Admission
How to apply
Interested applicants should submit an online application via the Joint Residential College Application System. They will be assessed based on their essays and interview, in addition to their academic achievements and co-curricular experiences. Only shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview.
This admissions exercise is not applicable to:
- Students enrolled or previously enrolled in the UTCP at College of Alice & Peter Tan, Residential College 4, and Tembusu College;
- Students enrolled or previously enrolled in the University Scholars Programme;
- Students enrolled or previously enrolled in Ridge View Residential College Programme; and
- Students enrolled or previously enrolled in NUS College.
Curriculum
How many UTown courses am I expected to read under the UTown College Programme (UTCP)?
For Cohorts AY2020/2021 and before - Students admitted as part of the Semester 1 UTCP freshman intake will be offered a two-year residency during which they are expected to complete the UTCP curriculum (5 UTCP courses).
For Cohorts AY2021/2022 onwards - Students admitted as part of the Semester 1 UTCP freshman intake will be offered a two-year residency during which they are expected to complete the UTCP curriculum (4 UTCP courses + 1 21st Century Competencies Pillar course).
Students from Dentistry, Law, Medicine and Nursing have limited room in their programme; hence, an alternative pathway has been approved for them where they are required to read two UTCP courses over two years.
Students from Pharmacy (Cohort AY23/24 onwards) have limited room in their programme; hence, an alternative pathway has been approved for them where they are required to read two UTCP courses over two years.
How are the college courses counted towards graduation?
The UTCP is designed to co-exist as an alternative pathway to fulfilling the University Level Requirements which most NUS degree programmes require as part of graduation.
In some instances, UTCP students who read Ideas & Exposition are not required to read their Faculty's compulsory writing / communication courses (also offered by the Centre for English Language Communication). As I&E courses may not be double-counted towards both University Level Requirements and Faculty requirements, such students may have to read another course to meet the units needed for graduation, as advised by their Faculties.
Students whose degree structure do not have University Level Requirements (namely Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, and Pharmacy (Cohort AY23/24 onwards)) should check with their respective programme administrators on how the UTCP courses may be classified for graduation.
Cohorts 2021/2022 onwards
Please refer to the NUS Bulletin for more information on University Town College Programme. For more details on the fulfillment of your degree programme graduation requirements, you are advised to check with your respective programme offices.
Cohorts 2016/2017 to 2020/2021 only
Students who complete the UTCP (20 units) are exempted from four of the five courses (16 units) of the GE curriculum.
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- With effect from AY2016/2017, the University requires all undergraduates (with the exception of Law, Medicine (including Nursing) and Dentistry) to complete the GER1000 Quantitative Reasoning (QR) course. This is the fifth GE course, and serves to complete the GE requirements for UTCP students. GER1000 will be pre-allocated for students in their first or second semester. Four UTCP courses will be read in place of the GE courses to fulfil the University Level Requirements, and the fifth UTCP course will be read as an Unrestricted Elective (UE) or Faculty requirement if applicable (new: RC4-FOE students to also note about IE2141).
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- UTCP students from Engineering, Arts and Social Sciences, or Science (except Pharmacy and Environmental Studies) are not required to read their Faculty's Level 1000 compulsory writing/communication course if they have read any Ideas & Exposition.Â
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- It is compulsory for FASS and BES students to read GET1050 to fulfil the Thinking and Expression pillar of the GE requirements. RC4-FASS and RC4-BES students do not need to read GET1050 if they have read a Junior Seminar course with RC4.
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- FOE undergraduates from cohort AY2019/2020 onwards are subject to the common core and have IE2141 as a graduation requirement. RC4-FOE students do not need to read IE2141 if they have read a Junior Seminar course with RC4 but will be required to take an additional 4 units of Unrestricted Elective Courses in place of IE2141 to meet the minimum number of units required for graduation.
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- For all the 4 points above, please consult and confirm with your faculty.
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Are the UTown courses to be read on a letter-grading basis?
Junior Seminars are offered on CS/CU. Students are awarded letter grades for Ideas & Exposition and Senior Seminars, with S/U option.
What if I cannot complete UTCP?
If, for some reason, students are not able to complete the UTCP, the courses they have read in the RCs will likely be mapped to the GE pillars/ CHS Common Curriculum, subject to approval from the GE Committee/ Office of Provost, or the courses will be counted towards their UE.
The steps:
- Requests should be submitted to the GE Committee/ Office of Provost via the College Office after students have read the courses (and will no longer be reading any more UTCP course).
- The College office will then submit the request on behalf.
- Requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
- Mapping outcome will be conveyed via email by GE Committee/ Office of Provost.
