Edusave, PSEA & More – 9 Government Schemes for Schoolgoing Kids & Parents in Singapore (2022)

If we’re being perfectly honest, the most expensive part of being a parent in Singapore is right at the very beginning, when you’re going through diapers like crazy and paying top dollar for preschools that promise to turn your kid into the next Elon Musk.

So for most parents, it’s a relief – both financially and psychologically – when your child finally makes it to Primary 1. Nonetheless, every little bit helps, and most of us do appreciate the grants, schemes and subsidies available for school going kids.

There isn’t really a place where you can find all the subsidies in one place, so we’ve put together this guide to Edusave, PSEA, and all the other schemes available for kids in Singapore from age 7 onwards.

Contents

1. 1. 1. Financial schemes for students in Singapore
      2. School fees in Singapore
      3. Edusave contributions & awards
      4. PSEA account
      5. Edusave Scholarship for Independent Schools
      6. MOE ISB (Independent School Bursary) Scheme
      7. MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS)
      8. ComCare Student Care Subsidies
      9. IMDA PC-Bundle Scheme

1. Summary of financial schemes for students in Singapore

Here’s a quick guide to 9 financial schemes in Singapore for school-going kids of various ages and income levels. For the most part, they are for Singapore citizens, though PRs might be eligible for some of them.

Click on the name of the scheme to jump to the relevant section.

Education scheme	Who’s eligible?	Description
Edusave contribution	All students aged 7 to 16	Savings account for education use. MOE contributes $230 to $290 to each student every year
Edusave award	Top students from Pri 1 onwards	$200 to $500 award for students who performed exceptionally well
Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA)	All students aged 16 to 30	Savings account for post-secondary education use. No contribution from govt, but 2.5% p.a. interest rate
Edusave Scholarship (ESIS)	Top students from Pri 6 onwards	$2,400 scholarship for those going to independent schools. Lasts 2 to 6 years
MOE Independent School Bursary (ISB)	Lower income students at independent schools	33% to 100% subsidy of school & miscellaneous fees, depending on income level
MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS)	Lower income students at all schools (primary to pre-U)	MOE pays for your school fees, textbooks, uniform + gives you $180 transport credit a year + meal subsidies
ComCare Student Care Subsidies	Lower income students aged 7 to 14	Up to $290 a month subsidies for Student Care Centre fees
IMDA PC-Bundle Scheme	Lower income full-time students aged 25 and below	Up to 75% subsidy for computer or laptop + software + 3 years broadband subscription

2. Aren’t school fees in Singapore already subsidised?

Actually, going to school in Singapore isn’t expensive as long as you’re a Singaporean citizen. Citizens enjoy heavily subsidised school fees from primary school right up to university – just check out this table of school fees in Singapore:

Monthly fees for Singapore citizens	Primary school	Secondary school	Pre-university
School fees	Free	$5	$6
Miscellaneous fee	$6.50	$10	$13.50
2nd tier miscellaneous fee	$6.50	$10	$13.50
TOTAL	$13	$25	$33

(Note that fees are higher if you enrol your child in an autonomous school or independent school. Autonomous school fees range from $3 to $18 a month, and independent schools charge anything from $290 a month.)

To appreciate just how much education subsidies the government is giving Singaporeans, just compare this against how much PRs and foreign students need to pay to go to school here:

Monthly school fees	Primary school	Secondary school	Pre-university
Fees for Singapore citizens	$13	$25	$33
Fees for PRs	$243	$478	$547
Fees for international students (ASEAN)	$503	$878	$1,097
Fees for international students (non-ASEAN)	$838	$1,638	$1,977

Singapore universities like NUS, NTU and SMU also have lower fees for citizens compared to PRs and international students. The difference is in the thousands each year.

The point is, education in Singapore is already heavily subsidised by the government for citizens. But schemes like Edusave and PSEA account can help out just a little bit more.

3. Edusave contributions & awards

Edusave is a multi-tiered programme by MOE, where government funds are given to help students pay for certain school-related stuff.

At the most basic level, there’s the annual Edusave contributions which every Singaporean child (citizen, 7 to 16 years old) can get regardless of academic performance. An Edusave account is automatically opened for you, and the money magically appears in it each year.

Here’s how much students get this year:

School level	Edusave contribution (2022)
Primary	$230
Secondary	$290

On top of the above contribution, as part of the Household Support Package announced in Budget 2022, students were awarded an additional $200. All Singaporean citizens between the ages of 7 and 16 who are enrolled in a MOE-funded primary or secondary school, including Government-funded special education school are eligible for the top up.

In addition, students from Primary 1 onwards who have performed well or made good progress in academic or non-academic work (e.g. leadership or CCAs) will be rewarded with cash as well, in the form of Edusave awards. There are various awards ranging from Edusave Character Award (ECHA) to Edusave Merit Bursary (EMB).

This is how much the Edusave Merit Bursary award is:

School level	Edusave award amount
Primary 1 to 3	$200
Primary 4 to 6	$250
Secondary	$350
Pre-university	$400
ITE/specialised schools	$500

So, depending on your child’s age and performance, you’re looking at getting anything from $200 to $890 a year from Edusave.

MOE will send an Edusave account statement every year, detailing the past year’s transactions and what’s left. To check how much is in the Edusave account in between statements, you can call 6260 0777 or email [email protected].

Like your CPF, the funds in the Edusave have designated use and you can’t withdraw them as cash like you can with a regular bank account. Instead, whenever you need to pay for something that can make use of the Edusave, the school will give you a form to fill authorising them to deduct the amount from your child’s Edusave account.

If you don’t want the hassle of signing a separate form each time, you can establish an Edusave Fee Standing Order to use the funds to pay for the second-tier miscellaneous fees. Just fill in form and give it to your child’s school.

