,000 to $4,000. The per capita income ceiling will also be raised from $750 to $1,000.

The revised income limits will also apply to other MOE schemes, including those for independent schools and post-secondary education institutions.

The income cap for the Edusave Merit Bursary - awarded to Singaporean students who rank among the top 25 per cent of their cohort and display good conduct - will be raised from $7,500 to $9,000.

For the Uplift Scholarship, which supports students from lower-income families who do well in school, the qualifying income ceiling will go up from $4,400 to $5,500.

These changes are part of a broader revision to the income criteria and quantum of several financial assistance schemes, which benefit students from primary schools to universities.

Most of the enhancements will take effect from January 2026, except for the revised income criteria for the Edusave Merit Bursary, which will start in November 2025, to coincide with that year's bursary exercise.