<Not applicable for Law, Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing students>
Accommodation
What are the cost of the rooms in Residential College 4?
You may refer to the latest cost here.
Are all the rooms in Residential College 4 air conditioned?
Yes all rooms are air conditioned in Residential College 4. All rooms are equipped with a fan and an air conditioned unit. Hostel rates are not inclusive of utilities charges. Air-conditioning in rooms operates on a pay as you use scheme, thus the cost is largely dependent on the number of hours the unit is turned on, along with the setting on the thermostat.
What do the different status on the University Hostel Management System (UHMS) mean?
In Progress – Your room allocation preference and application fee has not been made.
Pending – Waiting for the allocation of results to be reviewed or acceptance fee of $200 dollars has yet to be made.
Successful – Acceptance free of $200 has been paid to confirm the room allocated to you.
I have confirmed my residency in the other NUS hall/residence prior to getting my University Town College Programme. How do I go about my room registration?
A Terms and Conditions email will be sent to you, you will have to agree in writing to the following Terms and Conditions listed to proceed with your room registration in Residential College 4. After acceptance, you will have to re-register on University Hostel Management System (UHMS) with the preferred room type selection. Your $200 acceptance fee at the previous hostel will only be transferred to the college if there are no outstanding charges incurred in your current Hall/Residence.
My UHMS application is successful, will I be able to know my unit number before check in?
You will only know your unit number on the day you check in. You may refer to your successful application status in the University Hostel Management System (UHMS) on the room type you have confirmed upon your $200 acceptance fee.
I have been allocated a suite room, however I would like to downgrade to a single room. Can I be downgraded to single corridor room?
Your appeal will be looked into if you have a financial issue or a health condition that requires your room to be downgraded to a single corridor room. You are required to appeal in writing to the college on your downgrade appeal. However each appeal will be looked into on a case by case basis. The appeal will only be successful based on the room availability in the college.
I have been allocated a single corridor room, however I would like to upgrade to a suite room. Can I be upgraded to a suite room?
Upgrades are strictly not allowed under the college policy. However if you have a health condition that requires you to be in a suite room, the college will require you to appeal in writing with your medical documents attached. The college will then look into the request on a case by case basis. The request will be subjected to room availability in the college as well.
My friend and I are willing to do a room to room swap, would that be possible?
Under the college policy, a room to room swap will not be possible. Please also note that under the NUS Housing rules swapping rooms on your own without seeking approval from the College Office is not allowed and can be subjected to disciplinary action from the college.
My friend/family would like to visit my room, would that be allowed?
Non-resident visitors are allowed in hostel premises from 7am to 11pm when accompanied by residents. Staying overnight in the college is strictly prohibited and subjected to disciplinary action from the college.
Residential Life
My internet connection is problematic. Who do I call?
Call IT Care Hotline at 65162080. Please visit https://nusit.nus.edu.sg/itcare/ for operating hours, email contact and walk-in location.
What can I do if I encounter problems or defects with items in my room?
Call CAPT-RC4 Management Office at 66012774, or visit the office located at CAPT #01-01Â (beside drop-off point) during office hours (Mon-Thu: 8:30am-6pm; Fri: 8:30am-5:30pm).
You may also send an email to housing.rc4@nus.edu.sg
After office hours, please contact your respective Resident Assistant or Resident Assistant on Duty for assistance.
Financial Aid
I have accepted the NUS Study Loan offered (NUS Financial Aid) and would like to apply for UTown Bursaries. How should I go about it?
Applications for NUS Financial Aid, UTown Bursaries and RC4 College Grant are all via Undergraduate Financial Aid Portal. If you have applied for any of these, you do not need to submit a fresh application and will automatically be considered for all three.
When can I expect to receive my financial aid disbursement?
If you have applied for financial aid by 1 April, or submitted within two weeks from the online submission date all supporting documents without the need for further verification by us and fulfilled all requirements of the loan(s) and/or bursary, you should be able to receive your funds latest by late September. Otherwise, you will receive your financial aid funds within 2 to 3 weeks from your acceptance of the financial aid scheme or according to the disbursement timeline.
How can I check my financial aid application status?
You can check the status of your application via Undergraduate Financial Aid Portal using your student number (current student) or admission application number (prospective student).
I have missed the application deadline. What should I do?
Please note that late application for financial aid is strictly discouraged as this will impact the administration and efficient allocation of funds for financial aid. If you are in need of financial assistance after the application deadline, you may login to Undergraduate Financial Aid Portal and state the reason(s) for your late application and proceed to apply accordingly. Your application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
