1. Do I need to submit both the recent payslip and bank statement? And what needs to be included in the statement.

The source of finance can be either a bank statement or a payslip or a sponsor’s letter as indicated on the programme website at https://www.math.nus.edu.sg/cdsml/ms-dsml/dsml-prospective-students/

2. If I provide a certificate of deposit, how long do I need to store the money for?

This is up to you. The most important thing is to ensure that you have sufficient funds for the Master education.

3. For the bank statement, should I provide the certificate of deposit or I can provide certificate such as finance product, government bond, etc. If the certificate of deposit is the only option, should the deposit be frozen for certain time?

Please see our response to Question 1. And to add on: The purpose of the financial statement is to let us know if an applicant has sufficient funds to finance his/her entire candidature at NUS.

4. I am submitting my father/mother’s bank statement as the source of finance as he/she is supporting my education in the MSc Data Science and Machine Learning programme. Do I need to produce supporting document to show the parent-child relationship?

Yes, you need to submit documents to show the parent-child relationship in addition to the bank statement.

5. How much should I have in my bank account/bank statement?

The amount of money in the bank account should be sufficient to cover the tuition fees, miscellaneous fees and living expenses for your entire candidature in Singapore. Please refer to the programme website at https://www.math.nus.edu.sg/cdsml/ms-dsml/dsml-prospective-students/ to find out more about the application, tuition and miscellaneous fees charges. As there are many variables such as the rental fees and food expenses in the living expenses category, we are unable to advise you on the specific amount that you should have (in your bank account).

6. What should the sponsor letter include?

The sponsor letter should include the parent-child relationship and the consent to sponsor the child’s education. It should also include the sponsor’s signature.

1. Must I sit for TOEFL/IELTS test?

TOEFL or IELTS test ascertains a candidate’s English language proficiency and is necessary if English is not your native tongue and/or the medium of university instruction is not completely in English.

For details on test centres and test dates, please check the websites of TOEFL and IELTS.

2. I have already been awarded a Postgraduate degree in an English-speaking institution and a Bachelor’s degree in a non-English-speaking institution. Is the language requirement waived for myself?

There is no need for you to submit the IELTS or TOEFL test scores as long as the mode of instruction for your postgraduate degree education is entirely in English.

3. If I had a joint degree programme where I took part of my course in an English-speaking institution and another part of my course in a foreign language, do I still need to provide an IELTS/TOFEL Score?

Yes, the English test score is still required in this case. Unless your entire education, (undergrad/postgraduate) degree was with an institution whose teaching medium is entirely in English.

1. If I am not successful in the Early Admission round, will my application be rolled over to Regular Admission round automatically?

The programme may roll over unsuccessful applications from the Early Admission round for further review at the Regular Admission round.

1. What is the class schedule like?

The class schedule for full-time and part-time students are the same. Classes are typically held in the evenings on weekdays and in the daytime on Saturdays.

2. How long will the programme last?

The candidature of the DSML programme is from 1 year to 2 years for full-time students. For part-time students, the minimum candidature is 2 years while the maximum candidature is 4 years. There are a handful of full-time students who complete the programme in 1 year, which means that they would have to take 5 courses in each semester. 

3. Who is this programme targeted to?

Our programme focuses on training the foundation of machine learning compared with other programmes available in Singapore. It requires students to have a strong background in Math and Statistics. At the same time, we expect students to have programming experiences. Of course, data scientists are expected to know algorithms, data structures and databases well.

*Only Applicable to Early Admission Applicants

1. I now have the transcript of my previous 5 semesters. May I check if I can apply without the spring transcript which will be issued in July?

If the results for the second semester of your 3rd year is out before our application deadline, please submit the 3-year academic transcript. Otherwise, you may submit the current academic transcript. Please note that we will check whether you have taken some core courses in Computer Science and Statistics during the admission review process.

2. Do I need to submit my transcript in my original language as well as its English translated versions?

Yes, applicants should submit their transcript in their original language as well as its English translated version. Translated copies of the documents must be certified true copies. In particular, translated copies of the transcript(s) and degree scroll(s) must be certified by the issuing institution(s).

1. What is the difference between the Early Admission exercise and Regular Admission exercise?

The main difference is the application period. Please note that all applicants who receive and accept the offer during early and regular admission will begin the programme at the same time.

2. Can I apply to this programme with a 3-year bachelors programme? My school does not have an honours system.

In principle, we require applicants to be equipped with an honours or a 4-year Bachelor degree to apply to our programme. You may apply to the programme if you have high grades which are good enough to show your capability for further study. Do note that space to our programme is very competitive.

3. I do not have my official degree scroll yet, do I need to submit anything in the mean time?

A degree scroll is a document conferred upon a student after he/she has completed the required courses in the programme and met the graduation requirements for his/her undergraduate/postgraduate education. A degree scroll and a verification letter stating one’s student status in a university are two different documents.

In the case you have not yet been presented your degree scroll, you may supply it to us at a later date after you have received it. If accepted into the programme, your offer will be contingent on the ability to produce the official document.

4. Do I need to provide additional documents – Referee Reports, Personal statements, GRE scores, for admission this programme?

Referee Reports, Personal Statement and GRE Reports are not required for application to the programme. If you wish to submit referee reports, you need to email your own referees and upload said document in PDF format in the application portal.

5. My admission status is still “NA”, is there anything I need to do?

Due to an overwhelming number of applications, we require more time to review and process each application. If we require additional information from yourself, we will follow up accordingly.

6. I have completed my application but wish to update my documents what can I do?

Please email the document(s) in PDF format to us at askmdsml@nus.edu.sg, for uploading on your behalf to the application portal. In your email, please also state your full name and application number. We would appreciate it if you do not hyperlink your application number to the application portal.