Local universities are generally funded by the government. Established universities like National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are internationally ranked as the 40^th and  169^th respectively in The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) World Ranking in 2011. 

This year 2011 Quacqurelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking  shows that NUS is ranked  28^th and NTU is ranked 58^th.

The Singapore Management University (SMU) started in 2000 is an experiment in diversity.  Unlike the traditional tertiary institutions, SMU is based on the American education model offering a broad-based education. 

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is set up in 2009, in collaboration with MIT, USA, to advance knowledge and nurture future leaders and innovators to serve societal needs. SUTD provides a holistic education that  focus on Design, through an integrated multi-disciplinary curriculum and research. It includes strong grounding in design, what we call Big ‘D’ Design, including process design, architectural design and systems design. 
  

Admission to these local universities is highly competitive.

Useful information to help you make an informed decision: