FAQs

NTU-ICL Collaboration

Applicants to the LKCMedicine MBBS programme for the AY2024-25 intake onwards will be required to sit for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) as part of the entry requirements. The BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT) conducted by Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing will no longer be accepted from the 2024 admissions exercise.
 
More details about the new UCAT requirement for LKCMedicine admissions can be found here.

LKCMedicine students are welcome to apply to intercalate at Imperial to join their School's 1-year integrated BSc programme. LKCMedicine has also set up a new partnership with the University of Edinburgh, UK, to consider applications from LKCMedicine students who wish to intercalate. 
Students who graduate from LKCMedicine between now and 2028 will receive a joint MBBS degree from NTU and Imperial. 
Students who enter in 2022 and 2023 will receive a joint MBBS degree conferred by NTU and Imperial if they successfully complete their studies by 2028.  Those who enter from 2024 onwards (and graduate in 2029 or after) will receive an NTU MBBS degree.
Students who enter in 2022 and 2023 will receive a joint MBBS degree conferred by NTU and Imperial if they successfully complete their studies by 2028.  If you have an offer but matriculate after 2023 and hence graduate after 2028, you will receive your MBBS degree from NTU.
We encourage all LKCMedicine students to stay on and complete their studies. The LKCMedicine programme and student experience will continue with no major changes. Students are reminded that medical studies are highly subsidised by the Singapore Government, and under the Tuition Grant Agreement, medical graduates are required to serve in the local public healthcare sector after graduation for 5 years (Singapore citizens) or 6 years (Singapore permanent residents).

General

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.

All local medical schools will primarily equip students with the knowledge and skills to become doctors and clinicians. LKCMedicine pioneers a modern curriculum characterised by its innovative approaches in pedagogy, utilising team-based learning and other leading-edge technology. LKCMedicine’s educational model focuses on interdisciplinary learning and draws on synergies from the fields of medicine, sciences, engineering, technology and the humanities.
The entry requirements and selection criteria 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.

For more information, please visit our website at https://www.ntu.edu.sg/medicine or contact us at [email protected]

For enquiries on financial aid, please contact:

NTU Office of Admissions (NTU OA)
Website: https://www.ntu.edu.sg/admissions
Email (Local Qualifications): [email protected]
Email (International Qualifications): [email protected]

AY2023-24 Admissions

LKCMedicine admitted its first cohort of students in August 2013.
The School has an annual intake of 150 students. As the School is set up to train doctors for Singapore and Singaporeans, priority for admission will be given to Singaporeans.
Applications can be made from October the year before admission to typically mid-March in the year of admission.
NTU is responsible for the admissions process and criteria for LKCMedicine.
We welcome applicants who have taken the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), with any of the following qualifications:

(a) Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ Level 
(b) Local Polytechnic Diploma
(c) International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma
(d) NUS High School Diploma
(e) Relevant international qualifications

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 minimum requirements for the various qualifications are given in the table below:

Singapore-Cambridge GCE A-level Certificate
- H2 Pass in Chemistry and H2 Pass in either Biology or Physics
​- All H2 subjects and attempted General Paper (GP) or Knowledge & Inquiry (KI) must be taken at one sitting
- Meet Mother Tongue Language (MTL) requirement.
- More details here.

International Baccalaureate Diploma
- Pass in HL Chemistry and Pass in either HL Biology or Physics
- Meet Mother Tongue requirement.
- More details here. 

NUS High School Diploma
- Major CAP of 2.0 in Chemistry and either Biology or Physics
- CAP of 1.0 in one other major and in English Programme
- Meet Mother Tongue requirement.
- More details here. 
​
Polytechnic Diploma
- A good GPA in a Health Science-related diploma.
- A list of relevant diplomas

International Qualifications
- List of acceptable international qualifications
- For further advice on other international qualifications, you may contact NTU Office of Admissions (NTU OA).

Mother Tongue Language (MTL) requirements:
1. Minimum of D7 for the higher MTL paper taken at the 'O' Level examination.
2. Minimum of ‘S’ grade for the H1 MTL paper or General Studies in Chinese.
3. Minimum of 'S' grade for the H2 MTL paper taken at the 'A' Level examination.
4. Pass in the MTL 'B' Syllabus paper at the 'A' Level examination.

If an applicant has been exempted from MTL as approved by MOE, the MOE-approved subject-in-lieu will be considered the MTL subject.
Applicants who have previously attended the MMI will be allowed one chance of reapplication under the Aptitude-based Admissions scheme. The applicants will have to present valid admissions test scores as required by the School’s entry requirements.

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.

University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) for AY2024-25 Admissions Exercise

The University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) is a computer-based admissions test, used by a consortium of UK Universities and non-UK associate member universities including Nanyang Technological University, Singapore to help select applicants for medical and dental degree programmes. It is a two-hour test consisting of five separately timed subtests in multiple-choice format. It is an aptitude test focused on assessing a range of mental abilities and knowledge candidates should already have. The UCAT is developed and administered by the UCAT Consortium. Registration for the UCAT usually takes place between every May and September.
The UCAT, which is currently being used for top-level medical schools in the UK including King’s College London, Edinburgh and Manchester universities to name a few, provides information about a student’s aptitude for medicine and has been a good predictor of a student’s performance in medical school. The use of UCAT for admission to LKCMedicine will ensure parity of student selection.
No. Only UCAT results taken in the twelve-month period prior to application for admission will be accepted for selection.
UCAT assesses a range of mental abilities identified by medical and dental schools as important. You are recommended to use the free official materials developed by the UCAT Consortium. The resources have been developed using feedback from previous high-scoring candidates to support your test preparation.


LKCMedicine does not endorse any preparatory course for the UCAT. You can access free official preparation materials from UCAT’s website.

If you are applying to the AY2024-25 admissions, you should take the UCAT between July and September 2023, prior to applying to LKCMedicine. Only results of the UCAT taken in the twelve-month period prior to application to LKCMedicine will be considered in the selection process.

This year’s UCAT will commence from 10 July and end on 28 September 2023. You will receive a copy of your UCAT score report before leaving the test centre. LKCMedicine will receive your UCAT results in early November 2023.

The UCAT can be taken in Singapore and overseas. Applicants can use the test centre locator function on the UCAT website to find the nearest Pearson VUE test centre.

There are currently two test centres in Singapore:
• Pearson Professional Centers-Singapore, 51 Cuppage Road, #05-02/03/04, Singapore 229469
• NTUC LearningHub Pte Ltd, NTUC Trade Union House, 73 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189556
The majority of applicants to LKCMedicine will sit the UCAT.
You will only need to sit the UCAT ANZ if you are applying to LKCMedicine and a relevant course at one of the UCAT ANZ Consortium member universities in Australia or New Zealand.

The information about UCAT ANZ can be found here https://www.ucat.edu.au/.
Applicants may only take the test once in any test window. You are therefore not permitted to sit both the UCAT and the UCAT ANZ in the same year. In this event only the test result obtained at the first sitting is valid.
You will be required to indicate your UCAT ANZ candidate ID (e.g., in the sample format: ANZ12345678) in your application to LKCMedicine for admission. LKCMedicine will obtain your UCAT ANZ results directly from the UCAT office.

Registration for the UCAT is a two-step process of creating an account and booking a test, using the Pearson VUE registration system.

During registration for the UCAT, you will be able to indicate that you are applying to LKCMedicine for admission to the MBBS programme.

Students are advised to obtain registration details from the UCAT website https://www.ucat.ac.uk/.

You will be prompted to make fee payment during the booking of your test date. The fee is payable by major debit/credit card via your UCAT Account:
Tests taken in the UK: £70 (approximately S$115)
Tests taken outside the UK: £115 (approximately S$190)
Financial assistance is available to students in need who wish to sit for the UCAT. Students may approach their schools to obtain financial assistance.

Schools can consider either of the two payment options for students who are eligible for financial assistance: 

  • Option 1: Schools can pay by credit card or debit card when the students book their test
  • Option 2: Schools can buy UCAT International Vouchers in advance for their students to use as payment to book a test. Please visit the Pearson VUE UCAT Voucher Store for details to purchase UCAT International Vouchers.
The cut-off scores for UCAT differ yearly as they will depend on the strength of the application cohort. AY2024-25 is the first year LKCMedicine will accept UCAT results for admission selection. The 10th and 90th percentile UCAT scores of students admitted in AY2024-25 will be published in due course.
This is not necessary if you had indicated that you are applying to LKCMedicine during registration for the UCAT. LKCMedicine will receive your results from UCAT directly in early November 2023. We will also encourage you to remember your UCAT candidate number as this would have to be provided when you subsequently apply to LKCMedicine for admission.

Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI)

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. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend the MMI.

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.

Male candidates currently serving National Service should apply for permission to be released by MINDEF for the test and interviews.

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.

Financial Information

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.

Outstanding candidates from lower-income families and who meet the income eligibility criteria of $2,500 and below for Per Capita Income (PCI), or $10,000 and below Gross Monthly Household Income (GHI) should also apply for needs-based scholarships during the admissions period. All scholarships are awarded based on competition amongst shortlisted candidates. 

Shortlisted scholarship applicants will be notified of their scholarship interview date, around May.
Yes, applications for a tuition fee loan that covers up to 90 per cent of tuition fees can be made through either DBS or OCBC. Refer to the NTU website for details here.
Yes. However, the combination of loans and any bursaries that are meant to cover the fees cannot exceed 100 per cent of the fees payable. ​​​​