Application Checklist

You may like to review this GDA3 Guide video to learn how to navigate the new NUS application system.
Below is the full list of documents needed to complete your application.
You do not need to submit the physical copies of the documents if you have uploaded them via our online system.

Please upload copies of your official degree scroll and transcripts of academic work and degrees/diplomas/certificates from each college or university you have attended under the “Documents Upload” section. You need to request official transcripts and degree scroll from your college or university. You are also required to upload the grading description of the grades or marks you obtained. A grading description explains how student performance is evaluated, typically using a standardised scale (e.g., letters A-F, or percentages) linked to specific criteria to show levels of achievement. For most universities, the grading description can be found on the overleaf of the transcript. Your transcripts must clearly indicate your Grade Point Average (GPA), overall average score, overall average percentage, or your final degree classification, consistent with this grading description. If this information is not available on your transcripts, please request your college or university to issue a certified letter with the necessary information.

If your institution does not provide official transcripts/degree scroll, please provide a certified copy of your credentials and a list of courses taken and the grades/marks received. These documents must be certified by an official of the institution or be notarised. If your documents are not in English, they must be accompanied by notarised English translations.

Candidates offered admission must complete the degree verification process and produce the originals of these documents during student registration.

Please note that any candidate found to have given inaccurate or false information will be required to withdraw from the programme, and for those on financial aid, to refund all moneys, received by them or expended on their behalf. The final offer of admission will be contingent upon successful verification of your qualifications.

Applicants are required to upload a copy of their curriculum vitae (CV) listing their academic, professional and personal achievements, including significant appointments held. Each appointment must include:

  • Organisation
  • The period (include month and year) of time the position was held for
  • Major responsibilities
  • Name and title of the supervisor.

Any gaps in employment history should be explained.


TOEFL / IELTS

  • For MPP, MIA and MPA

TOEFL (www.toefl.org) or IELTS(www.ielts.org) is mandatory for MPP, MIA and MPA applicants except those with Bachelor or Master degrees conducted in English*. TOEFL and IELTS are valid for two years.

While the Admissions Committee does not set minimum scores for admissibility, experience suggests that successful applicants generally achieve or exceed the following scores:

  • 5.0 on the TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Home Edition taken on or after 21 January 2026
  • 100 on the TOEFL iBT or 100 on the TOEFL iBT Home Edition taken before 21 January 2026
  • 7.0 on the IELTS academic test

Applicants for master programmes who have taken the GRE (www.gre.org) or GMAT (https://www.gmac.com/) are encouraged to submit their scores in lieu of TOEFL or IELTS score. GRE and GMAT are valid for five years.

  • For PhD

Candidates are strongly encouraged to submit GRE scores. If you do not submit GRE scores and your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree was not fully conducted in English*, you must provide a valid TOEFL or IELTS score.

While the Admissions Committee does not have strict minimum score requirements, successful applicants generally achieve or exceed the following scores:

  • TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Home Edition taken on or after 21 January 2026: Overall score of 5.0
  • TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Home Edition taken before 21 January 2026: Overall score of 100.
  • IELTS Academic Test: Overall score of 7.0, with a minimum Writing subscore of 7.0.
  • For MPP, MIA, MPA, and PhD

A copy of your score report (to be uploaded as a supporting document) is sufficient for the review of your application. However, you should also arrange for the test centre to send the official test result to the school.

TOEFL institution code: B013
GRE institution code: 7541
GMAT institution code for MPP Programme: DRT-SF-36
GMAT institution code for MIA Programme: DRT-SF-60
GMAT institution code for MPA Programme: DRT-SF-30

*Applicants with qualifications attained in English-medium institutions in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, the UK or the US are exempted from providing test score. For qualifications attained in countries not mentioned above, if your Bachelor or Master degree was conducted entirely in English, TOEFL or IELTS test scores may be waived if you provide a letter from your institution.

