FAQs

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) was set up to meet an expected rise in the healthcare demands of a growing and ageing Singapore population, at the same time providing more opportunities for Singaporeans to pursue a high-quality medical degree locally. LKCMedicine trains a generation of doctors who will put patients at the centre of their exemplary medical care. Named after local philanthropist Tan Sri Dato Lee Kong Chian, the School, which was officially opened by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on 28 August 2017, aims to be a model for innovative medical education and transformative research.

LKCMedicine will augment Singapore’s healthcare manpower by producing top-quality doctors and medical leaders who are attuned to the needs of patients and society. While the School works closely with the National Healthcare Group as our primary clinical partner, we also partner with hospitals, polyclinics and specialist centres within the other healthcare clusters, SingHealth and National University Health System (NUHS). Farrer Park Hospital and Raffles Medical Group are also teaching sites for our students, making them the first private hospitals in Singapore to be officially involved in undergraduate medical education. 

LKCMedicine offers a five-year full-time Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) undergraduate programme. Upon completion of the programme, students graduating between now and 2028 will gain an MBBS degree awarded jointly by both NTU Singapore and Imperial. From 2029, graduates will receive an NTU degree. The programme adapts the best of Imperial’s world-renowned curriculum and leverages on NTU’s strengths in engineering, technology, biomedical research and the humanities to provide students with an innovative, multi-disciplinary curriculum aimed at developing doctors of tomorrow. Students will have a strong understanding of the scientific basis of medicine, and will be equipped with the critical skills to handle the doctor-patient relationship. Our partnership with NHG, a leader in public healthcare recognised for the quality of its medical expertise, facilities and teaching, as well as the other two healthcare clusters, offers students exposure to clinical experience relevant to Singapore’s healthcare needs. The School’s first cohort graduated in August 2018.

LKCMedicine also offers a PhD programme by Research for the brightest students from a variety of backgrounds – natural sciences, medicine, social sciences and engineering – and  exposes them to a range of topics and disciplines such that upon completion, graduates will have a deep knowledge and appreciation of both translatable and translational medical research methods. More about LKCMedicine’s PhD programme can be found here.

LKCMedicine’s MBBS degree which is jointly awarded by NTU Singapore and Imperial is not considered a UK Primary Medical Qualification and does not entitle the holder to provisional registration with the General Medical Council in the UK. LKCMedicine graduates who wish to practise in the UK should follow the registration process for graduates from outside the UK and European Economic Area as described in here. Upon successful completion of the MBBS programme with local universities, graduates are to fulfil a service obligation of five years (for Singaporeans) or six years (for non-Singaporeans) in the local public healthcare sector, excluding housemanship or first year residency training.

The MBBS programme falls under the regulations of the Quality Assurance Agency, and also conforms to local quality assurance requirements imposed by the Singapore Medical Council, NTU Singapore and LKCMedicine. Academic subject and professional experts from local and overseas institutions are appointed as external examiners for LKCMedicine. The team of external examiners includes a Joint External Examiner who is also an external examiner for Imperial’s MBBS programme. This ensures that the standard of LKCMedicine’s MBBS programme is consistent with Imperial’s and on par with the other medical schools recognised by the Singapore Medical Council.

In the first two years of the programme, students attend lessons at both the NTU main and Novena campuses, and spend a half day per week at a polyclinic. In the next three years, students are based primarily at healthcare facilities throughout Singapore, under the three healthcare clusters – NHG, SingHealth and NUHS.

LKCMedicine has established an exchange programme with several universities around the world including Imperial to encourage overseas exposure.

Final year LKCMedicine students embark on a 6-week overseas elective in various countries including the UK, Australia, Japan, Thailand, India and others.

LKCMedicine launched its four-year PhD by Research programme in January 2016. The PhD by Research programme is shaped by Singapore’s healthcare needs and delivered with several innovative features. The programme includes clinical attachments for students from a non-clinical background to receive a deeper understanding of local healthcare needs. There are also laboratory rotations which broaden students’ range of skills, as well as overseas attachments with academic medical centres which give students an international perspective. Capitalising on LKCMedicine’s strategic partnerships, students will be able to choose from three different pathways for their research training. More about LKCMedicine’s PhD programme can be found here.

The MBBS degree is accredited in Singapore, in line with the requirements set by the Singapore Medical Council and Singapore Ministry of Health.

