LKY-STEP Award

The Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship to Encourage Upgrading (LKY-STEP) Award was established from donations received from Mr Lee Kuan Yew through the sale proceeds of autographed editions of Volume 2 of his Memoirs. The objective of the award is to encourage lifelong learning and will be offered to outstanding polytechnic graduates pursuing full-time undergraduate degree programmes at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Technology & Design(SUTD), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) or Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

Eligibility
  • Open to Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents.
  • Successful awardees should read a full-time undergraduate degree programme leading to a first degree* at NTU, NUS, SMU, SUTD, SIT or SUSS.
  • Possess outstanding Diploma awarded by a polytechnic in Singapore (preferably Diploma with Merit) or SIT (Poly-FSI) qualifications.
  • Excellent co-curricular records.
  • Strong leadership qualities and potential.

Benefits Of Award

LKY-STEP Award covers up to the normal programme duration on the condition that the holder maintain a record of good academic performance and exemplary conduct.

    • One-off cash award of S$3,500.
    • Subsidised Tuition fees will be waived by the universities if LKY-STEP Award holders are unsuccessful in securing a concurrent scholarship.
    • No bond attached, apart from the three-year bond applicable to all Singapore PRs under the MOE Tuition Grant Scheme.

Terms & Conditions
  • Award holders must commence their study in any full-time undergraduate programme at NTU, NUS, SMU, SUTD, SIT or SUSS in the same academic year of application.
  • Holders of the award are allowed to hold concurrent scholarships offered by NTU, NUS, SMU, SUTD, SIT, SUSS or other organizations. 
  • Award holder is required to maintain satisfactory academic performance. The academic performance is reviewed every semester. 
  • The Award may be withdrawn at any time if, in the opinion of the University, the award holder's progress or behaviour has not been satisfactory. 
  • If the award holder decides to terminate the scholarship prematurely, a repayment will be imposed.

Application Procedures

National University of Singapore (NUS) is the Secretariat for LKY-STEP Award in AY2025/2026. Application period is from 15 April 2025 to 13 May 2025. Application details are available at this website - https://nus.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Hem3s6WJdqHycu

    Selection Interview
    • Scholarship selection interviews will take place in mid-June 2025.
    • Only applicants shortlisted for an interview will be informed via e-mail in June. Applicants that are not shortlisted will not receive any e-mail communication.