For MIA and MPP applicants, two referee reports are required, can either be professional or academic reference(s) written in English, are required from individuals who are able to comment on your abilities in a professional setting.

For MPA applicants, two referee reports.

For PhD in Public Policy applicants, two referee reports are required. Your references should be of an academic background.

You will be required to name the referees, complete with their email addresses and telephone numbers (in a specified format) in your online application under the heading “Referee Associations”.

Please refer to section 5 (p. 21 – 23) of the application guide for instructions on assigning referee. Please alert your referees to look out for an email titled “Invitation to Submit Referee Report” from the National University of Singapore. Please note that your referee’s submission must be completed by the application deadline, as late submissions will not be accepted.

For MPP and MPA – Shortlisted candidates may be invited to participate in a pre-recorded interview as part of the selection process. In this format, candidates will be prompted with a series of questions and will be required to record their responses within a specific time. These recordings will be reviewed later to ensure a thorough and fair evaluation. Detailed instructions, including how to access and complete the interview, will be provided to the selected candidates in advance.

For MIA – Not all shortlisted will be interviewed.

For PhD – All shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview to assess their suitability for advanced research and alignment with the PhD programme.

Additional Documents Required

For MPP applicants only

In no more than 500 words, please explain your motivation for pursuing the degree and how your academic, professional or personal experiences are relevant to the programme. Outline your career goals and how this programme will help you achieve them, and explain why you believe this programme is the right fit for your aspirations.

For MPA applicants only

In no more than 500 words, please explain your motivation for pursuing the degree and how your academic, professional or personal experiences are relevant to the programme. Outline your career goals and how this programme will help you achieve them, and explain why you believe this programme is the right fit for your aspirations.

Please let us know your position in the organisation in a chart. Illustrate and clearly point out your current position within the organisation/department, including two levels above and two levels below your current position. This is to ascertain your seniority in your organisation. A sample organisational chart can be found here:organisational chart new

For MIA applicants only

In no more than 600 words, describe how your personal, academic, and/or professional background inform your motivation for applying to the MIA programme; how you hope to contribute to your classmates and programme's success; and how you hope to use your time at LKYSPP to further your career or academic goals.

You are required to submit one writing sample of not more than 2,000 words. You may choose the best sample of your writing from a previous submission within your degree programme. Alternatively, your writing sample could be a work of fiction, newspaper article, or an analytical paper you have written. The admissions committee is looking to ascertain if you have the necessary writing skills for the programme.

 

For PHD in Public Policy applicants only

The proposal must be approximately 2,000 words in length, excluding bibliography. It must include the following:

  • The key research question(s) to be addressed (What do you want to study?)
  • Significance of the proposed topic (Why do you want to study it?)
  • Literature Survey (What have others said on the subject? Detailed referencing is not required)
  • Research Method (How will you study it?)
  • A meaningful research proposal title

Please note that the actual research topic may change after enrolment.

  • Please choose 3 research supervisors and rank the in order of your preference (1 - 3, 1 being most preferred)
  • To write briefly the reason(s) you wish to receive supervision from the selected supervisors
  • To indicate if you already have received the mentioned supervisors' permission or support to be your supervisor

*You can identify a potential supervisor from the LKY School faculty web page and state in your application with whom you would like to work and on what topic of research. Only full-time Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors of the LKY School can be supervisors. Adjunct, Visiting and Joint Appointment Professors are not included.

Please note that getting a potential supervisor’s consent does not guarantee admission.

Please note that the supervisor assigned may not be as per your initial selection.

Please include your Statement of Intent to the application in no more than 1000 words. Your statement should include but not limited to your motivation for doing a PhD, research interest, academic and research background, reasons for choosing the LKY School and short and long-term career goals.

Please provide one sample of writing, be it published or unpublished.

When you have all the documents in the application checklist, you can proceed to this page to find out more about the process. Should you have further questions, you can refer to our FAQ section.

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