4. PSEA account (Post-Secondary Education Account)

Thanks to the government’s Baby Bonus scheme, most Singaporean parents would have rushed to open a CDA account (Child Development Account) in their child’s name the moment the baby is conceived.

As your kid gets older (age 7 for kids born between 2001 and 2005, or age 13 for kids born in 2006 and after), whatever money left in the CDA account will get dumped into a PSEA account, or Post-Secondary Education Account.

At 16 years old or after completing secondary school, the money in the Edusave account will also be transferred into the PSEA account.

The PSEA account‘s main selling point is that it earns 2.5% p.a. interest, just like a CPF account. But, like CPF, you can only unlock the funds for PSEA approved uses:

• Tuition fees at local universities, polytechnics, art schools, ITE, and other approved institutes
• Compulsory hostel fees for certain courses
• Payment of government or CPF education loans
• Siblings’ approved fees and charges for approved programmes

At age 31, this account is closed and any unused funds will be transferred into either your child’s CPF Ordinary Account, or her sibling’s PSEA.

An account statement of your child’s PSEA account is sent every year in March. You may use the funds on an ad-hoc basis, or you can establish a PSEA Standing Order with instructions on withdrawals by filling in the form and handing it to your kid’s school (like with Edusave).

Note to kiasu parents: If you haven’t maxed out your contribution to your child’s CDA, you can still do so after the CDA money is put into his PSEA. You’ll still get the government’s dollar-for-dollar contribution until your child is 18 or when the cap is reached.

5. Edusave Scholarship for Independent Schools (ESIS)

Most of the top schools in Singapore are classified as “independent schools”, meaning they have some autonomy in how they’re run, and how much school fees they charge. These are the independent schools in Singapore:

• Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
• The Chinese High School
• Hwa Chong Institution
• Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah
• Methodist Girls’ School
• Nanyang Girls’ High School
• Northlight School
• Raffles Girls’ School (Secondary)
• Raffles Institution
• Raffles Junior College
• SJI International School
• St. Joseph’s Institution
• School of Science and Technology
• School of the Arts
• Singapore Chinese Girls’ School
• Singapore Sports School

As mentioned in the section on school fees, independent schools in Singapore are much more expensive than public schools. Even if you’re a Singapore citizen, you’ll need to pay upwards of $290 a month for fees.

One way to defray such costs is through the Edusave Scholarships for Independent Schools (ESIS), which is for top students in independent schools, from Primary 6 onwards.

The Edusave scholarship amount is $2,400 and it lasts from 2 to 6 years.

6. MOE ISB (Independent School Bursary) Scheme

Alternatively, students from lower income households can get financial assistance if they want to attend an independent school – regardless of performance – with the MOE Independent School Bursary (ISB) Scheme.

Here’s what it looks like:

Monthly gross household income	Average income per person	School & misc. fee subsidy
$6,901 to $9,000	$1,726 to $2,250	33%
$4,001 to $6,900	$1,001 to $1,725	70%
$2,751 to $4,000	$691 to $1,000	90%
$2,750 or less	$690 or less	100%

Those in the 100% subsidy tier also get:

• Free textbooks & school uniform (secondary school)
• $1,000 bursary (junior college)
• $180 transport credit a year for public transport
• School meal subsidies of $2.90 per meal for 10 meals per school week (secondary school)
• Full subsidy for exam fees

To apply for the MOE ISB scheme, you typically do it directly through the school your child is enrolled in.

7. MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS)

For students who are going to government schools and government-aided schools, you’re already enjoying heavily subsidised fees; nonetheless, there’s an MOE Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) to help with the costs. The requirements for FAS are more stringent:

• Gross household income of less than $2,750/month
• Average income per person (per capita income) in your household of less than $690/month

Here’s a table summarising the benefits you’ll get under this scheme:

Financial assistance for	Primary school	Secondary school	Pre-university
School fee	–	Full waiver	Full waiver
Textbooks	Free	Free	–
Uniform	Free	Free	–
Bursary	–	–	$1,000
Transport	60% subsidy of school bus fare OR $180 credit a year	$180 credit a year	$180 credit a year
Meals	$2 per meal for 7 meals per school week	$2.90 per meal for 10 meals per school week	–

 

8. ComCare Student Care Subsidies

Another subsidy scheme for lower income households is the ComCare Student Care Subsidies scheme.

If both parents are working and there’s no one to care for your child after school, you can enrol her in a registered Student Care Centre and get up to $290 a month in subsidies.

These are the eligibility criteria:

Eligibility factor	Requirements
Child’s age	7 to 14 years old
Citizenship	Child must be Singapore citizen/PR, and at least 1 immediate family member must be Singapore citizen
Parents’ employment status	Both parents working at least 56 hours per month
Household income	Gross monthly household income $4,500 or less OR monthly per capita income $1,125 or less

9. IMDA PC-Bundle Scheme

Computers are indispensable for education these days. For students (up to tertiary level) from lower income families, the IMDA PC-Bundle Scheme subsidises the cost of owning a new computer + software + internet. The PC-Bundle includes:

• Your choice of computer
• 3 years free broadband subscription
• Antivirus software
• Productivity tools
• Internet filtering service
• Delivery & installation
• Warranty

It’s not totally free, but the subsidy is up to 75% (for Singapore citizens), which should help with the costs.

Full-time students aged 25 and below, who are attending a local school (including ITE and polytechnics, but excluding universities) can get the subsidy if their monthly household income is $3,400 or less, or if the average monthly income per person is $900 or less.

If you are on the MOE FAS, you will also qualify for the scheme.

Have you made use of any of these education schemes? Tell us about your experience in the comments!