The faculty at LKCMedicine consists of a core team of experienced clinician-educators and faculty members from NTU Singapore and NHG. The School also has a prominent research faculty, made up of internationally-renowned clinician-scientists and researchers. NTU Singapore will continue to recruit excellent faculty committed to delivering world-class medical education and research.

LKCMedicine’s Governing Board comprises representatives from the Singapore Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, NHG, NTU Singapore, Imperial, LKCMedicine and other industry leaders who hold the expertise and experience to help the School achieve its goals. Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of the Singapore Food Agency and a member of NTU Singapore’s Board of Trustees, leads the School’s Governing Board.

Apart from motivation for study, interest in medicine and potential to contribute to the course, applicants will also be assessed based on the following: 

(a)  Academic performance 
(b)  University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) results  
(c)  Personal statement 
(d)  2 Referee reports. (Please note that one of the referees must be your Civics Tutor/Form Teacher. The online referee report is in question and answer format. There are 2 questions which will take no more than 10 minutes to complete. Instructions and login details will be provided to applicants who will in turn forward the login information to their referees.) 
(e)  Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI). Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend the MMI. Successful applicants will be offered admission to LKCMedicine, subject to clearing their health requirements check. 

The entry requirements and selection criteria can be found  here.

Our MBBS programme has very limited places and entry is highly competitive. We therefore accord priority to applicants who have not previously pursued undergraduate studies. Applicants who have started, are pursuing, or have completed an undergraduate programme at any university are generally not considered.

During registration for the UCAT, you will need to indicate that you are applying to international universities that require the UCAT, and select “Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (NTU, Singapore)”. By doing that, LKCMedicine will receive your results from UCAT directly in early November 2023. 

You should also take note of your UCAT ID number and include it in the NTU online application for admissions to LKCMedicine subsequently.

They are a series of interviews designed to assess a potential student’s aptitude and capability to successfully complete the MBBS programme. Applicants invited for the MMI will complete a series of eight (8) mini-interviews, each lasting approximately five (5) minutes, conducted in eight (8) separate interview booths by faculty and professionals from various healthcare disciplines. 

Applicants offered admission to LKCMedicine must fulfil the standardised set of screening and vaccination requirements stipulated by the Ministry of Health, Singapore. The health requirements can be found here. These requirements are subject to changes by the Ministry of Health Singapore.

Applicants may request for feedback during the application cycle in which the application is made, by contacting the NTU Office of Admissions and quoting their full name and identification number or application number.

You may complete the Aptitude Based Admissions portion of the online application form if you would like to be considered under the Aptitude Based Admissions criteria. If you are shortlisted by the Selection Committee and have achieved the minimum academic results, you will be invited to attend the interview.

All students admitted to LKCMedicine are eligible for subsidised fees, subject to service obligation. The subsidised fees information for students can be obtained here.

Students admitted to the LKCMedicine are required to serve the public healthcare sector upon successful completion of the MBBS programme. Singaporeans serve a five-year service obligation and non-Singaporeans serve a six-year service obligation, excluding housemanship or first year residency training. More information on Medical undergraduate Agreement can be obtained here.

PSC scholarship recipients who are concurrently awarded the President’s Scholarship to read Medicine will also have a service obligation according to the terms of the scholarship. For more information about PSC scholarships, please visit  https://www.psc.gov.sg/Scholarships  

For other scholarship or financial assistance recipients, please refer to the terms of agreement of the respective schemes. 

In addition to the scholarships and bursaries offered by NTU Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, LKCMedicine has in place needs-based student financial aid programmes that ensure no deserving student is denied an education because of financial constraints. Through endowed gifts from our principal donor, the Lee Foundation, as well as other donors such as the E I Parrish Trust, students who face financial hardship will be able to apply for student bursaries, travel bursaries and emergency grants, in addition to interest-free tuition fee loans. Details are available here.

Students can apply for the LKCMedicine and E I Parrish bursaries that cover part of the tuition fees. These will be funded primarily through the generous endowment by the Lee Foundation and E I Parrish Trust, part of which has been designated to help financially needy students.

Qualification for student bursaries will be based on applicants’ monthly household Per Capita Income (PCI). Students can also take loans to cover the remaining tuition fee payable. Student bursaries are tenable on a yearly basis. 

Applicants must submit a scholarship application in the NTU admissions portal before the admissions closing date.